Imported Artists director Richard D’Alessio and dop Simon Mestel are going back into the pages of National Geographic to document the construction of the Panama Canal.

Part of the National Geographic Explorer series through Toronto’s Cine Nova Productions, the project will be an archival recreation focusing on the doctor and engineer who, with no plan and no idea of what they were doing, built the canal, and the obstacles they had to overcome such as malaria and yellow fever.

While the Panama Canal was built over the course of 35 years, D’Alessio and Mestel are zeroing in on one piece of the history and will be in Panama for about a month as of mid-April.

‘We are going to recreate the construction so it will have a real dramatic and theatrical feel to it,’ says D’Alessio.

Meanwhile, for the past year the director-cinematographer team has been involved in an ongoing project chronicling the lives of six different Toronto junkies battling to kick their heroin habits. Working title for the doc is Hit Me.

And now for something completely different, following the success of D’Alessio’s seven-minute short The Dane, and with Shakespeare being in such vogue these days, plans are underway for a Comedy Network series covering the gamut of classic tragedies and comedies from The Bard.

David Huband, who penned The Dane, a comedic version of Hamlet set in a contemporary bar, will write the series, consisting of 12 short films compiled into four half-hours.

The Dane picked up the gold award in the independent film and video category at the Worldfest International Film Festival in Flagstaff, Arizona.

*Feature debut for Belsey

New York-based The Directors Film Company director Laura Belsey is gearing up for her feature film debut with Two.

Cameras start rolling April 22 in New York on the dramatic comedy about philosophy student Rosa, who while dining in a Long Island restaurant discovers a waitress who is a big-haired version of herself.

Belsey has been a commercial director for over eight years and has shot spots for Honda, ibm, Nissan and Swatch.

*Revolver adds Palomar

L.A.-based Palomar Pictures has signed a deal with Revolver Films for representation on this side of the border.

The newly acquired roster includes Neil Abramson, Nicholas Brandt, Buddy Cone, Breck Eisner, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Melodie McDaniel, Jean Baptiste Mondino, Randy Spear, Tom Stern, Ben Stiller, Wyatt Troll and Seliger/Woodward.

New to the Revolver roster is Lionel Coleman.

*Sparks adds three

Sparks Productions has added l.a.-based comedy director Tom Finerty to its roster along with Leslie Robson-Foster and Phelim Dolan, both out of New York.

*Mo better Bessies

Hey, here’s a good reason to make the trip to the Toronto Convention Centre on May 5 – Spike Lee will be the guest speaker at this year’s Bessies. The show’s organizers brought in the acclaimed feature and commercial director to share his views and to stand as an example of a risk-taker. Aside from features like Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X, Lee has directed commercials since 1988, with work for Nike, Levi’s and espn and formed his own agency, Spike Lee ddb, several years ago.

*In the swing

Spin Productions gave rhythm to a couple of jitterbugging stalks of wheat for a 30-second spot for Sundance herbicide through Stanton & Sylvester.

In order to help the animators choreograph the dance moves, the Spin crew collected live-action footage of people swinging and cut it together to create an original dance routine.

The characters started as traditional sketches and were built in Maya. The wheat-field background the grainy couple are dancing over is stock footage of prairie fields.

Connie Dercho was senior producer on the project, Rob Jones creative director and Kris Howald and Colin Doncaster were 3D animators.

*Gammage gears up

Chuck Gammage Animation has expanded to include a US Animation digital ink and paint system, making the shop a full-service, wholly integrated animation production house.

The first project on the new system was a :30 for Nabisco’s Planet Snak through Harrod & Mirlin fcb. The animated ad features space explorers Captain Baker, Doh! and Steve: The Robot stranded on a planet covered with Oreos, Chips Ahoy and Ritz Bitz.

After three years working out of Oakville, Ont., Gammage is moving his crew to a downtown Toronto locale at the corner of Adelaide and Spadina. The move will take place this summer.

*angel.com

Angel Films has launched its Website (www.angelfilm.com). The pages include the company philosophy, and a roster of directors with a brief bio and contact information.

*Correction

Industry Films affiliate hkm director Richard Sears was misspelled in the March 22 Word On The Street.