+ Miramax Films has signed an exclusive deal with New York-based Gotham Entertainment Group, giving Miramax a first look at all Gotham-represented product.

+ Two Comweb Corporation companies, William F. White and Les Equipments Moli-Flex/White, are putting the finishing touches on a $5 million expansion program. In order to increase overall inventory and availability in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver and the new Halifax office, William F. White has invested over $4 million and Moli-Flex/White over $1 million in new camera and lighting technology, says Comweb president Paul Bronfman.

+ Alliance Communications has sold all u.s. distribution rights for Patricia Rozema’s When Night is Falling to New York-based October Films, which is planning to release the film this summer.

+ The Toronto International Film Festival’s 1995 international spotlight series will showcase films from Hungary. The festival runs in Toronto Sept. 7-16.

+ Nominees for the Banff Television Festival’s 1995 Banff Rockie Awards were announced at this month’s mip-tv in Cannes.

From an all-time high of 668 entries (marking more than an 18% increase over last year), 70 nominees from 19 countries were chosen in 12 categories.

Canadians were nominated for 14 awards: Sullivan Entertainment’s Butterbox Babies (made-for-tv movies category); Cinar/Bernard Zukerman Productions’ Million Dollar Babies (miniseries); Alliance Communications’ Due South and Sullivan Films’ Road to Avonlea (continuing series); Ric Bienstock’s Ms. Conceptions and cbc’s Witness ‘The Choirmaster’ (social/political documentaries); Radio-Canada’s Fractales and Rhombus Media’s September Songs: The Music of Kurt Weill (performance specials); Cinar’s Are You Afraid of the Dark? ‘The Tale of the Dream Girl’ and Heartland Motion Pictures’ Guitarman (children’s programs); cbc’s CBC Prime Time News ‘Rwanda – Autopsy of a Genocide’ and ctv’s W5 with Eric Malling ‘Campus Codes – The Speech Police’ (information programs); and Alliance/BLT Productions’ ReBoot ‘The Tiff’ and the Canada/France coproduction Les contes du chat perche ‘La patte du chat’ (animation programs).

The festival runs June 18-24.

+ In March, Telefilm Canada made financial commitments totaling $8,937,349 to 20 new Canadian feature film and tv production projects: $1 million to Kleo the Misfit Unicorn, Rupert Bear IV and Glory (War at Sea – Golgotha) and $1.3 million to Moi et l’autre ou 30 ans plusÉ, La Presence des ombres, Spirou et Fantasio II, Choco, La Conquete du grand ecran, Intolerance and Voices of Silence under its Canadian Broadcast Development Fund; $1.5 million to The Feature Film Project and Once in a Blue Moon and $360,000 to A la memoire de mon ami and List noire through the Feature Film Fund; a total of $58,000 to Glowing in the Dark, Sick World and The Vernissage under its Regular Fund; and $4.6 million to Little Lulu, Mayday and Squawk Box under the Special Production Fund.

+ The first annual Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival will be held May 31-June 4. Intended to bring short films to a broader audience, the festival has attracted over 1,250 entries from 18 countries, says festival executive director and founder Brenda Sherwood.