Imported Artists founder Christina Ford, director Richard D’Alessio and former Kids in the Hall producer Jeff Berman have hung the shingle for a new film and television production company, Clarence Square Pictures.

With each owning 33.3% of the company and a credit line established, the trio are looking to have both a feature film and a television series in production by the end of the year.

Berman, a two-time Gemini award winner and a former resident of the Canadian Film Centre’s Feature Film Producers’ Lab, is acting as gm of Clarence Square. Ford will continue looking after commercial production house Imported and will be brought on board at Clarence Square as required.

According to D’Alessio, for whom this is a long-held dream, the climate is right to launch a long-form production company.

‘Canadians are doing some incredible film work and playing to international audiences. At the same time, all three of us are at a point in our careers where we’re established and well represented and this is a natural next step. We don’t want to move to l.a.’

The first project out of Clarence Square (aptly named for the street Imported’s offices face – ‘Nothing too wacky that we’re going to regret in 10 years,’ says Ford) is a short film, 7-Gates. The short, which will be shot in February, stars David Huband and Richard ‘I checked my notebook’ Waugh as two brothers who travel to their family’s farm for a visit at Christmas.

D’Alessio, who worked with both actors on Toshiba, will direct. Berman will produce, with Ford acting as executive producer.

Shot on a $100,000 budget, the short will ideally make the festival circuit and act as a bit of a calling card, says Berman. At the end of the day, Clarence Square is looking to produce feature films in the $3 million to $5 million range, although it’s possible that some of its first projects will run on budgets of between $1 million and $1.5 million.

In the short term, the emphasis will be on relationship building in the independent film community, with broadcasters, distributors and production and coproduction partners, and on seeking out projects about which the principals feel passionate. Of interest are character-driven concepts with the potential for wide audience appeal and international distribution. To date, there are six projects in development. ‘We’d love to make the next Diner,’ says D’Alessio.