More laughs at Comedy Awards

The second annual Canadian Comedy Awards, this year hosted by a cast of comics, promises an extra dose of laughs and entertainment.

‘Last year established a groundbreaking award show. This year we are turning it up a notch,’ says writer/producer Tim Progosh.

Broadcast on The Comedy Network April 22 and on CTV April 28, the awards show is produced by Higher Ground Productions and this year boasts more than 100 nominees in 19 categories that cover writers, directors and performers in TV, film and stage.

Also new this year, Bluma Appel and the CCA have established the Bluma Appel That’s Funny Award, which consists of a $1,000 prize for each of the nine winners in the live comedy category.

The Humber School of Comedy and the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals have joined the CCA board of advisors.

Image fest spotlights Japanese indies

THE 14th annual Image Festival, one of Toronto’s foremost media arts showcases, this year presents an extensive survey of Japanese independent films and videos.

Japan Focus includes two features and 22 shorts by contemporary artists whose alternative works are rarely seen outside Japan.

The program includes the festival’s opening gala Body Drop Asphalt by Junko Wada and Devotion: A Film About Ogawa Productions by American filmmaker Barbara Hammer.

The festival runs April 12-22 and features 200 independent films and videos.

Among this year’s highlights are: Live Nude Girls Unite!, a doc about strippers’ efforts to unionize; Philip Hoffman films, a 20-year look at Toronto’s foremost diary filmmaker; and Pierre Hebert and Bob Ostertag in performance, the first collaboration between the legendary Quebec animator and the American experimental composer/performer.

Obomsawin wins Governor General’s Award

National Film Board filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin was one of seven winners of the second annual Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts.

The award, which is accompanied by a $15,000 prize, was presented in Ottawa by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson on March 21.

Obomsawin’s body of work, including Rocks at Whiskey Trench, Christmas at Moose Factory and Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, which won 18 international awards, has received worldwide acclaim over the past three decades.

Obomsawin was named the Order of Canada in 1993.

Sullivan ends Wind at my Back

After five illustrious seasons, Sullivan Entertainment’s Wind at My Back came to a close on April 1, with its final two episodes airing back-to-back on CBC.

‘Wind at My Back has had a long life and we felt it best to end the show while fans still loved it,’ says executive producer Kevin Sullivan.

Sold to more than 75 countries worldwide, the award-winning series chronicles the antics and adventures of the Bailey family, whose high spirits and eccentricities were set against the turbulent 1930s.

But while production on the series has come to an end, viewers can still connect with the Bailey family through a new Wind at My Back interactive, online game developed by Sullivan.

2001 FIFA winners

The Grand Prix Pratt & Whitney Canada, top prize at this year’s 19th edition of the International Festival of Films on Art, has been won by Marc-Henri Wajnberg for the France/Belgium coproduction Oscar Niemeyer, un architecte engage dans le siecle, a portrait of the 92-year-old creator of Brasilia.

The $5,000 Telefilm Canada Prize for best Canadian work was awarded to Jacques Godbout for the biography Anne Hebert, a portrait of the late poet and novelist produced by the National Film Board and filmed by cinematographer Michel Brault.

The Banque National Jury Prize was won by French director Catherine Adda for Calatrava, dieu ne joue pas aux des. The $1,000 National Film Board Prize for Creativity went to German filmmaker Julius Werner for Markus Lupertz.

Highlights from this year’s edition of FIFA (Festival international du film sur l’art) were screened in Trois Rivieres (March 27-30) and in Quebec City (March 22-25). Subsequent screenings are planned in the months ahead for New York, Washington, DC and Helinski.

Mr. Bill joins LGE

Vancouver-based Lions Gate Entertainment and its Marina Del Rey division CinemaNow have acquired the rights to the Oh Nooo!!! It’s Mr. Bill library of claymation shorts from Saturday Night Live. The Mr. Bill skit featured a clay hero who ended up flattened at the end of the episode by a series of mishaps.

The collection, commemorating the 25th anniversary of Mr. Bill, includes never-before-seen episodes such as ‘Mr. Bill Goes to Space’ – an ill-fated trip to Russian space station Mir.

Initial distribution will be on VHS and DVD at sell-through prices under the Trimark Home Video banner and eventually video-on-demand through CinemaNow’s Internet distribution.

The library includes the original 19 shorts from SNL and 25 shorts from the Mr. Bill 20th anniversary collection.

Highwire goes interactive

Highwire Entertainment Group in Vancouver has launched Highwire Interactive, a developer of interactive TV products, through a joint venture with interactive program producer Tracy McMenemy.

At ExtendMedia, in Toronto, McMenemy produced interactive TV programs and developed new media business strategies for Alliance Atlantis Communications. She most recently produced interactive TV projects for Cablevision Systems, Digeo Broadband, The Sporting News and PBS. In conjunction with CBC, AAC and Back Alley Film Productions, McMenemy line produced North America’s first dramatic interactive TV series, Drop the Beat.

‘Highwire Interactive enhances the value of our products, expands our ability to develop new strategic alliances and builds new revenue-generating opportunities,’ says Scott Kennedy, president and CEO.

Highwire shares traded at $0.07 on the Canadian Venture Exchange on March 27. The year high is $0.45, while the year low is $0.05.

Meanwhile, Cameron Gardener has joined the company’s board of directors, replacing Robert Knight, who left due to time commitments to his other endeavors. Previously, Gardener was a Highwire advisor and for the past six years he has been executive publisher of Rogers Media, marketing and entertainment group.

YTV seeks filmmaking talent

YTV is calling for entries for The Final Cut, a national competition inviting young filmmakers between the ages of 10 and 21 to create an original scripted and shot film, video or animation project. Thirteen clips will be selected for national Web and TV broadcast and will receive a personalized critique from a well-known director.

Application and release forms are available at the YTV website (www.ytv.com). Applicants will require a parent or guardian’s signature. Submissions should be three to 20 minutes in length. The deadline is May 31.

Where are they now?

Robert Lantos, president of Toronto production house Serendipity Point Films, has joined the board of directors of Chapters and will serve on a special committee examining the planned merger with Indigo Books & Music. Onyx Corp., which has acquired both booksellers, was a major investor in Alliance Communications, Lantos’ former production and distribution company.

Lantos is also a member of the board of CBC.

Andre Bureau, chairman of Astral Media and president and CEO of Astral Broadcasting Group, has been appointed to the board of directors of broadband business provider AT&T Canada. Bureau is a former CRTC chairman and is QC with legal firm Heenan Blaikie. AT&T’s TSE ticker symbol is Tel.B.

Calling the Shots in B.C

In March, B.C.’s Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and Culture sponsored a new business training program to assist entrepreneurs in film and new media to take advantage of growth opportunities.

The eight-part Calling the Shots program, a pilot project, was designed in partnership with funding agency British Columbia Film and provided the 25 program participants with training in business planning, financial management, business technology, and human resources. The program is designed to help participants improve their competitive advantage and position their enterprises for strategic growth.

Only B.C.-based companies with proven track records were eligible. Cost was $150 per person.

Participants included representatives from Boneyard Films, Force Four, May Street Group, Omni Film, Screen Siren Pictures and Soapbox Pictures. *