– Copyright cash two years away

The Canadian Independent Record Production Association d’es not expect to see immediate gains from the passing of the long-awaited copyright Bill C-32.

While C-32 has been passed by Parliament and is law, there are still several procedural steps that have to be taken to proclaim various sections of the Act, a process that will carry on throughout the summer. It’s unlikely that Copyright Board hearings will occur before well into 1998. Given the history of various new tariffs, there’s the possibility of appeals to the federal court, all of which leaves cirpa saying it’s unlikely anyone will see monies before 1999 at the earliest.

cirpa’s immediate objective is in the area of neighboring rights and the necessity to agree on and to collectively file a tariff for the use of property by Sept. 1. cirpa is also giving attention to the matter of setting up collectives and its funding operations in order to be ready to make payments to rights owners as monies from the Act start to flow.

Copyright and other music issues were discussed at the third annual North By Northeast music festival and conference, which took place in Toronto June 12-14.

cirpa is continuing its series of Wednesday Workshops with the session ‘Finding a Producer and Studio.’ Producers, engineers and studio reps will discuss how to find the right producer and facility for a demo or album recording. The session will be held at Holy J’e’s, 651 Queen St. W., on June 18.

-Egoyan sweet return

Alliance Communications celebrated Atom Egoyan’s return from Cannes with a swank little affair in Toronto this month that lured the big guns to the Royal Ontario Museum festivities.

Heritage Minister Sheila Copps, assistant deputy minister Victor Rabinovich, Telefilm executive director Francois Macerola, David Cronenberg, Piers Handling, cafde president Dan Johnson, Alliance Broadcasting’s Phyllis Yaffe and Norm Bolen joined Alliance president Robert Lantos to toast The Sweet Hereafter’s Cannes Film Festival coup.

Amongst the tributes, Macerola thanked Egoyan for justifying Telefilm’s presence in Cannes for the next 10 years. Egoyan responded to the praise heaped upon him by various sources including his producer Camelia Frieberg, with a pitch for stable film funding in Canada.

The Canadian premiere of The Sweet Hereafter is up for discussion, with odds on the Toronto International Film Festival.

In other Alliance news, the company has renewed its distribution deal with New York-based Miramax Films.

The critical Miramax distribution agreement covers 80 new movies. Many of Alliance’s box office successes have come from Miramax including The English Patient, Trainspotting and Muriel’s Wedding.

-Lucier exits Disney

In an abrupt departure, Disney Canada’s Greg Lucier, director of operations, is no longer with the company.

Lucier, a cofounder of Canada’s Triple I Productions and Calgary’s Quick Draw Animation Society, launched Disney Canada last May along with Sheridan College graduate Andy Knight. The Toronto and Vancouver branches of Disney Studios completed their first Canadian-made project last month. Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, a made-for-video feature, is slated for release Nov. 11, complete with a merchandising campaign and accompanied by a Walt Disney Records release.

Details on a replacement may be available in a week or two, says a Disney spokesperson.

-Buzz on edge

Montreal post-production, animation and special f/x company Groupe Image Buzz has filed for protection under the Bankruptcy Act. In an effort to reduce expenses, Buzz recently folded its Santa Monica office into POP Animation, a local shop. Owned by Montreal holding company Exponent and the Caisse de Depot, the company employs about 50 and hopes to reorganize its finances, says communications director Michel Desjardins. Buzz has about two weeks to work out a long-term financing solution.

-Neighbors

On June 9 the Vancouver film community helped raise over $5,000 (and donations are still coming in) for the Canadian Red Cross, Manitoba Flood Appeal with the premiere screening of Linda Ohama’s documentary Neighbours, Wild Horses & Cowboys.

Ohama’s documentary, which took a special jury prize at the Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival, was a logical choice for the flood relief fundraiser, as it is based on the concept of the unwritten law that exists in small communities of helping one another.

Ohama is currently in the later stages of developing her next project called Obaasan’s Garden.

-Edinburgh Film Fest, Scottish Screen merge

Scottish Screen, Scotland’s newly formed support agency for the film and television industries, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival have reinforced their partnership for 1997 with an increase in funding to a total of £120,000 for 1997. The merger has also resulted in a name change. This year only, the fest will be known as the Scottish Screen Edinburgh International Film Festival.

-CHUM in Germany; Bravo!’s Arts & Minds g’es international

CHUM is reportedly back at the negotiating table bidding for the right to operate Germany’s Puls tv.

Puls, Germany’s first commercial local channel, has initiated bankruptcy proceedings after four years of operation. The announcement came after shareholders failed to approve a restructuring arrangement last month that would have brought Citytv in to run the station, which has recorded us$83.5 million in losses since its inception. Since the bankruptcy filing, new bids are reportedly surfacing.

Puls is owned by Time Warner and Central European Media Enterprises.

In more local news, Bravo!’s arts showcase program Arts & Minds has been sold for broadcast in the u.s., Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. Picking up the weekly arts magazine are Bravo! USA, Australia’s XYZ Entertainment, TV4 in New Zealand and IBC Cable in Thailand.

In other chum news, the net will be sponsoring the Jesuit Communication Project to the tune of $25,000 per year for at least the next two years. The jcp is an independent charitable and educational organization which has built a national and international reputation for leadership in media literacy.

-New NANBA award

The North American National Broadcasters Association has created the NANBA Award for International Achievement. The inaugural award will be presented at the association’s next meeting in February 1998 in l.a.

The award will be given to a North American broadcaster, leader in telecommunications or broadcast journalist who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to nanba’s goals and principles. nanba says the ideal recipient will have furthered cooperation and understanding among North American broadcasters, or between North American broadcasters and their foreign counterparts.

Bell Canada has signed on to sponsor the award for the next three years, and a nomination deadline has been set for Sept. 19. The award is a framed piece of Mexican art.

-People

– PolyGram Filmed Entertainment has promoted Judy Holm to the position of vp theatrical distribution. Holm will be responsible for expanding PolyGram’s marketing division into a fully integrated theatrical distribution arm for PFE Canada. This division will begin in conjunction with the launch of PolyGram films in the u.s. and will distribute films from that entity as well as Gramercy Films.

– Vancouver’s Rainmaker Digital Pictures – enjoying an upward trend in its stock price on the Montreal and Toronto exchanges – has named Bob Cabral as ceo, a promotion from executive vp. It’s unclear whether the share price, which increased 20 cents to $5.75 on the tse June 10, responded to the Cabral news or the recent buy recommendation from Deacon Capital in Toronto projecting a share price of $7 by next May.

Cabral will continue to be responsible for all corporate developments for the post house. Bob Scarabelli, meanwhile, retains his titles of president and coo.

– Sesler & Company has signed dop Derek Vanlint for exclusive representation.

– At Atlantis Communications, Pierre Ducros, former president of DMR Group, has been elected to the board of directors.

– Todd Goldsbie has been promoted to vp, marketing and business development from his previous post as director marketing and business development for Life Network. Joining Life will be Kathleen Bazkur, who has been appointed vp, on-air brand and creative service.

– Lucie Veilleux has been named Canal D supervising producer responsible for original production and French-language adaptations. Veilleux will also have a hand in documentary and performing arts programming.

– Trevor Hodgson has been named director of development for Ranfilm Productions, based in Saltspring Island and North Vancouver and maker of the feature Margaret’s Museum. He replaces Steve Coopman, who has left the company. Hodgson, formerly an independent producer, will oversee development of Shegalla Summer and The Piece, both of which are scheduled for production this fall.

– Alliance Broadcasting has promoted Danielle Iversen to the position of publicist for the division, which encompasses Showcase and History Television.

– To help artists expand traditional distribution channels and forge links with the cultural industries and the commercial sector, the Ontario Arts Council has created the new position of market developer, hiring artist and music producer Bill Usher.