CFC Norman Jewison Film Program: Writers' Lab
Lab · 2026Prestige 78/100
Five months in residence in Toronto, tuition covered, and a professionally produced proof of concept CFC pays for.
Deadlines & fees
- Application deadlinePassed26 Feb 2026America/TorontoCA$100
Closed for this cycle
The 2026 cycle opened in January and closed on 26 February 2026 at 3:00pm EST, with a 100 Canadian dollar application fee plus HST payable via Stripe; the HST-inclusive total is not published. The residency itself runs from 13 July to early December 2026. The 2027 window is unannounced, but this is the most reliably annual programme of its kind in Canada: three consecutive cycles are evidenced with 19 participants each, running 15 July to 13 December 2024, 14 July to 12 December 2025, and from 13 July 2026, with five writers in the Writers' Lab every year. On that record a call opening in January with a late-February deadline is a reasonable expectation, though CFC has not published one.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 9 Aug 2026.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature, TV Pilot
- Eligibility
- Canada only
- Open to
- Canada
- Required materials
- A letter of intent, 750 words maximum · A resume or CV, 2 pages maximum · A filmography and writing credits, 1 page maximum · A primary project description with synopsis and artist statement · A project slate of up to three additional projects · A feature screenplay of 80 to 110 pages, solo-authored · Contact details for two advocates
Applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. A LONE WRITER APPLIES DIRECTLY: no producer, company or attachment is required, and the sample screenplay must in fact be solo-authored, so co-written material does not qualify as the primary submission. CFC looks for writers with professional writing experience and a growing body of onscreen work, a desire to collaborate across the script-to-screen process, an interest in the changing marketplace, and a narrative feature script actively in development; pilot scripts may sit on the slate but not as the primary project. NOTE ON RESIDENCY: attendance is in-person and full-time on the Toronto campus, but pre-existing Toronto residency is NOT an eligibility rule. CFC expressly contemplates relocation, offering a one-time relocation bursary to those moving from outside Ontario. The published expectation is only that the programme is full-time and a priority for you.
Prizes
No cash prize. The value is the residency itself: tuition of 15,000 Canadian dollars covered in full by scholarship for every incoming resident, five and a half months of full-time development, and a professionally produced proof of concept that CFC pays for. READ THE BURSARY POSITION CAREFULLY, BECAUSE CFC DESCRIBES IT THREE DIFFERENT WAYS. The tuition and fees block says monthly bursaries and a relocation bursary are also provided, which reads as automatic. The 2026 notice on the same page says additional bursaries are available on a case-by-case basis for those who need extra financial support, which reads as discretionary and need-tested. The eligibility document says you will be able to apply for bursary support of up to 750 dollars per month, which reads as a capped application. A selected writer may therefore receive nothing in monthly bursary, and the 2026 wording frames this as a deliberate shift away from blanket support. A one-time relocation bursary of 1,500 Canadian dollars is published for those moving to Toronto from outside Ontario. These are bursaries rather than wages, and no employment relationship is published. RIGHTS: narrow and clearly stated. Writers retain all original intellectual property in projects brought into the programme and CFC takes no ownership of underlying IP, but CFC owns the completed produced exercises, short films and showcases, because the insurance, agreements and ongoing liabilities sit with CFC. Your screenplay stays yours; the film made of it at CFC's expense does not. No option, first refusal or exclusivity is published, and nothing published gives Netflix any claim over participant work despite its lead sponsorship.
Judging
Selectors are not published for the Writers' Lab; the programme page lists alumni rather than jurors. Feedback is explicitly not offered: due to the high volume of applicants, CFC no longer provides it. Applications require contact details for two advocates.
The PreList verdict
The strongest development residency in Canada, and one of the few anywhere that a writer can enter alone. No producer, no company, no attachment: a solo-authored feature screenplay and a letter of intent. Tuition of 15,000 dollars is covered by scholarship for every resident, and the real prize is a professionally produced proof of concept that CFC pays for and you would otherwise never afford. Three consecutive annual cycles with 19 participants apiece make this the most dependable entry in our Canadian set.
Two things to weigh before you plan around it. The first is the bursary, and it matters more than the tuition figure. CFC describes the same support three different ways across two documents: automatic in one place, case-by-case for those who need extra support in another, and an application capped at 750 dollars a month in a third. The 2026 notice frames this as a deliberate move away from blanket bursaries. Read that as a warning that a selected writer could receive nothing monthly, and budget five and a half months of full-time Toronto living accordingly. A one-time relocation bursary of 1,500 dollars is published if you are moving from outside Ontario.
The second is the rights line, which is narrow and admirably plain. Your screenplay and any IP you bring in stays yours. The proof of concept CFC produces from it does not, because CFC carries the insurance and the liabilities. That is a fair trade, but know it going in. Note also that pre-existing Toronto residency is not required despite what is often assumed: full-time in-person attendance is, and CFC expects some residents to relocate. Feedback is not offered, so a decline tells you nothing.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 9 Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply without a producer?
Yes. A writer applies directly, and the sample screenplay must be solo-authored, so co-written work does not qualify as the primary submission. This is one of the few serious residencies in Canada with no attachment requirement at all.
Do I have to already live in Toronto?
No. Attendance is full-time and in person on the Toronto campus, but pre-existing residency is not an eligibility rule. CFC expressly contemplates relocation and publishes a one-time relocation bursary of 1,500 Canadian dollars for residents moving from outside Ontario.
Will I be paid while I am there?
Treat this as uncertain. CFC describes the monthly bursary three different ways: automatic in one place, case-by-case for those who need extra support in another, and an application capped at 750 dollars a month in a third. Budget for the possibility of receiving nothing monthly.
Who owns what I write?
You keep all original IP you bring in, and CFC takes no ownership of underlying rights. CFC does own the completed produced exercises and short films made during the programme, because the insurance and liabilities sit with them.
Is your script right for CFC Norman Jewison Film Program: Writers' Lab?
Upload your screenplay and The PreList scores how well it fits this lab: genre, format, eligibility and readiness, before you spend anything.
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