Please note: this announcement pertains to Round 7 of the program, which closed on March 20, 2025. The deadline for Round 8 of the program is April 20, 2026, at 4:00 PM PT.
Vancouver, B.C. (March 30, 2026) – Today, Creative BC announces the seven projects that will receive production and post production financing for their long form scripted feature length films, documentaries, and series projects. With grants of $20K to $200K each, this is the seventh round of filmmakers funded through the Production Program (the Program). Round 8 of the Program is currently open. The Program is funded by the Domestic Motion Picture Fund (the Fund) announced in 2020 by the Province of British Columbia.
This round of funding represents a $1,090,000 investment for production phase financing, and these projects bring the total number supported by the Program to 86. The Program allows B.C. filmmakers to complete their projects for broadcast, sale, and distribution. All recipients of the program are B.C. resident individuals, or B.C.-owned and controlled production companies, that own the intellectual property behind their projects.
The Program aims to enhance funding access by eliminating the requirement for a ‘market trigger,’ proof of existing financing to the project through a distributor or broadcaster’s commitment. The result is support for creators at a variety of career stages, and for a mixed slate of projects that do and do not have existing market trigger financing, with many now given the opportunity to leverage this grant in securing further investments.
The Program’s financial support boosts each production’s budget, enhancing its appeal to attract additional investments from private and public funders. This enables projects to move into the production phase and transform fully developed scripts into screen-ready products.
The following projects are this round’s successful recipients:
- Project: WATCHA WANT
When Yin Ho, a recent immigrant and trophy wife, learns her husband has been unfaithful, she reignites her passion for dance and finds freedom, purpose, and new romance. When he returns determined to pull her back into her old life, Yin Ho must confront her deepest fears.Company: HWA Productions Ltd.
Producer: Mina Shum, Raymond Massey, Stephen Hegyes
Amount/Type: $200,000, Scripted Feature Length Content - Project: SEEKING SALTWATER CITY
Exploring childhood, ambition, and legacy, this documentary offers an intimate look at Chinese families abroad and the universal struggle of belonging both to your parents and to yourself.Company: Saltwater Series Inc.
Producer: Ryan Mah, Danny Berish, Joanna Wong, Leah Mallen
Amount/Type: $150,000, Documentary or Factual Content - Project: THE SKINS GAME
After meeting in jail in Vancouver, B.C., two Indigenous men reunite by chance and embark on a cross-border road trip to New Mexico. The journey quickly goes sideways as they graffiti over racist school mascots while grappling with their personal demons and identities.Company: SKINSGAME Productions Inc.
Producer: Jessie Anthony, Cole Vandale, Justin Neal, John Elliott
Amount/Type: $200,000, Scripted Feature Length Content - Project: BC RURAL MEDICINE: CARE ON THE EDGE
Across British Columbia, dedicated health workers face challenges and bring innovative care to patients in remote and rural communities.Company: COTE PRODUCTIONS LTD.
Producer: Sheona McDonald, Cathy Schoch, Gabriela Schonbach, Brian Hamilton
Amount/Type: $200,000, Documentary or Factual Content - Project: JIMBO: TRUE DELUSIONS
An experimental documentary that begins as a portrait of Jimmy Leung and evolves into a story of friendship between Jimmy and filmmaker Ryan Flowers, both living with schizophrenia.Company: Jimbo Movie Corporation
Producer: Ryan Gordon Flowers, Lisa Pham Flowers, Tyler Hagan
Amount/Type: $20,000, Documentary or Factual Content - Project: NEW DIAMOND RESTAURANT
Eldest son Aaron Chan is expected to take over his dad’s small-town Chinese restaurant, but when a zombie virus erupts, he is forced to give up his hockey dreams and step up to protect his chaotic family.Company: Dear Hero Studios, New Diamond Film Inc.
Producer: Milton Ng, Mike Morrison, Curtis Lum, Willan Leung, Jared Cheer, Paolo Valdes, Jessica Ally, Natasha Jung
Amount/Type: $120,000, Scripted Feature Length Content - Project: SWITCHBACK
Intense gender dysphoria prompts a struggling artist to undertake a solo backcountry hike in the remote wilderness. As they grapple with their evolving nonbinary identity, they form an unusual bond with a curious wolf.Company: Wolf Pack Films Inc.
Producer: Kristyn Stilling, Melanie Jones
Amount/Type: $200,000, Scripted Feature Length Content
View a list of the recipients by program online here.
To learn more about the Production Program, visit Creative BC’s website: https://creativebc.com/funding-programs/domestic-motion-picture-programs/production-program/
Quotes:
Honourable Anne Kang, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport
“Filmmakers throughout B.C. continue to bring powerful stories to the screen with incredible skill and creativity. These projects reflect the passion and hard work of the people both behind and in front of the camera, as well as our government’s ongoing commitment to supporting B.C.’s domestic film sector. I’m proud that we’re helping local filmmakers take their work to the next stage into production and post-production with the goal of sharing it with audiences here at home and around the world.”
Prem Gill, CEO, Creative BC
“Congratulations to the seven recipients in this latest round of funding. Each intake highlights the strength, range, and originality of B.C.’s independent filmmakers, and this investment ensures these stories can progress through every critical stage of production and post production. With support from the Province of British Columbia, we continue to strengthen our domestic motion picture industry, elevate B.C.-owned IP, and empower local creators to bring their visions to the screen.”
Mina Shum, Director, Program Recipient
“I feel such gratitude to live and create in this province, where we have Creative BC’s Production Program fostering home grown talent and, in my case, stories born out of this wonderful diasporic mix of west coast cultures. Over the course of my career, Creative BC has been there to champion the untold story and provide the essential financial support to get my films into production.”
Media Contact:
Creative BC
Lisa Escudero
media@creativebc.com
+1 604-730-2235
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About Creative BC
Creative BC is an independent non-profit society created and supported by the Province to sustain and help grow British Columbia’s creative industries: motion picture, interactive and digital media, music and sound recording, and magazine and book publishing. The society delivers a wide range of programs and services with a mandate to expand B.C.’s creative economy. These activities include: administration of the provincial government’s motion picture tax credit programs; delivery of program funding and export marketing support for the sector; and provincial film commission services. Combined, these activities serve to attract inward investment and market B.C. as a partner and destination of choice for domestic and international content creation. The society acts as an industry catalyst and ambassador to help B.C.’s creative sector reach its economic, social, environmental, and creative potential both at home, and globally. Website: www.creativebc.com