Vancouver: The sequel to Air Bud, the top grossing Canadian film in 1997, goes before the cameras on Valentine’s Day.

A family movie backed by Disney, Golden Receiver picks up the story of the talking, basketball-playing golden retriever. Vancouver’s Keystone Entertainment and producer Robert Vince are back at the helm, with star Kevin Zegers making a return engagement.

– More sequels

The Fear II: Happy Halloween will go before lenses on Feb. 9. This sequel is a Canadian production whereas the original was a u.s. show that was successful in video. Fear ii, capitalizing on the hot horror genre, will get theatrical release through Alliance, says producer Clint Lien. Starring Sean Canan (Karate Kid iii), Fear ii is about a wooden totem that wreaks havoc and bloodshed.

Production continues at GG Studios in Burnaby until the end of the month.

– B.C. Film facts

The provincial funding agency B.C. Film funded 112 film and tv projects to the tune of $4.2 million in 1997. Year-over-year activity represents a 29% increase.

‘The growth in activity is due in part to the startup of the new television station (vtv) in Vancouver, which licensed a number of new b.c. programs for broadcast,’ says Lauren Davis, executive director of B.C. Film. ‘We were also pleased to see the licensing of new and returning b.c. television series by broadcasters such as wic, Baton Broadcasting, Discovery, wtn, ytv and Life Network.’

Seven series, including Cold Squad, Cosmic Highway, Madison and Pacific Profiles, were funded in 1997, as were five features such as Dirty, Drive, She Said and Rupert’s Land.

– Other contenders

Capilano College media student Trevor Hilton is, after two years of shooting, completing a one-hour boxing documentary for his graduation in April and is gaining interest from tsb and ctv’s proposed sports network.

The Fighting School Teacher profiles Manny Sobral, an Edmonton-based boxer with world-class talent and a gift in classrooms as a substitute teacher.

Sobral fulfills a dream when he goes into the ring for a title fight against Hector ‘Macho’ Comacho in June, giving the documentary added timeliness.

Hilton expects the documentary to be released in July.

Meanwhile, privately funded mini-feature Undone goes before cameras with local Vancouver cast Feb. 14 for four days. Written, directed and executive produced by Gregory Horoupian, the 20-minute, $8,000 (excluding post) film is a psychological drama about a man shaken by his lonely childhood. The project is bound for the festival circuit.

And Fury for the Sound: The Women at Clayoquot debuted theatrically at The Vogue in Vancouver Feb. 6. The documentary – a People’s Choice winner at the Vermont International Film Festival – is about women who became politically aware through the logging loggerhead at Clayoquot Sound in b.c.

Filmmaker Shelley Wine – herself arrested on the logging roads at Clayoquot – was intrigued by the worldwide trend of women taking the lead in environmental activism.

– Soccer west

Toronto-based Leader Media Productions brings its Italian coproduction World Cup 98 to Vancouver for a shoot Jan. 28 to Feb. 28. Vancouver? Well, it is a soccer picture, says publicist Kim Yu, who noted snow on the pitches of t.o. before flying out west.

The English-language film, featuring Italian star Giancarlo Giannini, is about a young pro soccer player. An Italian broadcaster was negotiating for rights at press time, but no Canadian broadcaster had been lined up.

– Czechs and balances

Last month, Vancouver’s North American Pictures launched a marketing campaign to promote its movie-making facilities in Prague. After three years of refinement and us$500,000 in facility upgrades, the four 10,000-square-foot studios are available for rent and contribute to cost savings of about 30% over the cost of shooting in Vancouver, says coo Michelle Gahagan.

North American moved to Prague – the childhood home of chair and ceo Lloyd Simandl – in response to the growing production costs in Canada and the u.s. and the economic benefits of working in the Czech Republic.

Crackerjack was the last movie North American made here in 1993.

Since converting the potato factory, a half-hour drive from Prague, the company has made 12 sci-fi action-adventure films with titles such as Deadfire, Sleeping Dogs and Crackerjack ii.

This year, however, North American is moving up a notch in content quality. Calling the company’s inventory ‘premium cable’ product that is released theatrically in some markets but usually debuts on the Sci-Fi Channel or hbo before going to video, Gahagan says the new projects will be character-driven. In April, Escape Velocity – a sci-fi adventure with a strong female lead – goes to camera, and in June, the company’s first period drama, Dark Rose, about a Hungarian countess, goes into production.

But there is room for more work, Gahagan says, adding the facility can accommodate two to three crews depending on the size of the production and is versatile in computer graphics, on-camera special effects, and, soon, animation.

She’ll be attending Locations Expo this month to promote the Prague stages.

– Prime viewing

Global Television Vancouver continues to dominate the West Coast’s primetime viewing. According to bbm’s fall tv ratings, Global has eight of the top 10 regularly scheduled programs in the coveted 18-49 age group.

For the Vancouver-Victoria region, The X-Files, Seinfeld and Friends take gold, silver and bronze while other top-10 shows for Global are Frasier, Beverly Hills 90210, Party of Five, The Simpsons and King of the Hill.

Number four, er (ctv), and number-five, Canuck hockey (bctv), made up the balance of the top-rated programs last fall.

– Flashback

Vancouver’s Women in Film & Video hosted Flash Forward for people breaking in, moving up or changing directions in the film and tv industry. The workshop, held Feb. 7 and 8 and facilitated by filmmakers and Flash Forward conference founders Heidi Wall and Suzanne Lyons, has been offered previously in l.a.., New York and Toronto.

Guest speakers in Vancouver were casting director Stuart Aikens, agent Dacia Moss, Lisa Purdy of cbc’s development office, director Mina Shum and vtv development boss Wayne Sterloff. B.C. Film helped finance the workshop.