– China, Japan at WFF ’97

Chinese director Xie Jin’s The Opium War has been selected for official competition at the 1997 Montreal World Film Festival, slated to run Aug. 22 to Sept. 2. The film is the most expensive in the history of Chinese cinema and has been screened only once prior to its wff premiere, at a special hand-over ceremony in Hong Kong July 1.

Three Japanese films will also be in competition for the Grand Prix des Ameriques: Kei Kumai’s Aisuru, Yoshimitsu Morita’s Shisurakuen adapted from Junichi Watanabe’s best-selling novel (Lost Paradise) and Jun Ichikawa’s Tokyo Yakyoku.

Industry delegations from both China and Japan will attend the festival, says wff director Serge Losique.

-Hairy Bird takes flight

Lynn Redgrave and a cast of well-known young actors are spending the summer in Whitby, Ont. shooting Alliance Communications/Redeemable Feature’s The Hairy Bird.

The irreverent feature comedy set in an exclusive all-girls’ school in Connecticut stars Gaby Hoffman (Volcano), Kirsten Dunst (Jumanji), Heather Matarazzo (Welcome to the Doll House) and Rachel Leigh Cook (Tom and Huck), with Redgrave as the formidable headmistress.

The Hairy Bird marks the feature film directorial debut of writer/director Sarah Kernochan (Academy Award winner for her feature documentary Marj’e).

The film is produced by Redeemable’s Ira Deutchman and Peter Newman (Smoke, Blue in the Face). Alliance chairman Robert Lantos and Andras Hamori, president of Alliance Pictures, are executive producers along with Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle).

Alliance will handle worldwide distribution.

-SFA buys TV rights to My Own Private Oshawa

Former cbc exec producer Sandra Faire’s SFA Productions has bought the rights to the hit one-man gay coming-of-age play My Own Private Oshawa.

The play, written by and starring Jonathan Wilson, played to packed houses in two Toronto theaters this year.

My Own Private Oshawa will see Wilson reprise his starring role.

Faire is negotiating for a television broadcaster.

-Former prez sues YTV

Former ytv president Pat Macdonald has filed a lawsuit against the network. Although Shaw Communications won’t confirm details, the suit reportedly claims wrongful dismissal and is asking for between $4 million and $5 million.

In other ytv news, Martin Abel, vp and cfo, officially resigned two weeks ago. Katherine Browne has been named vp finance. Although vp of programming Dale Taylor’s month-long absence prompted rumors he too was leaving ytv, a company spokesperson says he was simply on an extended holiday.

-Cineplex Odeon builds N.Y.

Toronto-based Cineplex Odeon has announced plans to increase its presence on Long Island, n.y. with the major expansion of an existing theater in Lake Grove and the construction of two new multiplexes in the communities of Riverhead and Huntington. The developments represent combined investments of more than us$18 million by Cineplex and its landlords.

-End of the film shelters

A production service tax shelter, the last, from Monarch Entertainment Production Services, closes officially on July 31, says Toronto-based multimedia financing specialist Malcolm Silver.

The investment offers a 10-year tax deferral with an Advanced Income Tax Ruling from Revenue Canada and is grandfathered. Silver says some units of the popular offering remain.

-All eyes on Snake Eyes

Direct investment by foreign, mainly u.s., location shoots in Montreal has hit the $180 million level, a major hike over last year’s total foreign investment of $86 million, says Montreal film commissioner Andre Lafond.

Lafond says the $115 million Paramount Pictures shoot Snake Eyes is attracting new business from Hollywood, including several tv movies. Much of Snake Eyes will be shot at the old Montreal Forum, with principal photography slated to start the second week of August. Some 1,000 extras are being hired.

A boxing epic, the film stars Nicolas Cage and is being directed and coproduced by Brian DePalma.

-History’s feature slate bulks up

Confirmed popular feature film titles for the officially incarnated History Television include The Eagle Has Landed, The Madness of King George, Mississippi Burning, Sophie’s Choice, The Falcon and The Snowman and Indochine.

-DAWC

The Directing, Acting and Writing for Camera workshop has been running for 16 years and was awarded with an invitation to present its work at the 37th International Film Festival in Zlin, Czech Republic. dawc is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to Canadian professionals in film and television.

dawc founder and artistic director/producer Maruska Stankova was awarded the prestigious medal of the Masaryk Academy of Art for life-long achievement in art. The ceremony took place in Prague, with the participation of the Canadian ambassador to the Czech Republic, Alain Dudoit. The Masaryk Academy of Art was created under the auspices of President Vaclav Havel. Previous recipients include Milos Forman and Luciano Pavarotti.

-Floating Film Fest

The 5th annual Floating Film Festival will be running a tribute to the late Saul Bass, the graphic designer who revolutionized film title credits and posters. Bass’ wife Elaine has generously donated archives which will be premiered at the festival.

The program for the festival, which departs on Jan. 22, 1998 for a 10-day a cruise through the Caribbean, has not yet been completed and will be announced in the fall. Programmers George Anthony, Kathleen Carroll, Mary Corliss, Richard Corliss, Roger Ebert, Piers Handling and Brian Linehan welcome Jim Emerson aboard this year. Emerson is the editor of Cinemania 97, the cd-rom and Website for Microsoft.

-People

– Mireille Watson has resigned as vp industrial relations and training at the Canadian Film and Television Production Association.

The cftpa board of directors, president and industrial relations committee are presently searching for a replacement and say they ‘have made it a priority to find both temporary and permanent assistance in order to meet members’ needs in labor and training issues.’

– Louis Laverdiere will leave his post as Quebec operations director at Telefilm Canada to take on a producer position with Cite-Amerique in mid-September.

Cite-Amerique is best known for its award-winning drama series including Blanche, Les Filles de Caleb and Margeurite Volant. It is currently prepping its first English-language series Random Passage, a coproduction with Passage Films of St. John’s, Nfld.

Laverdiere joined Telefilm as Quebec operations director in 1989 where he managed a staff of 30 in two business units. Before joining Telefilm he spent three years with Quebec funding agency sogic, and was an independent producer from 1972 to 1986. A replacement has not been named.

– Karen Spierkel has been appointed vp public affairs for the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, effective Aug. 4.

– Dianne Warnick has been appointed senior manager of English communications, Western Canada, for the cbc.

– The Nova Scotia Film and Video Producers Association has elected a new slate of directors. The new president is Bill Skerrett of Skerrett Communications, vp is Don Duchene of Wildcard Productions, secretary is Richard Huggard of VideoPost, and treasurer is John Wesley Chisolm of Eco-Nova.

Other directors elected are Barrie Dunn of Waldo Peeble Films, Chuck Lapp of Envision Productions, Lesley Ann Patten of Victory Motion Pictures and Neal Livingston of Black River Productions.

The nsfvpa also confirmed two new classes of membership – the ‘new member’ category and a ‘corporate membership’ class.

– Derek Carlisle has been appointed manager of public affairs for the Specialty Pay and Premium Television Association in Ottawa.

– CBC Newswatch replacement anchor Heather Hiscox has been signed to anchor the supper-hour Global Quebec newscast. Hiscox had a stint with Global six years ago reporting from London, Ont. and Toronto. Former Le Devoir journalist and tva news director Benoit Aubin is Global Quebec’s news director. The new station, ckmi-tv, g’es to air Sept. 14.