P.E.I. film producer getting funding for feature

Telefilm Canada says a P.E.I. film company is expected to get up to $120,000 in federal funding to make its first feature film.

Periscope Pictures competed against 27 other submissions from emerging talents across the country. Its film Kuperman is one of 15 movies Telefilm says will be funded from a $1.5-million pot of money.

A spokesperson with Telefilm says successful projects must submit budgets of no more than $250-thousand before learning how much they'll get, but he doubts any of the successful finalists will go away empty-handed.

Film director Harmony Wagner said the funding will mean jobs on the Island for people in the industry.

"It seems like a lot of money to somebody when you say that number but the truth is it employs a lot of people," said Wagner.

"A lot of money goes to wages and then you have other things you've got to do like feed people and buy set pieces or wardrobe or whatever so it liquidates very quickly."

Wagner hopes to have the money in time to start shooting the 80-minute film on the Island in September.

Periscope's short film Queen of the Crows has been a big success for the company. It will showcase at Cannes later this month. It is also one of nine films chosen to be aired on Short Film Face-off, a national CBC-TV show that will start airing at the end of August.

"We've been working hard at it for a long time."

Wagner said the success has come just in time for her.

"It's funny because it gets exhausting so I, kind of in my mind, was about to turn the chapter on film and say OK, maybe I'm going to start writing books, so you don't have to spend all your time chasing funding so you can pay a bunch of people. But now it seems like perhaps there's something else in the cards. It feels like all this hard work is paying off."

Wagner said the Kuperman shoot will employ more than 50 people and take 17 days.