First Cut Lab Canada 2026 is a consultancy program designed for 2 feature films in editing phase from Canada. The selected teams (director/producer/editor) are offered a creative framework, both benevolent & challenging, where to open up new perspectives and to explore the whole artistic potential of their films.
The lab will be conducted online, and schedules will be adjusted to meet the needs of the selected projects, within the period from November 10, 2025, to March 31, 2026. Participants will screen their rough cuts in private sessions and receive expert feedback from three international film industry advisors and tailored advice from a consultant editor. The consultants and advisors will be chosen based on the profiles of the selected films. An overview of regular consultants can be found here.
Once the workshop is over, the participants receive a report & a roadmap that can serve as guidance for further editing.
The main goal of First Cut Lab is to foster the artistic potential of the selected rough cuts and, at the same time, to increase the sales, festival and circulation potential of the completed films.
For any further information, you can contact us via email at:
julie.marnay@firstcutlab.eu
Submission deadline:
15. October 2025
DATES
Submissions are now open.
The deadline for submitting the entry form is 15. October 2025.
The workshop will take place online with possible dates between 10. November 2025 to 31. March 2026.
Each film is accompanied by First Cut Lab for a period of roughly 6 weeks, even though the core of the Lab takes place over two consecutive days.
The exact dates of the Lab will be chosen in agreement with each selected team to best answer the needs of their films. A preferred period for the Lab should be mentioned in the application form.
N.B.: Projects potentially interested in First Cut Lab Canada 2026, but that are not able to provide video material by October, 15 2025 (e.g. because the principal photography of the film is not over, or because it has not taken place yet), should still fill out the application form and apply by this deadline. If eligible, they will be contacted by First Cut Lab to agree on a specific deadline to provide their video material.
1. GENERAL GUIDELINES
Please note: the deadline for submitting a project to First Cut Lab Canada 2026 is 15. October 2025.
In order to submit your application and the required material, you need to complete the submission form. All application materials and subtitles should be in English.
Applications must be sent to:
Julie.marnay@firstcutlab.eu
2. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Submissions should include:
- A complete online submission form in English
- Video material with a minimum duration of 30 minutes and with English subtitles
Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.
The video material submitted can be selected scenes, first assembly, or rough cut.
The video is mandatory to be available via a streaming service password protected (e.g. Vimeo). No transfer services or cloud storage is accepted.
N.B.: Projects potentially interested in First Cut Lab Canada 2026, but that are not able to provide video material by October, 15 2025 (e.g. because the principal photography of the film is not over, or because it has not taken place yet), should still fill out the application form and apply by this deadline. If eligible, they will be contacted by First Cut Lab to agree on a specific deadline to provide their video material.
3. SELECTION & ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
The project should be a feature film with international potential – minimum length of 75 minutes. First Cut Lab has no specific fixed criteria in terms of content and each project will be considered on its own merits. The main criteria for selection are the artistic & audience potential of the film, corroborated with the specific needs identified by the organizers in each project in regards to the specificity of the First Cut Lab workshop.
Projects should be new or recent. Projects should not have been presented at any public screenings. The project can be in different stages of post-production, though it is highly recommended to be in early editing phase.
To be eligible for the Lab, the project must:
- Be in post-production stage.
- Be a narrative feature length film financed in production or post-production by the Canadian Feature Film Fund or the Talent to Watch Program of Telefilm Canada.
- If the film is a coproduction, it should be directed by a Canadian director and recognized as a majority treaty coproduction by the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
4. SPECIFIC CONDITIONS
Once a project has been selected, both director and producer should be available during the days of the Lab. The presence of the editor is recommended.
Finished films that participated in First Cut Lab should mention First Cut Lab and display its logo in their credits. The following sentence should be mentioned in the credit list: “This project participated in First Cut Lab Canada 2026″ together with the First Cut Lab logo and the Telefilm Canada logos.
The First Cut Lab logo pack can be downloaded here
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