Calgary’s Alberta Filmworks is teaming with Montreal’s Galafilm to produce Agent of Influence, an MOW for CTV.

The coproduction, which begins shooting Oct. 29 in Calgary, is being executive produced by Randy Bradshaw and Doug MacLeod on the Filmworks side and Galafilm’s Arnie Gelbart and Francine Allaire. Bradshaw is also acting as producer. ‘I have two hats to wear on this one,’ he says. ‘It’s kind of fun because I’ve never done it before, so I am enjoying it.’

The MOW is based on the true story of John Watkins, taken from the novel by Ian Adams, who also adapted it for the screen. Watkins, who was Canada’s ambassador to Russia in 1964, was recalled to Canada to be questioned by the RCMP and CIA because he was suspected of being an agent of influence. ‘He died in (Canada’s) custody and the event was covered up for 18 years,’ says Bradshaw.

He says this is a part of Canadian history citizens rarely hear about. ‘I think it is a wonderful opportunity to have a a look at the hidden side of our history, and hopefully an entertaining look at the darker side of our history,’ he says.

The film is budgeted at approximately $4.2 million, with funding coming from Cogeco, SODEC, the CTF, CTV, CFCN, CFRM and Telefilm Canada. The Alberta Film Fund. Alliance Atlantis Communications has international distribution for the project.

Montreal-based director Michel Poulette (Bonanno: A Godfather’s Story) will direct, with veteran Canadian actor Christopher Plummer starring as Watkins.

Bradshaw says the film is scheduled to wrap on Nov. 29, and expects to deliver it to CTV by February.

Trading Places for Life

Regina’s Partners in Motion is close to delivering the pilot episode of its new real-life series Trading Places for Life Network to Calgary editor Paul Mortimer. Based on a television project originally created by Sweden’s Strix Television, Trading Places is a show about real families swapping lives and lifestyles.

‘They live in the others’ home and absorb themselves in the other family’s culture and way of life,’ says producer Heather Kaisler. ‘The pilot involves a family from Winnipeg and a family from Yellowknife. The two cultures were just different enough that it was interesting seeing them stepping into the other family’s shoes.’

Partners in Motion put out a call to families interested in taking part and received a healthy number of responses. Kaisler says, however, there are certain territories where she hopes the response will be greater going forward.

‘We’d love to get more of the stereotypical corporate families from Toronto, and more families from the East and West Coasts,’ says Kaisler. ‘It would be helpful though to have a wider pool to select from.’

Described as ‘almost fly-on-the-wall, semi-documentary,’ Trading Places is being produced on a budget of $800,000 for the first season of 13 episodes. It has received funding from Life, SCN, federal tax credits, CAVCO, Partners in Motion and its sister company, Harmony Entertainment. An application to the LFP was also filed.

Partners in Motion president Chris Triffo is the creative head of the project, overseeing two crews in two different cities covering two different families on each episode.

The pilot is tentatively scheduled to air in December on Life, with the series to follow in spring 2002.

Hitchin’ through Alberta

The Hitcher 2, a direct-to-video sequel to the popular 1986 thriller, wrapped production in Alberta in October.

According to Calgary-based production coordinator Miles Gorovich, the 23-day shoot for Universal Studios/Universal Home Entertainment ran smoothly and used a solid Alberta crew.

‘I had worked for a lot of studios, but never Universal,’ says Gorovich. ‘Everyone always has their own little quirks and foibles, and it is always fun to find out how they like to do things.’

The Hitcher 2, produced by David Bixler and Charles Meeker, is about a cop who was terrorized by a hitchhiker at a young age. On a trip to Texas to help him relax after a violent, work-related incident, the man is forced to relive the emotionally crippling experiences of his youth after he and his girlfriend pass a trailer that has tipped over en route to the Lone Star State. And that’s just the beginning.

The approximately US$4-million production, which features a number of wild special effects and stunt sequences, shot for three weeks in Drumheller, AB, and the rest of the time in Calgary. The majority of the film was produced in Alberta, and Gorovich speculates that only a few pickup shots, if any, remain for the filmmakers to make up in Los Angeles.

The sequel stars C. Thomas Howell and Jake Busey, and is directed by Louis Morneau (Bats). Molly Meeker, Charles Meeker and Leslie Scharf wrote the script.