CanWest $4M bonanza

The CanWest Western Independent Producer’s Fund has handed out its first round of grants, and more than 50 projects are almost $4 million the richer for it. Beneficiaries of the first round of funding include Minds Eye Pictures (Regina), Peace Arch Entertainment (Vancouver) and White Iron Pictures (Calgary).

Projects receiving funding include seven drama series, eight movies, 25 non-drama specials and 12 non-drama series.

A smaller adjudication round will take place at the Banff Television Festival in June for feature film applications held over from the March 1 deadline. The deadline for the fall funding round is to be announced in late July.

Merger plans for Peace Arch?

Peace Arch Entertainment of Vancouver says it has retained New York-based financial advisor firm Gerard Klauer Mattison to identify prospective strategic business partners and merger candidates, and advise on capital raising strategies.

Neufeld, CBC receive Achievement Leos

Dianne Neufeld and CBC Television British Columbia were to receive recognition for their outstanding achievement in the local production industry at the third annual Leo Awards May 12 in Vancouver.

Neufeld, the former head of the marketing-oriented B.C. Film Commission when British Columbia became a favorite service destination, is considered one of the pioneers of the local film industry.

CBC British Columbia, especially in recent years under the leadership of Rae Hull, has been a strong advocate of the local indigenous production scene.

Telefilm plays host to E3

Telefilm Canada’s umbrella stand will play host to 14 Canadian companies at the Electronic Entertainment Expo conference and exhibition in Los Angeles, May 16-19.

It’s the fourth consecutive year the federal funding agency has operated a stand at the video, computer-game and new media market.

An Alliance NumeriQC delegation of 10 young entrepreneurs from the Quebec games industry is attending E3, with mentorship support from Telefilm and various federal and Quebec government agencies.

Companies represented at the Telefilm booth include CineGroupe Interactif, DC Studios Canada, Digital Leisure, FireBrand Ventures, Kutoka Interactive, Kaboose.com, Lab-Ideeclic, Laing Products, Partners in Motion, Tightrope, Women Wise, Longbow Digital Arts, Tread Marks and Global Star Software.

Canada@Cannes focus on Almost America

As part of its Global Partnerships 2001 symposium at the 54th annual Cannes International Film Festival, Canada@Cannes presents a panel focusing on the $12.5-million Italian/Canadian coproduction Almost America.

The forum, taking place May 13, offers in-depth analysis of how this film, written and directed by twin brothers Andrea and Antonio Frazzi (The Sky Falls), was creatively and financially structured, and supported by private and public investors from both Canada and Italy.

Bruce Harvey of Calgary-based Illusions Entertainment is the Canadian partner on the film and is appearing at the forum with Italian producers, brothers Stefano and Ciro Dammico, founders of Eagle Pictures, Italy’s second largest production and distribution company.

Johanne St-Arnauld, director of international relations at Telefilm Canada, is also on hand, with David Zitzerman, partner at Goodmans LLP, moderating the panel.

Telefilm executive director Francois Macerola will deliver the opening address and internationally acclaimed producer Roger Frappier is the keynote speaker.

Canada, which signed its first coproduction treaty with Italy in 1970, now has 49 international coproduction treaties with 58 countries.

Canada@Cannes, cofounded by Debbie Nightingale and Alison Emilio, is an international symposium that brings together producers, financiers and entertainment companies from around the world with Canadians as partners.

FCMM deadline is June 1

The Montreal International Festival of New Cinema and New Media has issued a call for entries for its 30th edition, Oct. 11-21.

Eligible categories, in either original film and video formats, include feature films, mainly from new filmmakers, international documentaries with an emphasis on new forms and techniques, short and medium-length productions, performance and digital works.

The multi-format Ex-Centris complex on boul. St-Laurent serves as the festival’s headquarters and primary exhibition venue. FCMM offers seven cash prizes of $5,000 each.

Entries must be received no later than June 1 (www.fcmm.com).

Sprockets winners awarded at YTV

Winers of the Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children were announced at an awards ceremony held at YTV on April 29.

The Impossible Elephant by Canadian director Martin Wood took home the YTV Silver Sprocket, which is given out to the overall favorite live-action feature, as chosen by the audience.

Maurice Sendak’s Little Bear: The Little Bear Movie, directed by Raymond Jafelice, fetched the Toronto Sun animation award.

Brazil’s Ra-Tim-Bum Castle, directed by Cao Hamburger, and the Dutch/Belgian coprod Mariken were each awarded an Il Fornello Young People’s Jury Award. And, the inaugural Sun Life Financial Short Film Award went to Australian director Jennifer Ussi’s Canadian premiere The Unique Oneness of Christian Savage.

Doc finalists compete for Chalmers prize

Candidates for the 2001 M. Joan Chalmers Documentarian Award for Film and Video have been narrowed to six.

They are: Life Without Death, directed by Frank Cole and produced by Francis Miquet and Cole with Necessary Illusions Productions/Frank Cole Films in Montreal; Moving Pictures, directed by Colin Low and produced by Mark Zannis with the National Film Board; Searching for Louis Archambault/A la recherche de Louis Archambault, directed and produced by Werner Volkmer with Cinema Libre, Montreal; The Holier It Gets, directed by Jennifer Baichwal and produced by Nick de Pencier and Baichwal with Requisite Productions, Toronto; Time and Away/A l’abri du temps, directed by Stephan Drolet and produced by Nicole Lamothe for the NFB; and Vinyl, directed by Alan Zweig and produced by Greg Klymkiw and Zweig with Vinyl Productions, Toronto.

Eligible docs must have received their first Canadian broadcast, theatrical release or festival screening between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 of the previous year.

Winners of the 2001 Chalmers Awards were to be announced May 14.

Filmmaking camp for teens

Winnipeg-based the National Screen Institute’s movie camp is going to the next level. Movie Camp 1.5, a two-week course in intermediary filmmaking that takes place in mid-August, takes a group of teens aged 14-19 and exposes them to every side of the filmmaking industry. Scriptwriters for the movie camp include Don McKellar, Semi Chellas and David Sutherland.

The two-week experience culminates in a big-screen premiere for films made during the camp, which is to run in two cities, Winnipeg (July 30 to Aug. 13) and Toronto (Aug. 13-24).

The application deadline is May 31 for both cities and participants are required to have some film experience to be chosen. Plans are afoot to run a Movie Camp 2.0 next year, to accommodate junior filmmakers with more experience, simultaneously with another Movie Camp 1.0. *