– Mario Bolduc’s dark family satire L’Oreille d’un sourd (Alliance Vivafilm) has been chosen as the opening-night film at the 14th Rendez-vous du cinema quebecois, the annual Quebec film and video retrospective, Feb. 1-10.

Five films have been nominated for Le Prix Belle Guele-AQCC, awarded to Quebec’s top feature-length film in ’95. They are Robert Lepage’s Le Confessionnal, Charles Biname’s Eldorado, Pascal Maeder’s Motel, Richard Lavoie’s Rang 5 and Andre Turpin’s Zigrail. This year’s program, which also screens in Quebec City and Vancouver, includes 136 features, shorts and video productions.

– Radio-Canada emerged as the top Quebec network in primetime hours in the Nov. 2 -29 sweeps period with a 32 share of the extended Montreal francophone market according to Sondages BBM. Tele-Metropole was a close second with a 30 share followed by Television Quatre Saison with a 13 share. Radio-Quebec logged a 3 share of the market.

Tele-Metropole dominated in overall viewing with a 35 share.

Top-rated shows were Avanti Cine Video’s La Petite Vie, Telefiction’s Alys Robi, Productions Pram’s Surprise sur prise, Point de Mire’s Chambres en Ville and Cinar Films’ Les Jumelles Dionne.

– Canal Premiere, the newly licenced ppv service, has announced a commitment to contribute 10% of its gross annual revenues to the Foundation to Underwrite New Drama for Pay Television. The contribution is projected at $10 million over seven years and will be used to finance Canadian feature films and special events programming.

Additional funding will come from Canal Premiere and Viewer’s Choice dth program licence commitments, pegged at 5% of annual gross revenues, says Wendy MacKeigan, fund chairperson.

A three-person committee from the French-language production sector is being set up to manage the ppv contributions, with one person from the committee on the fund board. Guidelines for producers are expected by June 1, says MacKeigan.

The new French-track ppv funding is projected at $628,000 in year one, rising to $2.3 million in year seven.

The Canal Premiere ppv service is operated by a consortium made up of Cogeco, tqs, t-m and vcc.