SASKATCHEWAN PRODUCTION INCENTIVES
Saskatchewan is a Canadian prairie province with diverse terrain, friendly people and a variety of urban landscapes. It consists of prairies in the south and boreal forest in the north, with fresh, clean air throughout, and the North and South Saskatchewan rivers. From the wheat fields and open sky in the flatlands, to the rich forest and countless lakes of the Canadian Shield, Saskatcehwan offers tremendous beauty for adventurers near and far.
Saskatchewan Film, Television & Digital Media Incentives and Funding
This grant invests in television and feature film projects with commercial intent that shoot in Saskatchewan and/or employ Saskatchewan- based crew during production and post-production.
Deadlines & Processing Time
Opening date: April 3, 2023
Deadline: Continuous Intake Until Funding Is Exhausted
All deadlines close at 4:00 PM Saskatchewan time. If a deadline falls on a statutory holiday or a weekend, applications will be accepted until 4:00 PM the following business day.
Application processing time: Applications for productions in which the majority of principal photography takes place in Saskatchewan can expect to receive results within 4 to 6 weeks from the application acceptance date.
Results will be delivered via e-mail and will be available in GMS
Our Investment
Saskatchewan Stream:eligible applicants may apply for financial support equal to a maximum of 30% of all eligible Saskatchewan expenditures up to a maximum of $5,000,000.
Service Production Stream: eligible applicants may apply for 25% of all eligible Saskatchewan expenditures up to a maximum of $5,000,000.
Both streams: applicants might be eligible for the following bonuses (to a commitment not exceeding a maximum of 40% of eligible Saskatchewan expenditures for Saskatchewan Stream, or maximum of 35% for Service Production Stream):
- 10% frequent filming bonus (where applicants complete 3 or more eligible productions per year in Saskatchewan)
- 5% rural bonus (where majority production takes place a minimum 50km outside Regina or Saskatoon)
- 5% Saskatchewan post-production bonus (where majority post-production is taking place in Saskatchewan)
- This bonus applies to all of the eligible expenses, not just the eligible post-production expenses.
Check out our incentives calculation table to see what you may qualify for!
A comprehensive list of eligible Saskatchewan expenditures is available here.
Are You Eligible? Visit the Creative Saskatchewan website to find out more.
This grant augments other resources available to qualified Saskatchewan production companies as they undertake one of three different streams of film and television development.
Investment Streams, Deadlines & Processing Time
Pre-Development Stream: currently on hiatus
First Draft Stream
Opening date: June 1, 2023
Deadline: Closes when funding is exhausted.
- Assists with costs related to continuing development (e.g. taking a script treatment to an outline or first draft) of projects that have secured development monies from a eligible source (e.g. broadcaster or distributor.)
- First and Final Draft Development streams will be offered on a first-come first-served basis and supported based on the availability of funds.
- Applicants and their parent companies are limited to two First or Final Draft Development grants (or combination thereof) per fiscal year.
Final Draft Stream
Opening date: June 1, 2023
Deadline: Closes when funding is exhausted.
- Assists with costs related to continuing development (e.g. script polish, and pre-production activities) of projects that have secured development monies from an eligible source (e.g. broadcaster or distributor.)
- First and Final Draft Development streams will be offered on a first-come first-served basis and supported based on the availability of funds.
- Applicants and their parent companies are limited to two First or Final Draft Development grants (or combination thereof) per fiscal year.
Slate Development Stream
Opening date: September 1, 2023
Deadline: December 7, 2023
- Assists with costs related to development of two to five eligible film or television projects with the potential to leverage development financing from other funding agencies and the private sector.
- Eligible applicants may apply to Creative Saskatchewan for a maximum of $40,000 or 75% of the total development cash budget (for this phase), whichever is the lesser.
- In order to be considered eligible for Slate, applicants must have at minimum one-hour of commercially distributed content (for animation, applicants must have at minimum one half-hour of commercially distributed content) created and made available to audiences in the past two years (applicant companies must demonstrate ownership of the property).
- Applications are internally assessed against published assessment criteria.
- Applications are scored and ranked. Based on the ranking, available funds are committed until exhausted. In the event of a tie, the funds will be divided equally between the tied applications.
Applicants can expect to receive results within 8 weeks from deadline date.
All deadlines close at 4:00 PM Saskatchewan time. If a deadline falls on a statutory holiday or a weekend, applications will be accepted until 4:00 PM the following business day.
Results will be delivered via e-mail and will be available in GMS
Our Investment
Saskatchewan Production Requirement
Creative Saskatchewan’s financial commitment shall be a grant for projects that proceed into production within Saskatchewan. However, recipients will be required to re-pay the grant in the following instances:
- In the case of dramatic projects, where less than 50% of principal photography and/or 75% of post-production occurs within the province.
- For non-dramatic projects, where less than 50% of post-production takes place in Saskatchewan.
Are You Eligible? Visit the Creative Saskatchewan website to find out more.
The Filmmaker’s Grant program supports emerging Saskatchewan filmmakers with mentorship and production funds to produce content under ten minutes intended to build the filmmakers’ professional portfolio.
Deadlines & Processing Time
Opening date: September 20, 2023
Deadline: December 13, 2023
All deadlines close at 4:00 PM Saskatchewan time. If a deadline falls on a statutory holiday or a weekend, applications will be accepted until 4:00 PM the following business day.
Application processing time: Applicants can expect to receive results within 10 weeks from the deadline date.
Results will be delivered via e-mail and will be available in GMS
Grant Overview
This grant provides financial support and mentorship to filmmakers to create short-form content under approximately 10 minutes. Content can be in most genres, including dramatic, animation, and documentary, web series and music video.
Ineligible genres include experimental, game shows, pornography, sports, news, and magazine-style content.
Filmmakers must be the grant applicant. If applying for Book to Screen Adaption or Music Video, the filmmakers are responsible for finding a Saskatchewan publisher or musician collaborator.
Short-Form Content:
- Filmmaker must have rights to produce the content.
- The primary intent is commercial.
- Applicants can apply at any stage of production.
Book To Screen Adaptations:
- Filmmakers working with an eligible Saskatchewan Book Publisher or Self-Published Author can apply for an additional $5,000 to be used for option and writing expenses only.
- A letter of support for the project from the publisher must be included in the application. A formal option agreement demonstrating that the filmmaker/producer has the right to produce and distribute the content is only required if a grant is awarded.
Music Videos:
- For musicians, the program’s objective is to promote an upcoming single through the production of a music video. For filmmakers (director or producer, or an individual acting as both), the program’s objective is to create capacity development opportunities, as selected applicants will gain experience managing production and working with clients.
- Both parties (musicians and filmmakers) will have a completed music video to add to their professional portfolio. However, the musicians will maintain ownership of the finished project.
- A letter of support for the project from the musician must be included in the application. Musicians must be a signatory on the funding agreement should a grant be awarded.
Filmmakers will be paired with a mentor throughout the production process who will advise and work with the teams to finalize video treatment (shot list or storyboard etc.), production budget, production schedule, production agreements, rough cut, and fine cut.
Our Investment
Creative Saskatchewan may provide up to 100% of the approved budget to a maximum of $7,500 for a music video, $25,000 for short-form content, and $30,000 for Book to Screen adaption, of which $5,000 to assist with option and adaption to screenwriting expenses.
Are You Eligible? Visit the Creative Saskatchewan website to find out more.
This grant provides financial support to eligible Saskatchewan-based independent producers of audiovisual productions.
The SaskTel Max Equity Fund provides financial support to eligible Saskatchewan-based independent producers of audiovisual productions.
Creative Saskatchewan may invest in eligible projects that demonstrate significant economic, cultural, and employment benefit to the Saskatchewan industry, and a high potential of recoupment and profit in the application.
Creative Saskatchewan administers this fund on behalf of SaskTel.
View the Annual SaskTel Fund Report here
Deadlines & Processing Time
Opening date: June 1, 2023
Deadline: July 14, 2023
All deadlines close at 4:00 PM Saskatchewan time. If a deadline falls on a statutory holiday or a weekend, applications will be accepted until 4:00 PM the following business day.
Application processing time: Applicants can expect to receive results within 8 weeks from the deadline date.
Results will be delivered via e-mail and will be available in GMS
SaskTel's Investment
The fund is a competitive fund that may provide equity investment in support of eligible productions to a maximum of 20% of the approved cash budget.
Are You Eligible? Visit the Creative Saskatchewan website to find out more.
Canada also offers numerous funding options and incentives at a national level. Click here to see what's available.