While finding funding for screen-based projects can be challenging for Canadian filmmakers, here's some good news that will offer some assistance.

The First Weekend Club (FWC), which launched in 2003, is a Vancouver-based organization that helps to promote and boost the box-office performance of Canadian films on their ever-crucial opening weekends, which can determine how long the films remain on screens in theatres. That's particularly important when Canadian films are going up against Hollywood releases, with immensely larger budgets.

In 2015, the FWC launched their platform Canada Screens, which offers Canadian video-on-demand selections.

On April 23, the FWC announced that the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO) recognized Canada Screens as a service that can qualify productions for a refundable tax credit on labour expenses.

In a news release, First Weekend Club’s executive director Anita Adams stated: “This is exciting news for the organization as it puts us in a position to be of much greater service to the Canadian film community, providing them not only with a platform for their Canadian content, but a platform that will enable them to recoup costs through the tax credit program.”  

To help filmmakers understand what funding opportunities are available to them, the FWC will host a panel discussion with local experts on how to finance screen-based projects.

The panel will consists of Creative BC's Tim Mudd, Telus executive producer Jonas Woost, Altman and Company trademark agent Jeff Young, Kelly and Kelly producer Lauren Bercovitch, and Bell Fund Board chair Catherine Warren, with All in Pictures producer Leah Mallen as moderator.

New Digital Frontiers for Financing Content will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday (April 26) at the Vancouver International Film Centre (1181 Seymour Street).

The event is free to all FWC members. That said, FWC membership is free too and just requires signing up online.