Regard sur Montréal Film Residency

Who is eligible to apply?

Culturally diverse emerging professional artists (filmmakers).

For the purposes of this program, an emerging artist is defined as a filmmaker who has amassed some professional experience but may not yet have access to typical funding channels. They must have completed at least one audiovisual work that has been disseminated in a professionally recognized context.

What are the program objectives?

This residency stems from a unique collaboration between the Conseil des arts de Montréal, the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles (SODEC) and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), in collaboration with Les Films de l’Autre and the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), and aims to:

• provide a culturally diverse emerging professional artist working in film and video with an opportunity to create a short documentary on the theme of ”Regard sur Montréal” in order to more fully integrate into the Quebec media arts landscape and hone their professional skills
• enrich Montréal’s filmography with an original and timely take on the city that allows the viewer to discover or rediscover it

What type of assistance is provided?

The grant awarded by program partners is valued at $75,000 and provided in the form of financial support and services (see Partner Contribution section).

The residency consists of the following:

• research and script writing
• pre-production
• shooting in Montréal
• offline and online editing (colour correction, etc.)
• sound design and final mix
• delivery of the final film

What is the duration of the support?

This is a one-time, non-recurring grant.

What do the partners provide?

The grant amount ($75,000) is awarded as follows:

• the Conseil des arts de Montréal provides $15,000 to the filmmaker to develop the project and write the script
• the NFB provides, through its ACIC (Aide au cinéma indépendant) program, a grant of $10,000 in production support and in-house post-production services (online editing and sound mix) valued at $35,000
• SODEC provides $15,000 to produce the work

The filmmaker must factor the contributions of all three partners into their project budget and cover any additional costs themselves.

Other services offered

• The artist-run centre, Les Films de l’Autre, will provide guidance and support to the director in their role as producer
• The Montréal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) offers the selected filmmaker a spot in the RIDM Forum’s Talent Lab, as well as the possibility of screening their film at a future edition of the RIDM

What types of projects are eligible?

Creation and/or production.

What are the general eligibility criteria?

This program is for individual artists only.

Status and conditions

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Must have been a resident of the Island of Montréal for at least one year

Professional requirements

• Be recognized as a professional artist
• Must have at least one audiovisual work that has been disseminated in a professionally recognized context

Are there any special eligibility criteria?

• Be a culturally diverse artist
• Be an artist who is a first-generation immigrant from a cultural community or be a visible minority
• Be an emerging artist (see Introduction section)
• Be 18 years of age or older on the application deadline
• Not be employed by the Conseil des arts de Montréal, SODEC, NFB, Les Films de l’Autre or RIDM

What types of projects are eligible?

The project involves producing a documentary of a maximum of 15 minutes in length that offers an original and timely take on Montréal. The film can be shot in a language other than French. However, French must be the main language for distribution (subtitles, voiceover, credits).

When must the project be carried out?

The film residency takes place over a 11-month period, from December 1, 2024 to October 31, 2025.  All stages of production mentioned above must be completed by the end of the residency. 

How many applications will be accepted?

Only one application will be selected.

Who is ineligible to apply?

Applicants

Artists’ collectives, non-profit organizations and artists’ cooperatives.

Projects

• Films that have already been made
• Films produced as part of a teaching program
• Promotional films, sponsorships, public service announcements
• Educational/instructional films, series and co-productions
• Projects completed before the Conseil has made its decision; allow eight to nine weeks after the application deadline

Applications

• Incomplete applications
• Applications received after the deadline

Ineligible applications will not be considered by the evaluation committee.

Can specific populations receive additional financial support to submit their application or complete their project (accessibility costs)?

Yes. Accessibility costs refer to costs that certain individuals, particularly those who are D/deaf and/or living with a disability, must pay to take advantage, in the same way as others do, of the services and programs offered by an institution for research, to create, produce or disseminate their art. Reimbursement of part of these costs by the Conseil des arts de Montréal may offset the financial disadvantage.

The Support Fund for Accessibility Costs is a financial assistance measure that complements the Conseil’s other programs. The deadline to apply for support for accessibility costs is the same as that for the program being applied to.

Artists, collectives or organizations that have obtained financial assistance from the Conseil to carry out a project can also file an application for accessibility cost support up to three months after the decisions related to the successful project have been sent out, provided the project is not completed before the deadline to send out decisions for accessibility cost support applications.

Support is divided into three components:

• component 1 – Financial support to submit a grant application or to apply for one of the Conseil’s initiatives
• component 2 – Financial support for accessibility costs for a project funded by the Conseil
• component 3 – Financial support for presenter organizations for accessibility costs to welcome audiences for a project funded by the Conseil

For more details, please see this additional information on the Support Fund.

Can I submit more than one application in the same year?

Only one application may be submitted per year.

What information and documents must I include in my application?

Filmmakers must complete the Regard sur Montréal form and explain their interest in the residency program, their desire to make their film and their target audience.

The application must include the following documents:

• project summary
• description of the documentary subject (maximum 1 500 words), including the proposed narrative, audio and visual approach
• production schedule (the final project must be completed and delivered by October 31, 2025) 
• detailed budget in line with the funding provided on the form intended for this purpose
• link (URL) to a previous work
• curriculum vitae

How are applications evaluated?

Applications are evaluated by a committee made up of representatives from each of the partners: the Conseil des arts de Montréal, SODEC, NFB and Les Films de l’Autre.

What are the evaluation criteria?

The evaluation committee will take into account the program objectives and the following criteria:

• originality and feasibility of the proposal
• relevance of the viewpoint
• how the theme Regard sur Montréal is incorporated
• filmmaker’s cinematic vision and its clarity
• credibility of the characters or people conveying the ideas or topics adressed
• cinematographic treatment and originality, and how the project sets itself apart from a strictly informative program or series
• practicality of the proposed budget
• production schedule adhering to the cut-off date of October 31, 2025

How will I be informed of the decision?

The artist will receive an email invitation to view the results on the ORORA platform. No decisions will be communicated by phone.

Can I appeal the decision?

The Conseil’s decisions are final and not subject to appeal. However, Conseil staff are available to answer any questions regarding decisions. Equity, ethics and proximity are an integral part of our values, and listening and empathy will always be a priority in our customer relations. With the aim of improving the way we work, we are now providing you with a feedback form, which you can find here.

However, all organizations, collectives and artists wishing to share their concerns with us agree not to communicate with members of the evaluation committee or the Conseil’s Board of Directors about the management or evaluation of their application, or about decisions related to their application.

How will the grant be paid?

The joint grant amount of $30,000 awarded by the Conseil and SODEC is paid in three instalments:

• $15,000 at the start of the residency
• $10,000 at the start of shooting
• $5,000 upon submission of the final report

The $10,000 grant from the NFB will be paid in the course of the production, according to the agreement signed with this partner.  

Payment times may vary depending on the internal processing time of Ville de Montréal departments, which are beyond the control of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.   

Commitments

Accepting payment of the grant constitutes, for the artist, an undertaking to complete the activities covered by the grant and to comply with the accompanying conditions, which will be communicated upon selection of the application.

Artists agree to:

• carry out the project as planned
• notify the Conseil as soon as possible if unable to carry out the project in the fiscal year for which the grant was awarded. Depending on the situation, a full or partial refund may be requested
• if requested, submit activity reports and financial statements at the required times
• include in the report a minimum of three (3) photos and, optionally, videos or any other relevant visual element, all of which must be free of copyright and may be used by the Conseil for promotional or archival purposes

In addition, organizations, collectives, artists and their representatives agree at all times not to communicate with members of the evaluation committees or members of the Council’s Board of Directors in any matter relating to the management, evaluation or decisions related to their application.  

The Conseil des arts de Montréal staff are available to answer questions about the application evaluation process and decisions.