Feature Films

A feature film is a narrative film typically 70 to 90+ minutes long (Ambition Studios’ slate includes projects of 90 to 120 minutes), intended for theatrical release, festival distribution, or streaming or broadcast licensing. Features need significantly more financing, longer production and post-production timelines, and a more complex chain of rights, financing, and distribution than short-form or branded content.

How independent features are typically financed:

Production tax credits and incentives (such as Canada’s CAVCO certification and provincial credits)
Pre-sales of distribution rights
Equity investment
Grants from film funding bodies
Self-financing (less common at feature scale)

Most independent features combine several of these.

Development-to-screen process:

Development: script, and attaching key creative talent such as a director
Financing: securing the budget
Pre-production: casting, crewing, locations, scheduling
Production: principal photography
Post-production: editing, sound, color, delivery
Festival submission, distribution, and/or release

Timelines from development to release commonly span one to several years.

After completion: common paths include film festivals, theatrical or streaming distribution deals, and broadcast licensing. A festival selection, particularly at a major festival, is often a significant credibility marker that can influence distribution.

Ambition Studios’ narrative work: *Alterations* (2025, a Canadian feature film) and *Fivehead* (2026, a Canadian short film that screened at TIFF, the Toronto International Film Festival). The current development slate has five original projects: Becoming Human, Bigotry, Psylem, Bless The Violent, and Title Withheld (descriptions are under Full Production above).

For a feature film submission, provide the material available for review, a brief description, your role, and what you are seeking. Email overseer@ambitionstudios.ca or submit at https://www.ambitionstudios.ca/pitchus.

Last updated: August 24, 2026