New projects from David Cronenberg, Norman Jewison and Sarah Polley are among 12 features receiving a combined $1.6m (C$1.67m) in investment from the Ontario Media Development Corp (OMDC).

Other headliners receiving OMDC backing include Vincenzo Natali, George Hickenlooper and Aaron Woodley. Six of the pictures are in production while the other six are in development. 

Among the former are Cronenberg’s The Talking Cure, a Canada-Germany co-production shaping up under UK producer Jeremy Thomas and Marty Katz of Toronto’s Prospero Pictures and Berlin’s Lago Films, and A Whale In Montana from Hickenlooper and Vortex Comics’ Bill Marks.

Hickenlooper was recently in Ontario shooting Casino Jack with Kevin Spacey as the high-flying Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Projects in development include: Polley’s Take This Waltz, in collaboration with producer Susan Cavan; Jewison’s High Alert with producer Sandra Cunningham of Strada Films; Permission from director Vincenzo Natali through his Splice producer Copperheart Entertainment; and A Pig Tale to be directed by Aaron Woodley and produced by Danny Iron of Foundry Films, co-producer of Sundance title The Bang Bang Club.

The recipients included the documentary feature Evolve Love from director Velcrow Ripper and producer Cherilyn Hawrysh of FierceLight Films.

The OMDC said 36 projects applied for funding. OMDC’s Film Fund has invested more than $15m in production and development into 113 features since its inception in 2005.

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