Director Jean-Marc Vallée didn’t realize the special features on the English-Canada DVD release of his French-language hit C.R.A.Z.Y. weren’t subtitled until he read it in the papers.

‘I wasn’t happy about what happened with the DVD,’ says Vallée, now planning his own, more comprehensive home video release through the same distributor, TVA Films. ‘[TVA] had goodwill, but they moved fast and made quick decisions. I was not involved. I have already told TVA that [for the new release] we need to subtitle everything.’

This will mark the third release of the film on DVD, following an October 2005 release in Quebec, and the flawed ‘English’ version in April.

Vallée’s C.R.A.Z.Y. DVD will be a two-disc set, with a high-res version on disc one, and a completely new set of special features on the second. Vallée is even questioning whether he wants to devote space on the first disc to another director’s commentary, in the interest of retaining the highest possible picture and sound quality. He says he is torn, as the commentaries from himself, the film’s sound designer and art director are what he likes most about the current release.

The bonus materials on the second disc will include featurettes about himself, the cast, shooting scenes in Morocco and the film’s visual effects work by Marc Cote, as well as the casting and audition process. He will also include extra footage – as a few scenes were deleted from the final cut – and is considering a feature on its festival and awards successes.

Vallée’s edition of C.R.A.Z.Y. is being earmarked for a November street date.

Oprah gets Crackin’

Paul Perrier’s documentary Cracked, Not Broken received more exposure than most Canadian documentaries thanks to a recent appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Cracked – just issued as a limited edition DVD – is about Lisa, a Perrier family friend who turned to prostitution to feed a drug addiction. Lisa, Perrier, and his wife, Nicol, appeared on Oprah on May 8, in a show about prostitution that taped on May 4 and was fast-tracked to air. Clips from the documentary appeared on the episode. The exposure the film will receive from the show is not lost on Tom Powers, president of the film’s distributor/prodco Open Door.

‘[Winfrey] has 10 million viewers a day, and her website receives three million hits after a show. For a film that has grown organically from the beginning, it’s huge,’ says Powers.

This is another side-adventure for the Cracked, Not Broken filmmaking team, as they were turned away from Hot Docs this year for having held too many screenings in advance of the festival. Perrier and Lisa also appeared on CTV’s Canada AM on May 9.

Powers confirms a sequel is being developed, which will follow Lisa through her addiction recovery. She is now a patient at a top U.S. treatment facility, says Powers.

There are 1,000 copies of the DVD release available, each numbered and signed by the filmmaker.

Tong, Aurore win CENs

Alliance Atlantis and Universal Studios topped the domestic categories at the CEN Awards, winning best English- and French-language feature film release for It’s All Gone Pete Tong and Aurore, respectively.

Other winners at the home entertainment awards include Video Service Corp’s Canada Cup 1976 in the best traditional sports DVD category, while Universal Music’s release of Tragically Hip: That Night in Toronto won in the best Canadian music DVD heat.

Toronto’s Bay St. Video won the best independent rental retailer, while Blockbuster Canada won in the chain renter category. Rogers Video received the best Canadian retailer award.

Warner Home Video’s The Wizard of Oz: Collector’s Edition was the big winner at the show, taking four awards for best restoration, picture transfer, special edition and DVD reissue, while Maple Pictures’ Crash received best indie studio DVD and the CEN reader’s choice award.

Also…

Seville International has struck a deal with American distributor Allumination Film Works to release the feature These Girls in the U.S. on May 16, in tandem with its Canadian release. The deal also includes Seville titles Hatley High, Summer and The Chiefs.