Cowboys and Indians – The Killing of J.J. Harper (The Film Works, High Definition Pictures)

Cowboys and Indians is the first major dramatic production spearheaded by caster APTN. The story of the 1988 police killing of native leader J.J. Harper and the government cover-up that followed, Cowboys and Indians was originally a best-selling book by Gordon Sinclair Jr. CBC worked on developing the MOW but eventually killed it, deeming the story ‘no longer relevant,’ says Jeremy Torrie of Winnipeg’s High Definition Pictures, who coproduced with The Film Works’ Eric Jordan, out of Toronto.

‘I obviously disagreed with [CBC’s] assessment, and so took the project to APTN, which stepped up with subsequent development funding. Were it not for APTN, this film would never have been made,’ Torrie says.

Ironically, once APTN had committed to the project, CBC signed back on. The movie, which stars Adam Beach, Eric Schweig and Currie Graham, aired on both APTN and CBC last year, and has sold internationally. It is up for five other Geminis, including direction for Norma Bailey and supporting actor for Currie Graham.

Elizabeth Rex (Rhombus Media)

The tale of a fictional encounter between Elizabeth I and Shakespeare’s troupe of actors – the night before Elizabeth’s favorite, the Earl of Essex, was executed for treason against her – Elizabeth Rex is actually a filmed version of the Timothy Findley play. However, this didn’t prevent Toronto’s Rhombus Media from entering it in the MOW/miniseries category, explains Niv Fichman, who produced with Jennifer Jonas and Daniel Iron. Rhombus partner Barbara Willis Sweete directed.

‘In the past, we’ve been very fortunate in winning Geminis for our adaptations of various performing arts presentations,’ Fichman says. ‘As a result, we decided to raise the stakes on ourselves by entering Elizabeth Rex in the more competitive best TV movie or dramatic miniseries class.’

Elizabeth Rex, which was produced for CBC’s Opening Night and Bravo!, is up for five other Geminis, including lead actor for Brent Carver and lead actress for Diane D’Aquila.

Human Cargo (3W Productions, Force Four Productions, Howe Sound Films)

This three-part, six-hour, $9.5-million CBC mini tackles the struggles of refugees, both in escaping the bloody conflicts of their homelands, and trying to make their way in a Canadian society that is often racist and hostile.

Human Cargo boasts a powerhouse cast, including leads Kate Nelligan and Nicholas Campbell as well as newcomer Bayo Akinfemi, all of whom have been singled out with nominations. Backed by a script from Linda Svendsen and Brian McKeown of Vancouver’s Howe Sound Films, who are up for a writing prize and who coproduced with Force Four Productions’ Hugh and Debra Beard, Human Cargo has garnered a pack-leading 17 nominations, also including direction for Brad Turner.

‘I’m gratified,’ says McKeown of the peer kudos. ‘It was a very ambitious project that pushed the boundaries geographically [with shoots in South Africa and Canada], financially, and creatively. Throughout the production, there was always a question as to whether we could pull it off.’

Open Heart (Barna-Alper Productions, Platt Productions, Dreamsmith Entertainment)

Based on a true story, the recently aired CBC MOW Open Heart stars Megan Follows as a pediatric nurse who discovers that her hospital’s reputedly brilliant cardiac surgeon (Raoul Bhaneja) is inadvertently killing his child patients through incompetence.

‘The Geminis’ juries are made up of our peers, which is why it is always an honor to be nominated,’ says Toronto’s Laszlo Barna, who, along with Moncton, NB’s Timothy Hogan and Toronto’s Phyllis Platt, executive produced. Brian Dennis produced.

‘Such nominations make our projects more bankable, which allows us to make more Canadian productions in the future,’ Barna adds. Open Heart received four more Gemini nominations, including actress for Follows and writing for Raymond Storey.

The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie (Ritchie Films, Visionview, Showtime Networks)

Having already won two Daytime Emmys before getting three Gemini noms, The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie details the relationship between the eccentric Mrs. Ritchie (Gena Rowlands) and a teenage delinquent (Kevin Zegers) who opts to do odd jobs for her rather than be suspended by his principal (James Caan).

‘We thought we had a reasonable shot for the Geminis, but didn’t expect anything,’ says Chad Oakes of Calgary’s Nomadic Pictures, who coproduced the film with partner Michael Frislev. The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie was written and directed by Canadian Paul Johansson, who won an Emmy for his script.

After pitching the story based on his own teenage experiences to Nick Cassavetes (Rowland’s son and the film’s eventual co-executive producer), Cassavetes said, ‘Stop talking – write it down,’ Johansson told the Associated Press. ‘I showed it to him. He had a very strong reaction to it and said, ‘My mother is doing this movie.” Originally broadcast on Showtime in the U.S., Craig Media will air the movie nationwide in Canada.

Playback predicts the winner
Playback staff includes Laura Bracken, Sean Davidson, Mark Dillon, Ian Edwards, Michelle Hille and Peter Vamos
– Human Cargo: MD, IE, MH * Open Heart: PV
– Elizabeth Rex: SD
– Open Heart: PV
– The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie: LB