The Statement picks up steam

Norman Jewison’s The Statement has earned a total of $188,966 at the Canadian box office since its mid-December release. The Serendipity Point Films copro, distributed by ThinkFilm, has been slowly picking up steam, earning $34,357 Dec. 19-25 on 10 screens and $73,189 Jan. 2-8 on 12 screens.

Meanwhile, the France/ Canada/Belgium animated copro The Triplets of Belleville, directed by Sylvain Chomet, earned $186,644 in French Canada between Dec. 26 and Jan. 11.

TPB hits U.S.

THE cussin’ hosers of the Sunnyvale Trailer Park will begin airing their dirty linen stateside come spring. BBC America has inked a deal to pick up the first two seasons of Showcase’s Trailer Park Boys, and will screen both censored primetime episodes and uncensored late-night episodes of the comedy series on satellite and digital cable systems throughout the U.S. starting in April.

The program is produced by Halifax’s Topsail Entertainment and Trailer Park Productions.

Rosen retools Bullard

Global Television is trying to refuel its sputtering Mike Bullard Show with the appointment of executive producer David Rosen. Rosen, who produced CBC’s PSI Factor and Foreign Objects, joined the late-night gabfest in December.

Bullard signed a multi-year deal with Global after he fled CTV last August, apparently disgruntled with the terms of his contract. When his program moved to Global, viewership plummeted to an estimated 96,000 from an average of 132,000 on CTV the previous season.

Numbers up at KidScreen

The KidScreen Summit returns to New York City and the Roosevelt Hotel on Feb. 12, bringing together more than 200 programmers, producers and execs from the world of children’s entertainment, including major outlets such as YTV, Family Channel, Vrak.TV, Teletoon and CBC. The two-day conference, organized by Playback’s sister publication KidScreen, says attendance is up some 150% over last year. This year includes a special focus on Japan. See www.kidscreensummit.com for details.

Cheers for Piers

Piers Handling is the 2003 CEO of the Year, according to the Canadian Public Relations Society of Toronto, in recognition of his leading role at the Toronto International Film Festival Group. The honor is awarded on the basis of an individual’s vision, effectiveness, involvement, excellence and ethics and aims to demonstrate the role of public affairs issues among a CEO’s responsibilities.

Handling will receive the award at a luncheon ceremony to be held Feb. 3 at The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.

Strong sales for RealScreen Summit

This year’s RealScreen Summit looks like it will be the biggest yet with more than 630 attendees already registered – 144 more than last year – looking to make deals, pitches and connections at the non-fiction industry event. Seventeen different countries will be represented at the international event, Feb. 4-6 in Arlington, VA, where more than 140 buyers and financers of non-fiction programming will meet to duke it out for the best docs.

This year the summit is introducing technology and distribution tracks, as well as a showcase of HD projects. Speakers include renowned filmmaker Albert Maysles and Brooke Johnson, SVP and GM of The Food Network.

For more information, go to www.realscreen.com.

Hat trick for Triplets

Accolades continue to pile up for animated feature The Triplets of Belleville. The France/Canada/ Belgium coproduction has three nominations for the 31st Annual Annie Awards, including outstanding achievement in an animated theatrical feature. French-born director Sylvain Chomet, a Canadian resident since 1993, is nominated for the other two awards in the Annie trio – best writing and direction.

Triplets captured prizes for top animated feature of 2003 from critics in Los Angeles, New York, San Diego and Seattle. The L.A. critics also awarded it best music/score.

The Annies, hosted by the International Animated Film Society, will be presented Feb. 7 in Glendale, CA.

CHUM splits

CHUM Ltd. (TSX:CHM) shareholders approved a two-for-one share split on Dec. 12, at the company’s AGM. The split was recorded on Jan. 9, closing at an adjusted price of $31.75, compared to a 52-week adjusted-price high of $34, and a low of $21.50. The Toronto-based company, which currently owns and operates 30 radio stations, eight local television stations and 18 specialty channels, has said it might make new acquisitions this year.