Hot Cargo

Add a Peabody Award to the list of accolades for CBC’s Human Cargo – the three-part $10-million miniseries is the sole Canadian winner at the prestigious broadcasting awards this year. The jury called Cargo an ‘outstanding miniseries that led to public discussion’ about the plight of refugees ‘in Canadian newspapers, universities and community forums.’ Seven Geminis and two Directors Guild of Canada awards have already gone to the mini. The 64th annual Peabodies will be presented on May 16 by newsman Morley Safer, at a gala ceremony in New York City.

Big names at Banff

Directors Jon Cassar, Jeremy Podeswa and Peter Raymont will be among the guests at the master sessions and case studies at this year’s Banff World Television Festival. Podeswa (The L Word, Six Feet Under) and Cassar (La Femme Nikita, 24) will host directing masters sessions, while case studies will focus on Canadian success stories such as Corner Gas. Peter Raymont, producer and director of Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire, and filmmaker Patricia Rozema (I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing) will also be on hand. Filmmaker Lionel Chetwynd (The Hanoi Hilton) is set to host a master class on writing. The Banff festival runs June 12-15.

AAC up $29M

Toronto-based Alliance Atlantis Communications has posted earnings of $29.7 million on revenues of $1.02 billion for its 2004 fiscal year, compared to a loss of $182.1 million on revenues of $866 million in 2003. The entertainment division contributed $258.7 million, 79% of which came from its CSI franchise. Broadcasting revenues were also up, 16% to $245.9 million, and movie distribution revenues rose 30% to $512.1 million. AAC also holds a majority interest in its movie distribution partnership, which recently posted an ’04 profit of $60 million.

Show will go on, says ACCT

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television says it is disappointed by TVA and TQS’s decision not to enter their programs in the 20th Gemeaux Awards, but maintains, in a recent statement, that the boycott will not have a significant impact on this fall’s French-language TV awards.

The broadcasters, along with some high-profile Quebec producers including Aetios Productions and Productions J, are frustrated with the structure of the awards, claiming they are biased in favor of Radio-Canada. TVA and TQS skipped the 2002 Gemeaux, but reconsidered in 2003 when AACT-Quebec president Guy Fournier introduced some reforms.