CineNova Productions’ unique factual dramatization properties have once again caught the eye of Canal+, a financing partner on their five 1996 Great Adventures of the 20th Century titles, with the signing of new deals representing $10 million in production activity.

The French broadcaster will cofinance three CineNova projects currently in production: The Coming Disasters and Nuclear Sharks: Cold War Submarine Adventures, both three-hour miniseries, and the two-hour special Escape From Earth. Delivery is slated for next summer.

Presale deals have been inked on The Women Adventurers (6 x 1 hour), a one-hour special, Jackie Kennedy: First Lady of Style, and Tomorrow’s Wars (3 x 1 hour).

Canal+’s releasing arm Explore International will distribute the titles internationally. Canadian and American sales are being negotiated, reports CineNova partner David Lint.

The Toronto prodco is also in development on two imax features.

Also busy on the international scene, Ottawa animation house Boomstone Entertainment is close to signing a broadcast deal with TF1 in France on SoulMates, a 26-episode 2D animated kids’ special (five- to 12-year-olds) centering on two positive-thinking aliens who help earthling kids gain confidence.

The budget is us$300,000 per ep and Paragon Entertainment is exec producing. Production is aimed for January ’98.

Boomstone is also developing a 26 half-hour series, Yeti, based on the Big Foot doll marketed by Toronto’s Zeke O’Conor Enterprises and a top seller for the last five years at Sears, with partial proceeds donated to the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation in Nepal. Big Foot is considered a mystical figure in the Himalayas, where Boomstone’s Lee Williams says the stories will be set, with a magical Yeti taking young boys and girls on all sorts of adventures.

Williams expects to bring a French studio on board to coproduce and is banking on international sales to put the us$250,000 per ep project in production in April ’98.

*Anne of Green Gables returning to TV

It looks like Sullivan Entertainment may have plans to bring Canada’s favorite little redhead back to tv screens – this time as an animated cartoon series. Word is that a production bible for a 13-episode half-hour series is currently being developed. Sullivan reports that the project is only in the early discussion phase.

*Medieval mayhem

Take two stressed-out 14th century popes, one in Rome the other in Avignon, dealing with all sorts of problems, from peasants being burned at the stake to the Spanish Inquisition. Add codco’s Andy Jones and you end up with a good dose of medieval madness and potential for a hilarious romp through history.

That’s the premise behind the six scripts former Canadian Film Centre grad Kim Harris (’96 TV Drama Programme) and cocreator Stephen Temkinis are writing for a half-hour sitcom called Nasty Habits, in development with the cbc.

Triptych Media is on board to produce the series and Jones is committed to star. The eps are just about ready to be delivered to the pubco, and then the wait for a red or green light.

*Bach story optioned to film composer

A chance dinner with 94-year-old Otto Bettman, creator of the Bettman Archive (the world’s largest private photo collection that Bill Gates recently bought the rights to digitize) led Toronto film score composer Marty Simon to the option of Bettman’s book Johann Sebastian Bach As His World Knew Him.

A day after the dinner where they talked about their love of music, Simon (who just scored Lexx: The Dark Zone Stories and has a long list of film and tv soundtrack credits including Showtime’s Hiroshima miniseries) received a call from Bettman asking him to bring the story of Bach’s life to the big screen.

Simon, of course, jumped at the chance to move into the production end of the biz. With Bettman as creative consultant on the project and Simon as producer, they envision a feature that brings out the personality of Bach, from the jokes he told to his day-to-day routines, personal struggles and victories. Three l.a. screenwriters are working on possible treatments to be delivered in December.

There is big star potential for the feature, says Simon. ‘What actor wouldn’t want the chance to play Bach?’

A Toronto and Montreal production company have expressed interest in producing and Simon is also shopping American companies.

As for when the project will go into production, if Bettman has any say in the matter it will be soon.

‘Otto calls me every day saying, `You know, I’m not going to live forever,’ ‘ laughs Simon

Other film option news: Toronto screenwriter Edgar Lyall has just signed a deal with Bert Stratford Productions in New York for his feature screenplay Rain Music, an ensemble romantic comedy following the journey of self-discovery of a wannabe writer in search of the perfect woman. The company is currently shopping for a director for the roughly $3-million project. mtv’s features division is interested in a window

*Commercial bunch look to long-form

Commercial/music video director Tim Hamilton and Hoodoo Films’ Michael Rosen are breaking into the feature filmmaking biz with the short film Shrink.

The half-hour dramatic comedy was cowritten by Hamilton and Martin Granger and centers on a man’s first visit to a psychiatrist. Gabrielle Rose (The Sweet Hereafter), Jonathan Wilson (My Own Private Oshawa), Brigitte Gal (The Girl’s Got Gall) and Daniel Richler (Imprint) were nabbed to take the leading roles.

Suzie Mukherjee is producing with coproducers John Buchan and Chris McDonald. Montreal’s CFCF 12 provided development funds, while numerous coworkers and members of the Toronto commercial and music production communities lent their time and talents free of charge to help get the project off the ground.

The five-day shoot, lensed by veteran dop George Morita, recently wrapped on location in Toronto and the film is now in editing.

Hamilton says having so many of his commercial cohorts on set made his first experience directing a drama much easier. However, long used to ad agency clients looking over his shoulder, it took some time to realize he was creative boss on set. ‘I caught myself thinking I don’t know if I can get away with doing that. Then I realized, yes I can, this is my film.’

The producers plan to get the film on the festival circuit in 1998 and then shop broadcasters.

Rosen, who has an executive producing credit on Shrink, expects to add feature films to his company slate next year. Hamilton has completed a script for a feature-length satire on a subject he knows well, the advertising world, titled Time Is Money.

*Seeking post $s

Producers Michael Dorn and JD Hazen have teamed up on the half-hour dramedy Darryl and cast Lynne Griffin, currently seen on Riverdale as well as Wind At My Back, her real-life husband, American Sean Sullivan (Wayne’s World, Back to the Future iii), and stage actor Bob Dodds.

The Cabbagetown shoot is set for mid-October, with the plan to finish the project and then shop it to broadcasters. The only hitch is the partners, who financed the project themselves with the aid of the National Film Board’s Filmmakers Assistance Program, don’t have the cash for post.

Penned by Dorn, the story is premised on a separated couple who meet at their old home to sign divorce papers and hand over the house keys to the new owners. Enter handyman Darryl, a carefree oddball who arrives out of nowhere to fix a crack in the wall they didn’t even know existed. The zany character becomes entangled in the lives of the couple, much to the chagrin of the uptight suit of a husband but to the delight of the repressed, soon-to-be ex-wife, who rediscovers her spontaneous fun-loving self.

The filmmakers see series potential in the show and are currently shopping the project to broadcasters, including cbc and wic.

Dorn’s previous two tv half-hours, the drama Motel and comedy Backfire, both aired on cbc.

*Web school

For those of you screenwriters who can never seem to find the time – not to mention the cash – to head out to the Summer Institute of Film and Television’s professional writing workshops, this summer you can cozy up to your computer and hone your craft online for a less hefty price tag.

The Web workshop is still in the research phase but will likely be offered starting in February and will feature chat-lines with classmates and instructors. The intent is to keep the program as flexible as possible to allow participants to fit the workshop into their schedules.

There is also the possibility of opening up the Net offerings to a mentorship in producing series, says Dennis Landy, who’s heading up research and registration on the project.

sift is currently looking for input on which workshops to program and possible filmmakers and writers to lead the online series. E-mail ideas to cstc@magi.com.

*Slated for Toronto

Accent Entertainment’s $3.6-million feature Dog Park is in production Oct. 20 to Nov. 28. Bruce McCulloch, who wrote the romantic comedy, is also directing. Natasha Henstridge (Species, Maximum Risk), Luke Wilson (Bottle Rocket) and Larry Sanders Show regular Janeane Garofalo star.

Ted Danson and Jennifer Jason Leigh are the principals in Thanks of a Grateful Nation, a Showtime movie shooting Oct. 26 to Dec. 18 under the Dufferin Gate banner. The Gulf War Syndrome story is directed by Rod Holcomb.

John Woo’s latest project, Blackjack, a tv pilot produced out of Alliance, is set to shoot Oct. 27 to Nov. 28 in Toronto. Producer is John Ryan.

Disney has a Nov. 3 start on the abc tv movie Mister Head Mistress. Doug Keevs is directing and Steve North producing.

Naked City, a Paramount movie for Showtime, shoots Nov. 11 to February ’98. Jeff Freilich (The Rescuers) is directing, Albert Botha is line producer. Scott Glen (Silence of the Lambs) stars as a detective in this New York underground crime story. The rest of the cast is still to be locked.

The rumor mill has the Stephen King abc tv miniseries Storm of the Century to be shot in Toronto for 16 weeks beginning next February. Craig Baxley is directing and King exec producing.