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BREAKTHROUGH Development LAB
Get your project pitch ready! This rigorous and intimate market preparation course takes ​documentary filmmakers ​through high level market preparation with a development prize for two successful projects.
The Breakthrough program has been successfully running for over 20 years. After developing their projects through the program, many Breakthrough alumni have successfully gone on to work with major broadcasters and win awards at prestigious international film festivals.

Eight emerging producers will be selected for this market-preparation course to develop project pitches and to prepare for one of two Breakthrough Awards and the Deal Maker program at Hot Docs.

Breakthrough 2.0 Development Lab
Eight ​producers will be selected for this market-preparation course to hone their projects culminating in a final pitch where two projects will be awarded a cash development award of $20,000 sponsored by Rogers Group of Funds and a development license with CBC.

Changes to the 2024 Breakthrough 2.0 Lab are designed for experienced producers. We will be prioritizing applicants who have some project seed funding, or a track record of previous feature film experience.
Note: 2024 Breakthrough 2.0 is also open to previous Breakthrough participants

Applications for the 2024 Breakthrough 2.0 Development Lab are now open.
Deadline: Nov. 20 2023 11:59pm ET
APPLY NOW

Selected filmmakers will get exclusive access to:

  • Two intensive weekend workshops, where participants will hone their pitch packages with support from creative producers, story editors, business affairs experts, and trailer editors.

  • For two months leading up to Hot Docs, weekly sessions with broadcasters and funders, as well as business affairs, legal, impact, and distribution professionals.

  • All-Access Pass to the Hot Docs Film Festival including Deal Maker and the Industry Pitch Forum.

  • Opportunity to pitch projects to receive the DOC Institute Breakthrough Development Award including a $20,000 cash prize from the Rogers Group of Funds and one of two development deals from the CBC.

The Program commences with two weekend bootcamps in late January and late February, followed by bi-weekly workshops over seven weeks on Wednesday evenings through March and April. For Breakthrough 2.0 we will be prioritizing applicants who have some project seed funding, or a track record of 2 feature films

The Breakthrough Program was created with a mandate to provide more access and inclusion for individuals self-identifying as Black, Indigenous, a person of colour, and/or LGBTQ2S+ and to increase participation for emerging film creators from underrepresented communities. We encourage applicants to self-identify in their application.

Breakthrough 2.0 is run in partnership with the Black Screen Office.

Breakthrough is made possible through the support of Ontario Creates, CBC, and Rogers Group of Funds.

                On Screen Manitoba

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