Salter lays off staff

Following its acquisition in February by Alliance Atlantis Communications, Salter Street Films has laid off 22 people, or nearly 25%, of its staff of 90.

Thirteen layoffs hit the company’s Toronto office – which will still house some members of Salter’s new media division – while nine were made at head office in Halifax.

‘We are truly saddened by the loss of very, very capable people, but we also understand the realities of this part of the business,’ says Salter cofounder and CEO Michael Donovan. He adds that all the distribution staff in the Toronto office will be leaving, including VP of international sales Stephen Kelley and Liliana Vogt, VP of acquisitions and coproductions.

AAC CEO Michael MacMillan indicated at the time of the purchase announcement that Salter’s distribution department would likely be cut, but no further layoffs are expected.

A big question remains as to the future of Salter president and COO Catherine Tait, who took the company public, and headed its successful pitch for specialty channel licences last August. She was recently named to the board of Atlantic telecom company Aliant.

Miramax picks up Egoyan’s Ararat for U.S.

Miramax Films has picked up the new Atom Egoyan film, Ararat, for U.S. distribution.

Egoyan wrote and directed Ararat, and is sharing production duties with Robert Lantos of Serendipity Point Films. Ararat delves into the 1915 Armenian genocide and will explore some issues that may be of personal interest to Egoyan, who is of Armenian heritage.

The film, which the producers say is ‘set against the production of an epic film’ about the genocide, moves back and forth between the historical event and its subsequent effect on modern lives.

Stars include Charles Aznavour, Christopher Plummer, Eric Bogosian, Brent Carver, Marie-Josee Croze and Bruce Greenwood.

Miramax also handled U.S. distribution on Exotica, another project written and directed by Egoyan.

Lions Gate Award goes to Jewison

In late-breaking news, the Banff Television Festival has announced renowned Canadian director and producer Norman Jewison will receive the Lions Gate Award of Excellence at the Banff Rockie Awards show Monday, June 11. Julie Snyder and Ian Hanomansing are hosting the show, which is followed by the A&E Gala Awards Dinner.

In other festival news, Canadian director John Fawcett is the recipient of the 200l CTV Fellowship Prize, to be presented by CTV Television president and COO Trina McQueen.

Jet Stream Digital Media of Calgary will provide live webcasting of some Banff 2001 highlights. The webcast schedule includes the plenary sessions, Monday, June 11 to Friday, June 15 from 9-10:30 a.m. (MT) as well as the New Media sessions from 2-3 p.m, June 11-14.

CPAC is originating the video feed for the festival and webcast and will broadcast portions of the program at a later date.

Meantime, the Banff Television Foundation will honor Canadian Heritage Minister Sheila Copps with a special award for her ‘outstanding leadership and commitment to the promotion of culture and diversity in Canada and around the world.’

Trina McQueen, chair of the board of directors, will present the award at the board of governors dinner Sunday, June 10, a prelude to the Banff TV Festival, which opens June 11.

Foundation CEO Pat Ferns says Copps has ‘made a huge mark on Canadian culture and her policy accomplishments for television and film have had an enormous impact on these industries.’ Her achievements include creation of the CTF, the Canadian Feature Film Policy, and the recent $560-million investment in Canadian arts and culture.’

$1.5M boost for BCIT

Bell Globemedia, owner of VTV Vancouver and the CTV Network, donated $1.5 million on May 30 to the British Columbia Institute of Technology for a new media and digital animation training center. The facility is called the BCE New Media Centre of Excellence.

‘Old and new media are converging in new and exciting ways,’ says BCIT president Tony Knowles. ‘This center means BCIT will be on the leading edge of design, animation and interactive television.’

A leg-up for francophone writers, producers

CBC/Radio-Canada has announced a competitive development program for French-language writers and producers resident and working outside Quebec. The new program, open to six writers and six producers, was developed in association with INIS, Quebec’s advanced film and TV school, with the support of Telefilm Canada, the Interdepartmental Partnership with the Official-Language Communities and l’Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada.

Information on the development workshops and entry rules is available at the SRC website (www.radio-canada.ca/ateliers-piclo).

Geminis announce Humanitarian Award

This year’s Gemini Awards will see a new category devoted to television industry members with a humanitarian bent.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television has announced the creation of the Gemini Humanitarian Award, to be presented for the first time at the 2001 Geminis.

Sponsored by Global Television Network, the award strives to ‘recognize humanitarian efforts that improve people lives,’ says ACCT spokesman David Miller. ‘[The winner would be] someone who’s in the TV industry who donates their time to a humanitarian effort, a public service, someone who demonstrates or exemplifies a compassionate spirit.’

Carmen Celestini, awards director at the ACCT, says the main push for the new award came from Global.

Nominations for the award will be gathered alongside other Gemini noms, through the forms mailed out annually to members of the Academy. Selection will be handled by a special award jury composed of members of the ACCT board of directors.

COF screens Varian’s War

Cineplex Odeon Films has organized a limited theatrical release for the Lionel Chetwynd historical drama Varian’s War, with profits going to the National Council of Jewish Women.

In the production, William Hurt plays Varian Fry, an American editor who travels to the port city of Marseilles in 1940, and at great risk to his own life, rescues many prominent European artists and thousands of others from Nazi persecution.

Varian’s War is a $10-million majority coproduction sold to Showtime in the U.S., Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution in Canada and Hallmark Entertainment, which has various international sales territories.

Worldwide Short Film Festival goes online

THE Canadian Film Centre’s Worldwide Short Film Festival is now online (www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com). CFC says 159 films were screened between June 6 and 10, including competition screenings of international and Canadian short films, as well as special presentations, retrospectives and gala screenings.

The website includes streaming media of selected films, detailed production information and a searchable and hyperlinked program schedule.

The website was developed by Klick Communications.

ARTV launches Sept. 1

Licensed as Tele-des-Arts, the new French-language specialty channel has taken the name ARTV. It launches Sept. 1, with the official program unveiling set for Aug. 8. Lina G. Allard is the service’s director-general. ARTV is a partnership between Radio-Canada, Tele-Quebec, ARTE-France, Bell Globemedia and show producer L’Equipe Spectra.

Lisbon to host WEM in 2002

WORLD Education Market host Reed Midem Organization reports 1,700 participants from 61 countries attended the 2nd edition of WEM, held in Vancouver May 21-24. The market hosted close to 350 exhibitors from 29 countries. This year’s event also introduced a Product Demonstration Zone featuring 16 companies including several Canadian companies.

Reed Midem announced the third edition of WEM will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, May 21-24, 2002.

‘WEM has had two very successful years in Vancouver,’ says Elaine Legault, the market’s director. ‘We are most grateful to the Province of British Columbia, the Government of Canada and the educational community at large.’ *