CSI fetches record $1.6M per ep from TNN

Alliance Atlantis Communications has sold its hit series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation to U.S. specialty caster TNN for a record $1.6 million an episode.

The one-hour crime drama series, budgeted at more than $2 million an episode, is produced in partnership with Viacom-owned CBS. Viacom also owns TNN, which is permitted to begin airing the series in 2004.

CSI is third highest-rated series in the U.S.

CTV airs the series in Canada.

Softimage cuts jobs

Avid Technology unit Softimage of Montreal says its current restructuring program has resulted in the loss of 47 jobs including 37 in Montreal.

The animation and special F/X production software company also announced an unspecified reduction in operating costs, details of which are expected when Tewksbury, MA-based Avid issues Q1 results on April 19.

Forefront shrinks

Forefront Entertainment, one of the West Coast’s most successful producers of live-action youth entertainment, has let go most of its staff in the wake of a business downturn.

‘We’re still in business,’ says CEO Mickey Rogers, who with partner Teri Woods-McArter and two administration people continues to operate the company and was attending MIP-TV with the company’s library at press time.

Rogers says major contributors to the downturn include the loss of a reality show called Reel Exposure, a project that followed Vancouver Film School students, and the loss of the International Emmy-winning Magician’s House when the BBC pulled out of the third season.

Eileen Hoeter, director of film-related students at the VFS, says the school is involved in several projects and not all go ahead. ‘Everybody had the best intentions,’ she says about Reel Exposure. ‘It’s the kind of project we like to do because it helps our alumni. It’s too bad it didn’t come to fruition.’

Forefront, founded in 1990, is also known for its productions of teen soap Madison and mystery series The Adventures of Shirley Holmes.

Standing committee reviews Broadcasting Act

While Canadian Heritage and Industry Canada are still working out the kind of panel they will appoint to review the mandate of the CRTC, the standing committee on Canadian Heritage, chaired by Clifford Lincoln, will be reassessing the Broadcasting Act after the house returns from break later in April.

A review of the Broadcasting Act is also a mechanism with which to look at the CRTC, confirms a Canadian Heritage spokesman.

No word yet as to when the CRTC review panel will be named.

Banff pays highest honor to Demers, Pivot

Canadian film producer Rock Demers and French television icon Bernard Pivot will be presented Special Lifetime Achievement Awards at Banff 2001.

The awards are the highest honor bestowed by the Banff Television Festival executive committee and board of directors. Only two other awards have been given out in the festival’s 22-year history. They went to John Mortimer in 1998 and Jeremy Isaacs in 1988.

Demers, founder and president of Productions La Fete, is the celebrated producer from Quebec and distributor of family films, which have entertained young people around the world for more than two decades. Credits include the popular Tales For All collection (The Dog Who Stopped the War, Bach and Broccoli, Vincent and Me), which has earned his production company more than 170 awards.

Pivot is well known as the producer and host of the literary TV series Bouillon de culture, broadcast in Canada on TV5, TFO and TVOntario and in France on France2.

Both awards will be presented June 12 during the special tribute hour.

Banff 2001 takes place June 10-15.

Quebecor ups benefits ante

In its summary remarks to the CRTC, Quebec Media announced it had increased its tangible benefits package offer to $35 million from $30 million.

The hearing was held at the end of March to consider Quebecor’s takeover of Groupe Videotron, including Groupe TVA, and TVA’s broadcast licence renewal. Quebecor told the commission it holds 36.1% of the equity of Groupe TVA, which includes the 10-station Reseau TVA network and all-news specialty channel LCN, an amount evaluated in studies prepared for Quebecor at between $217 million and $238 million.

The increased benefits package represents 17% of Groupe TVA’s acquisition price, according to Quebecor.

CF3 gives Canada Council $1M

The Canada Council for the Arts’ Media Arts section will receive an additional $1 million a year, starting this year, from the new Canadian Feature Film Fund.

Part of the creative and professional development component of the policy, the money is intended for non-profit, artist-directed media arts production organizations that support independent artists.

The additional money will give young filmmakers access to workshops, equipment and production co-operatives.

Last year, the Canada Council awarded grants to the media arts in Canada totaling $8.8 million, distributed equally among artists and organizations. More than $700,000 went to young artists for their first works.

In other news, the Canada Council and Bell Canada have announced Toronto video artist Richard Fung is the winner of the 2000 Bell Canada Award for outstanding achievement in video art. The award will be presented on Thursday, April 19, at the IMAGES Festival in Toronto.

The prize, presented annually since 1991, includes a cheque for $10,000.

The award underscores Fung’s threefold contribution as a creator of artworks such as My Mother’s Place and School Fag; as a writer, curator, lecturer and panelist; and as an activist as evident in projects such as the doc Out of the Blue and curatorial projects such as the 17-title series Fresh Looks: anti-racist film and video.

JFL deadline is May 1

The Just For Laughs Festival is looking for comedy films for its various showcases including Eat My Shorts!, Eat My Twisted Shorts! and Tout Court! Comedies in these categories must be under 15 minutes in duration. Films submitted for the festival’s Comedia section, organized in association with FantaAsia, must be feature-length.

Deadline for submissions is May 1 and the festival has already begun to receive submissions. JFL asks that all submissions be screening versions on NTSC or PAL VHS format, clearly labeled with running time.

For info: www.hahaha.com/films; e-mail, shorts@hahaha.com

More Telefilm deadlines

Telefilm Canada has announced the next national application deadline for its Screenwriting Assistance Program is May 7. The agency says one or two additional deadlines will be announced later this year.

The next application deadline for the Low Budget Independent Feature Film Assistance Program is May 14. *