An additional three half-hours as well as a 26-part series are being developed based on Stories from the Seventh Fire, the half-hour kids’ program which was awarded a Telefilm/TVNC Aboriginal Production Award at last month’s Banff Television Festival.

Produced by Gerri Cook (Dinosaur Soup Productions, Edmonton), Greg Coyes (Scorched Wood Communications, Vancouver) and Ava Karvonen (Karvonen Films, Edmonton), Stories from the Seventh Fire is based on the artwork of Norval Morrisseau and combines live-action shots with 2D animated artwork composited on a 3D animated background. Bardel Animation in Vancouver worked on the animation.

The National Film Board and ctv affiliate cfrn have put development money down on the additional three half-hours, budgeted at $400,000 each (vtv licensed the original program). As was the case with the first installment, the specials will combine aboriginal stories, art and culture and will be produced in both Cree and English.

Karvonen says a presale deal with a u.s. broadcaster is being negotiated for a 26-part series.

tvnc will broadcast the Cree version of the first half-hour, and according to Karvonen, has indicated interest in the additional three specials.

Karvonen is also busy on a slate of documentaries. Despite a red light from the Canadian Television Fund, the company plans to go ahead and shoot two of four one-hours of its Wilderness Journeys series for Discovery Channel, scn, Knowledge Network and Canal d. Land of Extremes, which explores the Yukon, and Torngat Mountains (northern Labrador), will go ahead with help from the Alberta Production Fund and producer investment.

Production is underway on Land of the Ice Bear, a coproduction between Karvonen and the nfb. The one-hour $382,000 special is licensed to Discovery, scn, Knowledge and Canal d. The project looks at the mid-Arctic region spanning northern Labrador to the Yukon.

The prodco is also shooting a three half-hour series on conservation officers. Titled Wilderness Enforcers, topics include dna and its role in investigations, relocation of animals, and patrol procedures. Access/Canadian Learning Television has licensed the programs.

*Indie feature takes a quirky look at Canadiana

Jon Einars-Gustafsson, who emigrated to Winnipeg a couple of years ago from Iceland, is gearing up to shoot his take on all things Canadian in the dramatic feature Kanadiana (working title).

Featuring ice, snow, hockey sticks, and yes, even pickerel, the Fargo-esque comedy/thriller is set north of Winnipeg in the Gimli/ Interlake district. The premise: two brothers attack a courier and seize a valuable envelope, but intercepted by the rcmp, throw the package in the back of the pickup truck of a writer who’s on her way to an isolated cabin to cure herself of a bad case of writer’s block. Of course, the brothers are soon hot on her trail to retrieve the package.

Einars-Gustafsson (who is also directing and producing) cowrote the script with Tom Schioler and Robert Ryder, who will play the roles of the thieving brothers. Local actress Daina Letold has been cast as the writer.

Credo Entertainment’s Jamie Brown is executive producer on the project, although Credo is not involved in the film. Brown explains that in an effort to foster emerging talent, Credo’s executive producers are encouraged to lend a hand to outside projects. Credo is not taking a profit position in the film and Brown is not taking any fees.

The low-budget ($250,000) indie is being financed with funding from Manitoba Film and Sound, Telefilm Canada and private investment.

Production begins in November.

Einars-Gustafsson has a Masters of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts and earlier worked for BBC Radio in London. He has directed and produced four short films and 10 documentaries, including the cbc program The Importance of Being Icelandic.

He recently shot The Watchman video Brighter Hell, and some footage from the shoot will be included in the film. Watchman lead singer Danny Greaves has agreed to do the soundtrack for the film and will have a cameo role as the courier who gets robbed.

*White Iron copro slate

Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart (the subject of the recent Banff Rockie Award-winning documentary from Toronto’s High Road Productions and the nfb) has just wrapped a hosting gig on a Stampede special produced by Calgary’s White Iron Productions and Toronto’s Balmur Entertainment. The one-hour, helmed by country music video director Stephen Goldman, will air on cbc and tnn. Post-production on The Calgary Stampede Special is underway for a fall delivery.

White Iron’s Lance Mueller is also discussing a venture with Great North Productions and California-based GRB Entertainment (the two companies recently formed an alliance to coproduce a slate of docs). The three one-hour series, titled Life and Dare, is for The Learning Channel and profiles daredevils. Great North will executive produce and White Iron will produce if a deal is worked out, says Mueller.

Mueller is in talks with cbc and Discovery Channel about a one-hour doc on the Chinook winds, to be hosted by Tom Jackson. Snow Eater will be coproduced with fellow Calgary company Westmount Pictures.

cbc is also interested in an mow White Iron is developing with Marcel Clements’ Ottawa company General Assembly Productions. The film is based on the true story of the Northwest Mounted Police and their march west in the mid-1800s. White Iron recently produced a two-hour docudrama on the subject for History Television which received high audience ratings.

White Iron Digital recently sent a crew to San Francisco to design the opening and closing digital graphics, bumpers and ‘personality pods’ (30-second hits on the competitors) for espn’s coverage of the Extreme Games. The company has also landed the offline editing on the Just A Kid series, currently shooting outside Calgary.

*Maddin involved in Aurora dance film

Gilles Paquin and Patti Caplette are developing a dance special, with Guy Maddin acting as creative consultant.

Titled Steam Circus, the show concept comes from the invention of steam and the initial train which ran in a circle and was developed to test the steam engine. The program will depict both an emotional and physical journey, with choreography courtesy of Caplette. Barbara Willis Sweete is directing the one-hour produced by Paquin-Caplette Productions. Talks are underway with Bravo! to license the program.

*Buffalo Gal ramps up two features

Production begins Aug. 9 in Winnipeg on Desire, a feature film written and directed by Colleen Murphy whose previous credits include penning Genie Award-winning Termini Station and directing the Canadian Film Centre’s Shoemaker. The international copro is a joint venture between Buffalo Gal Pictures of Winnipeg, Subjective Eye of Toronto and Bioskop Films of Germany.

The film chronicles the spontaneous love affair between a lonely elementary school teacher and a tortured young musician which ultimately ends in tragedy.

Canadians Zachary Bennett (Dog Park, Road to Avonlea and Graham Greene star alongside German actress Katja Riemann (Bandits). Producers are Phyllis Laing (Buffalo Gal), Elizabeth Yake (Subjective Eye) and Eberhard Junkersdorf and Dietmar Guntsche (Bioskop). Principal photography runs for five weeks.

John Greyson’s next feature, The Law of Inclosures, will begin prepro Aug. 30 in Winnipeg. Adapted from the book by Dayle Peck, who is cowriting with Greyson, the film begins with a young couple at the beginning of their relationship and re-examines their lives together 40 years later. Sarah Polley has been cast in the lead role.

The project is a copro between Buffalo Gal and Pluck Inc. of Toronto, a company formed by Greyson and Damon D’Oliveira. Odeon Films is distributing.

Financing on the project includes Telefilm Canada, Manitoba Film and Sound, and the federal, Ontario and Manitoba tax credits.

*National Writers Roundtable Alberta

Five Alberta writers will have the opportunity to participate in the National Screen Institute-Canada’s National Writers’ Roundtable.

The Calgary workshop offers screenwriters developing dramatic tv half-hour or feature-length scripts three weekends (Oct. 1-3, Nov. 5-7, Dec. 3-5) working with story editor Allan Magee (Roadkill, Highway 61, Straight Up) to polish up their projects and ready them for pitching to potential producers. The roundtable culminates in a reading of the scripts on Dec. 5 in front of industry guests.

Eligible scripts must tell a regionally based story. Participants are selected by a jury representing the local filmmaking community and decisions will be based on the merit and imagination of the scripts, as well as a commitment to produce the project in the local community.

The roundtable is being presented with sponsors CBC Alberta, CBC Training and Development and the Alberta Motion Picture Industries Association. There is no fee. To obtain an application form call (403) 421-4084 or visit www.nsi-canada.ca. Deadline for submissions is Sept. 10.

NSI-Canada is looking at hosting roundtables in other provinces with local partners.

*Desperately seeking love stories

Edmonton’s Great North Productions is on the lookout for quirky, touching or unusual stories of strange and crazy things people have done for love.

No, the producers aren’t just bored and looking for something to spice up the workday, the research is for The Things We Do For Love, a doc series which will air beginning January 2000 on Life Network.

Each half-hour segment of the 13-part series will feature three stories which take an affectionate, quirky or ironic look at our passionate natures and quests to find or keep loved ones in our lives. To relay your story, call 1-877-OK4LOVE (1-877-654-5683) or e-mail at forlove@greatnorth.ab.ca.

*Mountain film call

Films and videos relating to mountains are being sought by the Banff Mountain Film Festival, held annually in Banff, Alta. and organized by the Banff Centre for Mountain Culture.

This international mountain film festival – now in its 24th year – presents awards in six categories, including the Grand Prize, best film on climbing, best film on mountain sports, best film on mountain environment and best film on mountain culture.

An international jury chooses the award winners while the audiences in attendance (generally around 5,500 people) select the winner of the People’s Choice Award. An additional bonus – over $14,000 in prize money is in the offing and winning films also take part in an international tour of mountain films after the festival.

In addition to the screenings and competition, the festival hosts international guest speakers, an adventure trade fair, and seminars on mountain issues.

The festival is set for Nov. 5-7 at the Banff Centre. Deadline for entries is Sept. 18. More info is available on the website – www.banffcentre.ab.ca/CMC/.