Inside:

Distribution on the edge:

Canadian cinema carves an ‘erotic weirdness’ niche – p. B3

Canadian screenwriting:

‘A low-percentage proposition’ – p. B4

Shorts getting longer shrift:

Garnering more slots and more money – p. B20

Film diaries:

Production chronicles from conception to completion – begin p. B7

Features:

The Hanging Garden – p. B7

Shopping for Fangs – p. B11

Gerrie & Louise – p. B14

Pitch – p. B17

Hayseed – p. B19

Shorts:

Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight – p. B22

Permission – p. B24

Linear Dreams – p. B26

For the first time, Canadian production designers are jockeying for a piece of the spotlight at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival via two new profile-raising showcases at the Design Exchange and the CN Tower.

Cosponsored by the Directors Guild of Canada, the Design Exchange and The Tower, Works on Paper consists of two concurrent exhibits of storyboards and sketch designs, featuring the works of more than 40 Canadian production designers and art directors. According to project manager Maria Giovannini, the idea is to draw the interest of the foreign producers gathered in Hog Town to fest.

‘As the number of coproductions increases, we’d like to expose the designers to an international audience.’

The CN Tower setup is largely a gallery situation with curator Charles Dunlop selecting the featured pieces. On display are work from designers including Stephen Roloff, Seamus Flannery, Michael Levine, Rex Raglan and Steve Geaghan, and Gavin Mitchell.

The Design Exchange showcase, assembled by Dunlop, will highlight designs from three films in the Perspective Canada lineup: The Hanging Garden, Cube and Twilight of the Ice Nymphs, and three tv productions being shot in Toronto.

Working with a budget in excess of $100,000 this year, Giovannini says Works on Paper could be an annual event or a road show, given the right combination of sponsorships and advertising support. Plans are to take it to Banff next year for the Banff Television Festival, and, with the next promax in Toronto, expand to include broadcast designers and special effects artists.

The Design Exchange exhibit will launch Sept. 9 with an industry reception and run until Sept. 28. The CN Tower’s display goes to Nov. 26.