ACT fetes Bélanger

The Alliance for Children and Television will present Spectra Animation president André Bélanger with its outstanding achievement award in recognition of his ‘exceptional career’ in children’s TV. Bélanger (right) has been in the business for 40 years – from his days at École des beaux-arts in the late ’60s to his recent credits such as La famille Pirates, Fly Tales and Kid Paddle.

ACT will also give its emerging talent award to actor and scriptwriter Vincent Bolduc (Sur la piste, Les Débrouillards). The ACT awards will be held in Montreal on June 1.

Cronenberg re-signs Mortensen

David Cronenberg is again working with actor Viggo Mortensen (left), having signed the star of A History of Violence to his upcoming thriller Eastern Promises, according to the director’s Toronto office. The film follows a young midwife as she investigates the mysterious death of a young girl, and could shoot this fall depending on the schedule of Cronenberg’s other forthcoming feature, Maps to the Stars.

Greenberg marks 20 years

The Harold Greenberg Fund marked its 20th anniversary on April 11, trumpeting the $39 million it has put into more than 2,000 English-language films and TV projects since the mid-’80s.

‘Twenty years later, we are proud to have enriched the film and television landscape in Canada,’ said Ian Greenberg, president and CEO of the fund’s parent company, Astral Media. ‘It has been a privilege to work with such creative people.’

The French-language version of the fund will mark its 10th anniversary in September.

Degree for King

Documentarian Allan King (Dying at Grace) will receive an honorary degree from Simon Fraser University this fall, in recognition of his ‘exemplary body of work’ and ‘inestimable’ contribution to the world of filmmaking. King will be one of 10 people honored during SFU’s spring and fall convocation, sharing the stage in October with fellow director Costa-Gavras (Amen) and Canadian football hall of famer Lui Passaglia.

The philosophy degree is ‘deeply gratifying,’ said King in a statement. ‘To share a stage with Costa-Gavras is even more so.’

TV pilots at CFC

The Canadian Film Center is preparing to launch a TV pilot program, a five-month, fully mentored course taking creators and producers through development and production of a half-hour pilot. CFC has yet to confirm all the details, but is seeking pitches for any narrative genre, up to three of which will be shot by mid-August. Contact CFC (www.cdnfilmcentre.com) for more details.