Two Edmonton projects are getting a lift in production, after receiving an investment fund.
Christmas with a Crown, a feature-length TV movie, and Curved Space, a retro arcade shooter game, received an investment from the Edmonton Screen Media Fund totaling greater than $230,000.
The fund is managed by the Edmonton Screen Industries Office, a non-profit organization primarily funded by the City of Edmonton, that supports film, TV and interactive digital media.
The intent of the ESMF is to support economic development, help create jobs and generate returns that might be revolved into recent screen media projects and ventures.
Dylan Pearce, director of Christmas with a Crown, said the investment enabled the production to have creative freedom.
“It allowed us to dream. We could herald larger names. The production design was higher,” Pearce said. “If you watch these movies, you’re purported to be enamored with a classic Christmas fable. That vision got here to life.”
The movie was filmed within the Whyte Avenue area in March.
“The story is a couple of woman who comes back home for the vacations and finds a festival her mom had run for a very long time is over,” Pearce explained. “The local library where she grew up is about to shut down and the one way she will put it aside is to take a position in her own heritage and family memories.
Curved Space‘s Andrew Czarnietzki and Jen LaFace applied for the fund in February and said the investment helped take their business to the subsequent level.
“We went from working on this project within the evenings and weekends… now we do that full time,” Czarnietzki said. “Now we have a complete of six part-time contractors. Rapidly this can be a real business. ESIO was a giant a part of that catalyst to make it occur.”
Czarnietzki said the investment helped bring the sport to market.
“I actually have a background in game design. I do know the software side and Jen has brought the story side,” Czarnietzki said. “But the massive piece of constructing a commercially successful video game is that you’ve to get it to market and reach people.”
ESIO CEO Josh Miller said the non-profit, which was established in 2017, is worked up to partner with local projects for its first ESMF initiative.
Miller said the projects, though different formats, share something in common: local talent.
“Edmonton entrepreneurs, Edmonton developers and producers. They’ve track records of their field and we consider these are industrial projects,” said Miller.
The fund was partially established with seed money from the City of Edmonton.
“A few years ago town arrange a movie fund. When the film commission was shuttered, that cash was put in a reserve and held,” Miller said. “We made a case to town about why we should always administer it and what the profit can be.”
The fund investment shall be paid back with interest. The non-profit will reinvest that cash into other local projects.
“We predict these two projects will attract audiences and users and generate some revenue for corporations and it can be an excellent investment for us,” Miller said.
Pearce said investing in Edmonton talent pays off.
“It allows people to see what else is feasible and in addition to dream somewhat bit,” he said. “There’s lots happening here. Anything might be possible.”
Christmas with a Crown shall be released in Canada on Dec. 1 on video on demand and online platforms. It’ll even be released in France, the US and beyond for Christmas 2021.
Curved Space is predicted to be released in Spring 2021.
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