Overview
The CrossCurrent Canada Doc Fund was a documentary grant program administered by Hot Docs, Canada's documentary festival, as part of the Hot Docs Canadian Storytellers Project. The fund provided grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 CAD to Canadian documentary filmmakers from communities whose perspectives have been historically underrepresented in the industry. It was supported by Netflix as part of a five-year, CDN$25 million market development initiative announced in 2017.
The fund is now listed under Hot Docs' Legacy Programs. Netflix withdrew its funding for Canadian training and development programs in September 2024, ending the Canadian Storytellers Project and its associated funds. The CrossCurrent Canada Doc Fund disbursed a total of $1,000,000 CAD over its five-year run, supporting 48 projects from five provinces. Filmmakers seeking current Hot Docs funding should review the organization's active industry programs, as the CrossCurrents funds are no longer accepting applications.
What It Funded
The CrossCurrent Canada Doc Fund provided grants to Canadian documentary projects at the development, production, and post-production stages. Both short and feature-length projects were eligible. Grant amounts ranged from $10,000 to $50,000 CAD per project.
The fund prioritized projects where the filmmaker's own background or the film's subject matter represented communities historically excluded from mainstream documentary funding. In its largest single round, the fund awarded $300,000 CAD across 15 projects from four provinces.
Beyond cash grants, the fund connected recipients to Hot Docs' broader industry infrastructure. Each project received year-round mentorship from the Hot Docs Industry team, including personalized advice and detailed feedback on works-in-progress. Grantees were offered accreditation for the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and participation in Doc Accelerator programs. The fund also provided bespoke schedules of industry sessions, meetings, and film recommendations.
Typical Award Size Range
The CrossCurrent Canada Doc Fund awarded grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 CAD per project, covering development, production, and post-production stages. The fund disbursed a total of $1,000,000 CAD over five years to 48 projects, averaging approximately $20,800 per project.
Award size breakdown by round:
- Inaugural round (2019): $160,000 across 6 projects (average $26,667 per project)
- Second round: $245,000 across 10 projects (average $24,500 per project)
- Largest single round: $300,000 across 15 projects (average $20,000 per project)
Both short and feature-length documentary projects were eligible for the same funding range. The fund did not tier awards by project length or stage. Award size was determined by the project's budget needs and the fund's assessment of what the project required to reach its next milestone.
Eligibility (Historical)
The fund was open to emerging and sophomore Canadian filmmakers who were Indigenous, Francophone, Deaf and/or had a disability, racialized, and/or persons of colour. Both short and feature-length documentary projects were eligible for development, production, or post-production funding.
The fund explicitly named the communities it was designed to serve. This was not a general documentary grant: it targeted filmmakers whose access to mainstream funding structures was limited by systemic barriers. The fund's mandate addressed representation gaps in the Canadian documentary sector by directing resources to creators from specific underrepresented groups.
Track Record and Impact
Over its five-year run, the CrossCurrent Canada Doc Fund disbursed $1,000,000 CAD to 48 projects from five provinces. The fund's reporting indicates $700,000 CAD was distributed across 33 projects in its earlier rounds, with a later round adding $300,000 CAD to 15 projects. The inaugural round in 2019 distributed $160,000 across six documentaries (four features and two shorts), with a subsequent round adding $245,000 across 10 projects (seven features and three shorts).
Hot Docs and Netflix received the 2021 Business / Arts Community Impact Award for their partnership on the Canadian Storytellers Project.
Past Recipients and What They Made with the Money
The CrossCurrent Canada Doc Fund supported 48 projects over five years. Several recipient films went on to significant festival premieres and awards:
- Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers - Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy won the Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award and a Rogers Audience Award at Hot Docs 2021, and the 2022 Canadian Screen Award for Best Feature Length Documentary. The film documents the Kainai First Nation's response to the opioid crisis.
- Lulu Wei - There's No Place Like This Place, Anyplace won a Rogers Audience Award at the Hot Docs 2020 Festival. The film examines the redevelopment of Toronto's Honest Ed's block and what displacement means for the city's communities.
- Émilie Serri - Damascus Dreams premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film explores the director's family history connecting Syria and Quebec.
- Chris Strikes - Becoming a Queen premiered at the Roxbury International Film Festival. The film documents Toronto's Caribbean Carnival queen competition.
- Maya Annik Bedward - Black Zombie received development funding through the inaugural round. The film examines representations of Black identity in horror cinema.
- Fazila Amiri - A 2019 CrossCurrents grantee and 2020 Doc Accelerator alum, whose film And Still I Sing had its world premiere at the Hot Docs Festival.
What Made Applications Competitive
The CrossCurrent Canada Doc Fund evaluated applications on three axes: the filmmaker's connection to an underrepresented community, the strength of the documentary proposal, and the project's production readiness. The fund explicitly named the communities it served (Indigenous, Francophone, Deaf and/or disabled, racialized, and/or persons of colour), meaning applications needed to articulate how the filmmaker's background or the film's subject matter connected to these communities.
Successful applications demonstrated a clear visual approach, a defined production timeline, and a realistic budget within the $10,000 to $50,000 CAD range. The fund favored projects where the filmmaker's personal connection to the subject matter was evident, rather than projects where an outside filmmaker documented a community they did not belong to. Hot Docs Industry staff provided feedback on works-in-progress, so applications that showed a developed treatment or rough cut had a measurable advantage over applications at the concept stage.
Relationship to the Hot Docs Fund Ecosystem
Hot Docs administered several documentary funds simultaneously, each with distinct mandates. The Ted Rogers Fund supported Canadian documentary projects broadly. The Blue Ice Docs Fund supported African documentary projects. The CrossCurrents International Doc Fund addressed underrepresented communities internationally (non-Canadian projects). The CrossCurrents Canada Doc Fund was the Canada-specific stream.
In 2024, Hot Docs also operated an Incubator program that provided $150,000 to five documentary recipients for project development, training, and mentorship. This program was also affected by Netflix's withdrawal.
With the end of Netflix funding, filmmakers who previously would have applied to CrossCurrents should look to alternative Canadian funding sources. The Canada Media Fund remains the largest Canadian production funding source. The Indigenous Screen Office provides funding for Indigenous screen creators. The Telefund programs through Telefilm Canada offer development and production support.
Netflix's Withdrawal from Canadian Programs
In September 2024, Netflix confirmed it was pulling back from training and development support in Canada. Impacted organizations included Hot Docs, the Indigenous Screen Office, the Whillster Film Festival Society, the Pacific Screenwriting Program, and L'institut national de l'image et du son (L'inis). Netflix had sponsored Hot Docs programs for seven years through the Canadian Storytellers Project.
Hot Docs stated that while the withdrawal represented a loss of significant program funding, the organization remained committed to nurturing the next generation of filmmakers. The organization pointed to the Online Streaming Act as a potential future source of support for professional development in the documentary space.
Current Alternatives for Canadian Documentary Filmmakers
Canadian documentary filmmakers from underrepresented communities seeking funding should consider the following alternatives:
- Telefilm Canada: Development and production funding for Canadian filmmakers, including the Talent to Watch program for emerging creators
- Canada Media Fund: The largest Canadian content fund, with specific programs for documentary and diverse voices
- Indigenous Screen Office: Funding and support for Indigenous screen creators in Canada
- National Film Board of Canada: Production and co-production opportunities for documentary filmmakers
- Rogers Documentary Fund: Documentary production funding for Canadian filmmakers
- Hot Docs Industry: Active programs, mentorship, and festival accreditation (check current offerings)
Who Should Apply
The CrossCurrent Canada Doc Fund is no longer accepting applications. This entry is maintained as a historical reference. Canadian documentary filmmakers from underrepresented communities should direct applications to the alternative funding sources listed above. Filmmakers who were previously eligible for CrossCurrents may find comparable support through Telefilm Canada's Talent to Watch program, the Indigenous Screen Office, or the Canada Media Fund's convergent and experimental streams.
Watch
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers' Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy is one of the most recognized CrossCurrent Canada Doc Fund recipient films. It won the Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award and a Rogers Audience Award at Hot Docs 2021, and the 2022 Canadian Screen Award for Best Feature Length Documentary. The film documents the Kainai First Nation's response to the opioid crisis and was produced with assistance from the Hot Docs CrossCurrents Canada Doc Fund.
See Also
For Canadian documentary filmmakers building a broader financing strategy, see Documentary Financing: Building Your Stack. For an overview of the Canada Media Fund as a larger-scale Canadian production funding source, see the Canada Media Fund entry. For planning a documentary production budget, use the Production Schedule Calculator.
