* The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television’s newly elected board of directors for 2001/02 includes: Vancouver-based art director Andrew Dreskin (The Arrow) as art department representative; Global Television news anchor Peter Kent as broadcast journalist rep; Fireworks Entertainment’s Jay Firestone as producers rep; Northwest Imaging & FX’s visual effects producer as visual effects and animation rep; and filmmaker Michel Poulette (Rock et Belles Oreilles) as vice-chair Quebec.

Returning members include: chairman Rudy Buttignol; president and CEO Maria Topalovich; vice-chair cinema Paul Gratton; vice-chair Ontario Ed Robinson; vice-chair Western Canada Brigitte Prochaska; vice-chair Eastern Canada Bill Niven; treasurer John Vandervelde; advisor to the board Ron Cohen; cinematography Bob Brooks; theatrical short and documentary Barbara Doran; music branch Amin Bhatia; creative support branch Carol Marks-George; screenwriter branch Jefferson Lewis; executive branch Bill Mustos; directors branch Mort Ransen; performer branch Chuck Shamata; sound branch Jane Tattersall; and editor branch Greg West.

* Former actor, film critic and CBC on-air personality Stephen Hunter has joined CineNova as director of development.

Andrea Bott joins the international doc production house as manager of accounting.

* Michael Smith has been appointed the new director of TVOntario’s nightly Ontario perspectives program, Studio 2. Smith brings to the network more than 20 years of experience as a director of news and current affairs programming for such shows as The Journal, MIDDAY, and many specials on CBC.

He replaces Susan Beavan, who retired in July after 31 years with TVO.

* Following four years with the Manitoba Motion Picture Industries Association, Richard Horne will be returning to Edmonton from Winnipeg to take the position of executive director of the Alberta Motion Picture Industry Association.

* Tony Calabrese has been appointed head of distribution at Cargo Releasing and will be based in Toronto. Kazue Shirai, former daytime buyer for Japan’s NHK, has been appointed the company’s special consultant for the Japanese market. She will be based at Cargo’s New York office.

* Former CTV broadcast exec Virginia Rankin has joined Toronto house Shaftesbury Films as director of creative affairs.

* Keith Croucher has been appointed the new director of finance at the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation. Croucher has nearly 20 years of experience working in IT, financial, retail and not-for-profit related business.