You can now submit a proposal to create a new Canadian Heritage Minute

Mar 1 2023, 10:15 pm

Heritage Minutes are one of the most iconic Canadian short films, since launching in 1991 and relaunching in 2012.

If you were a child in the ’90s growing up in Canada, you can for sure recall the line “Dr. Penfield, I can smell burnt toast” and other popular Heritage Minutes, including the stories of Jennie Trout, the Halifax Explosion and of course, Wilder Penfield.

New versions of the minutes include the sagas of Jackie Shane, Tom Longboat, Chloe Cooley and Oscar Peterson.

Well now, your childhood dreams have finally come true, with the opportunity to submit a proposal to create your very own Canadian Heritage Minute.

Historica Canada is now accepting proposals for a brand-new minute, telling the story of professional football player Norman Kwong, the first Canadian footballer of Chinese heritage.

“The organization seeks to create an engaging new Heritage Minutes that resonate with the brand and legacy of the celebrated collection while offering a fresh vision to capture new audiences,” according to the proposal brief.

A proposal must include an executive summary of the creative team, one paragraph treatment on how you would approach the topic, a mood board, and a draft budget.

“All aspects of the concept, script, casting, creative direction and production, however, will be required to meet with the final approval of Historica Canada.”

Budgets should take into account the potential for either English or French dubbing, ACTRA fees, crew, set design, costuming and props, post-production, UDA fees and multiple shooting locations.

The total amount allocated for this budget is $170,000 before taxes.

So anybody itching to become a part of Canadian history should get down to business; the application closing date is on Monday, March 13.

Get to writing and making history!

Sabrina GamrotSabrina Gamrot

+ Canada
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