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TORONTO -- Telefilm Canada, CBC Television, the Rogers Group of Funds and the National Film Board announced Thursday that they are committing C$2 million ($1.78 million) for the one-year renewal of the Theatrical Documentary Pilot Program.

The program was initially set up in June 2005 to facilitate the production and distribution of feature docs in Canada; 11 projects have so far drawn from the fund, including "Manufactured Landscapes," directed by Jennifer Baichwal and Suzanne Chisholm, and Michael Parfit's "Saving Luna."

"We are pleased to be paving the way toward a more permanent solution where financial resources are earmarked specifically for this genre," said Telefilm executive director Wayne Clarkson. "Until that time, the renewal of the Theatrical Documentary Pilot Program is a ringing endorsement for the documentary community."

Given that the participants have not worked out how much each is kicking in, the announcement may be somewhat premature, but a Telefilm spokesman said the group wanted to get the word out to filmmakers gathered in Toronto for the Hot Docs Canadian Documentary Festival, which wraps Sunday.