* Macdonald joins BCE Media

James Macdonald has joined BCE Media as senior vp and chief media services officer. Macdonald will oversee the operation of existing programming services and the development of new programming and new media properties.

Macdonald is the former president and ceo of WIC Television and WIC Entertainment and vice-chair of cfcf-tv. He is immediate past chair of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.

* Reel Diversity is back

Filmmakers of color who live in Ontario – and who have limited directing experience – are invited to deluge the National Film Board’s Ontario documentary office with proposals for a 40-minute documentary to be produced as part of the office’s Reel Diversity Competition. The winner will direct a doc budgeted at $100,000, which will air on CBC Newsworld and Vision tv.

For info, contact Jefferson Darrell at (416) 952-8956.

* Deadline approaches

Telefilm Canada has set a March 10 deadline for its National Training Program in the Film and Video Sector. The program is designed to train emerging professionals for careers within the sector.

The National Training Program has been administered by Telefilm since 1997. In late 1999, Heritage Minister Sheila Copps increased the program’s budget for fiscal 1999/00 to $2.4 million from $1.3 million.

* Tonic releases Lions

Montreal distrib Film Tonic is releasing the Kenyan adventure To Walk With Lions on 30 screens nationally beginning March 10.

The us$9 million film was shot on location in Kenya in late ’98 by GFT Kingsborough Films producer Pieter Kroonenburg.