Content Submission Guidelines
Acquisitions and pre-buys
Program acquisition policy
Besides producing and commissioning content, TVO acquires content in the areas of current affairs, drama, history, science, arts, biography and other genres. Acquired programs will generally contribute to TVO’s educational mandate. For example, a doc or series may reflect issues of justice, politics, diversity, leadership, education, social mores, community development and history. From time to time, TVO may acquire programs that do not fulfill those mandates, but are of exceptional quality, not easily available, and likely to engage TVO’s audience. If there is sensitive content in any TVO program, TVO will provide viewer advisory messages.
International documentaries
TVO acquires and pre-buys one-hour and feature-length international documentaries that are thought provoking and inspiring explorations of social issues from around the world, created by the world's finest filmmakers. License fees, license period, number of plays, exclusivity, digital streaming and other terms vary. Works-in-progress and finished films are considered.
Please include a short description of the film in the body of the email. No large email attachments please. Allow up to eight weeks for a response.
Examples include:
- White Right: Meeting the Enemy
- Stonewall: Paving the Way to Gay Pride
- The Art of Un-War
- Honeyland
- I am Not Your Negro
- Muslim in America: Legacy of Fear
- Becoming Black
- Hillbilly
- President
- Murdered by a Mob: The Killing of Bijan Ebrahimi
Science
TVO's prime-time science programming features hour-long Canadian and international documentaries that focus on cutting-edge scientific and technological discoveries which explore all facets of the natural and scientific world that have impact on Canadian lives.
Though science is primarily acquisitions-based, a limited number of Canadian and international pre-buys may be funded each year.
Please include a short description of the film in the body of the email. No large email attachments please. Allow up to eight weeks for a response.
Examples include:
- Wonders of the Moon
- Peter: The Human Cyborg
- Stutter School
- Colour: The Spectrum of Science
- Great Blue Wild
Submissions for science documentaries can be sent to:
Email: docssubmissions@tvo.org
History
TVO's History programming presents hour-long documentaries that examine events of national and international historical significance for both prime-time and family audiences.
From acclaimed series such as The Dictator’s Playbook and Canadian documentaries such as The Fruit Machine, to international co-productions such as Lady Sapiens, to the multi award-winning series Once Upon a Time in Iraq, TVO seeks out the best in probing and provocative history programming from around the globe.
While acquisitions dominate the strand, a limited number of Canadian and international pre-buys may be funded each year. Allow up to eight weeks for a response.
Arts
TVO acquires arts documentaries that explore the life, work, and creative process of influential painters, photographers, architects, writers, musicians and filmmakers considered eminent in thier in their respective fields. This programming is both Canadian and international in scope. License fees, license period, number of plays, exclusivity, digital media streaming and other terms vary. Hour-long and feature-length works-in-progress and finished films considered.
Please include a short description of the film in the body of the email. No large email attachments please. Allow up to eight weeks for a response.
Examples include:
- Kusama: Infinity
- Toni Morrison: Pieces I Am
- The Capote Tapes
- Magical Imperfection: The Life and Architecture of Raymond Moriyama
- Denise Ho: Becoming the Song
- Latin Noir
- What She Said - The Art of Pauline Kael
- Art Detectives
- Looking for Rembrandt
- Paula Rego - Secrets and Stories
- 1001 Nights Apart
- Capturing Lee Miller
- A Stitch in Time