The Nova Scotia government is making a significant contribution to a film with a snappy title that some may consider controversial.

The documentary is based on the Assholes: A Theory, penned by American philosopher and academic Aaron James. Whether it's Donald Trump, the entitled of Silicon Valley, or anyone who drives a Humvee, the documentary aims to delve into what makes certain people act like jerks.

On Tuesday, Nova Scotia Business Inc. announced they're funding $236,911 of the production costs of the film through the province's film and television production incentive fund.

The film is being produced by A Rude Film Incorporated, whose parent company is John Walker Productions. John Walker was the filmmaker behind Men of the Deeps, a documentary about Cape Breton's legendary Men of the Deeps choir.

Walker is in New York and the company didn't want to speak on the film just yet, saying they haven't signed a formal contract with Nova Scotia Business Inc. and are in the very early stages of production.

Nova Scotia Business Inc. says they don't issue contracts, only letters of commitment. Qualified productions are provided funding on a first-in, first-out basis, and are defined in the program guidelines which were created by government in consultation with industry.

Many people in Halifax on Tuesday were keen to watch a film with such a catchy title.

“It might be good. The fact that the title is what it is doesn't really mean anything one way or another,” says resident Vince Caulderhead.

“The topic sounds interesting,” says another resident. “I don't think the title, being off-putting or not, should have anything to do on whether the government should support that kind of a venture.”

Atlantic Institute for Market Studies president Marco Navarro-Genie doesn’t believe any films should be funded with public dollars.

“People say, ‘Well it provides employment.’ Sure. But so does everything else,” says Navarro-Genie. “So does private enterprise on its own, private enterprise that does not receive public funding.”

A Rude Film Incorporated says the film is in production now and won't be completed until fall 2018.  

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Brown.