*Six Gestures adds Grammy nom to kudos

Canadian short film Six Gestures has been nominated for a Grammy in the best music video – long-form category. The Rhombus Media production has already picked up an Emmy, the Golden Rose of Montreux and four Geminis.

Directed by Patricia Rozema, the film is a portrait of composer J.S. Bach and features cellist Yo Yo Ma and the ice dancing of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean. The piece was produced by Sony Classical, tvontario, wnet-tv, bbc, RTP-Portugal, NPS-Dutch Television and zdf in cooperation with arte, and was financed in part by Telefilm Canada, the Government of Canada, Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit Program, pbs, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the ctf lfp.

*TVO’s record drive

TVOntario’s fall 1998 membership drive was reportedly the most successful in its history. Over 8,100 new Ontario-dwelling members called in to pledge their support, dropping more than $790,000 collectively into the public broadcaster’s coffers.

*Donaldson Scholarship

CBC Newsworld has created a new scholarship for Canadian broadcast journalism students, named after Newsworld founding head Joan Donaldson.

Donaldson, also a former teacher at Toronto’s Ryerson Polytechnic University, had her broadcasting career cut short after an accident in 1990.

As part of the Joan Donaldson Newsworld Scholarship, one student from the journalism schools at Ryerson, University of Regina, University of British Columbia, Saskatchewan Indian Federated College, Carleton University, University of Western Ontario, Concordia University and University of King’s College will receive a $2,000 cash grant and a four-month summer position at Newsworld. The scholarship will also help to mark Newsworld’s 10th anniversary of broadcasting.

*T.O. gets 7th ‘Thank You’

The 7th annual ‘Thank You Toronto, Thank You Ontario’ Campaign is underway. Developed by the Ontario Film Development Corporation and the Toronto Film and Television Office, the campaign is used as an acknowledgment for the communities, homeowners and businesses which allow productions to exploit them.

To show its appreciation, the industry makes contributions to local institutions such as day-care centers, hostels and shelters for battered women.