‘People are idiots!’ exclaims culturecrat Ken Finkleman as he launches into a diatribe denouncing the business-mindedness of greedy governments and heralding the tv medium as a vital expression of Canadian culture.

‘The cbc’s in trouble because greed has become dressed up as ideology…. Paul Martin and Jean Chretien are completely owned by market forces; they think and breathe like businessmen. They don’t understand how important [culture] is,’ says Finkleman, discarding a half-eaten grilled veggie sandwich, which he is quick to assume I will make note of in this article.

On lunch break from the shooting of his current series Foreign Objects, produced by Rhombus Media in association with the cbc, Finkleman seems more inclined to discuss the details of my speech affectations, my age and my ‘Journalism 101’ line of questioning, than he is to promote the genius of his new six-part, half-hour anthology series.

Foreign Objects is the first Finkleman series to be farmed out by the cbc (due to lack of funding). Written, directed and exec produced by and starring the Winnipeg-born talent, the show is described as six mini-movies strung together by Finkleman’s character, George, a commercial-oriented documentary filmmaker who finds himself exploring a myriad of complex human issues.

With storylines ranging from the evil acts perpetrated in Kosovo to our obsession with celebrity in an episode positioning the return of Christ in our media-fixated culture, each half-hour presents a dramatic, compelling and sometimes comic treatment of its particular themes.

‘It’s very theatrical,’ says producer Danny Iron. ‘There’s a lot of rear-screen projection mixed with live action. There’s a lot of weird filters used. People speak to the camera. It’s not meant to look real and it’s unlike anything ever seen on tv in terms of its look and feel.’

The series boasts close to 200 speaking parts, with Arsinee Khanjian (Felicia’s Journey) and Don McKellar (Twitch City) making guest appearances, and Colm Feore (The Insider), Kim Huffman (Traders), Larissa Laskin (More Tears), Karen Hines (Married Life) and Matt Gordon in continuing roles.

Budgeted at a low $2.3 million, Foreign Objects is Rhombus’ first series, but Iron assures the prodco, mostly known for its performing arts pieces, is not moving in that direction. ‘We looked at this as…an opportunity to work with Ken.’

And working with Ken has been an unparalleled experience for Iron: ‘He’s intensely quick-minded. If there’s a problem, there’s a myriad of solutions at his fingertips.’

In order to work around the tight budget and with only 28 shooting days (that’s four and a half days an episode), the production team, the bulk of whom are Finkleman series regulars, has been forced to be extra creative. Much of the series is shot in blocks, and scenes from multiple episodes set in multiple locations have been shot in one day and in one vicinity.

For example, early in July when the shoot was on location, Toronto’s Bluffers Park doubled as the French Riviera, Peggy’s Cove, Japan and Turkey.

‘It’s actually a very simple film,’ says Finkleman, who relishes wearing so many hats.

‘It’s easier this way. I don’t have to argue with anyone. I have always seen [writing/directing] as one job and would find it difficult to shoot someone else’s script. When you’re shooting your own stuff, you don’t have to articulate everything in the script.’

Finkleman recently returned from the u.s., where he was writing and directing the pilot for No Dinner, No Dessert (working title), produced with Imagine Entertainment for abc.

No word on whether the series about a dysfunctional adult family has been picked up, but Finkleman is quick to declare his disinterest in the u.s. market. ‘They don’t know what they’re doing. I sense it’s a particularly bad time in terms of what the networks are asking for. The producers, they all hate it,’ says Finkleman, referring to the latest ‘trashy trend’ of ‘reality tv.’

Back on the home front, Finkleman seems at ease in his cbc office. The wall opposite his desk is papered with pictures of his children, production notes, cue cards. Finkleman the dad, the director, the writer, the producer, the actor, the eccentric culturecrat is an inescapable presence.

Downstairs, the set awaits his return. So a half-hour conversation and half a sandwich later we say our good-byes.

Wrapping Aug. 24, Foreign Objects has no air or delivery date, but likely will be seen on cbc early next season. Showcase has a second window.

Iron and partner Niv Fichman are producing the series and David Rosen is line producing. Luc Montpellier (Nikita) is the dop. Rhombus is distributing.

For more on Foreign Objects, see p. 19. *

-www.cbc.ca

-www.rhombusmedia.com