Shortlisted

Canadian media entrepreneurs from Quebec, Ontario and B.C. were shortlisted for the annual Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 award this week. They are among dozens of candidates in a variety of business sectors to be nominated for the high-profile award.

From Quebec, Mark Bourbonnais of Ste-Thérèse-based VFX and digital post company Modus FX, Inc., made the list.

Meanwhile in Ontario, Temple Street Productions’ David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg were nominated, along with James and Michael Schmalz of video-game developer Digital Extremes.

And from B.C., Greg Holmes, from Vancouver-based VFX co Image Engine Design Inc. and Kenshi Arasaki, Wilkins Chung and Eric Diep from tech startup A Thinking Ape Technologies, which focuses on the way users play and socialize on mobile, were also shortlisted.

The candidates vie for a top regional prize and then the winners get to represent their region at a national gala to be held in Toronto next January.

The CBC’s Heartland Ranch has been shortlisted in the Social TV awards for best drama social TV application.

The Heartland Ranch Facebook social game is a companion to CBC family drama Heartland, produced by Calgary’s Seven24 Films and Rescued Horse Season One.

Also up for an award for best research into a social TV platform is Shaw Media Makes Touch a Success in Canada, from U.S. analytics co Networked Insights.

The Social TV Awards, or STEEVEEs, will be handed out July 17 at a gala event in Los Angeles.

Awards

The House, from Vancouver filmmaker Desiree Lim won the best Canadian feature award at the 10th Female Eye Film Festival last month.

The suspense drama features a former Wall Street banker who retreats to a friend’s empty vacation home in Vancouver, finding the place inhabited by tormented souls, with whom she becomes entangled.

Lim, in a statement, said her lead character was inspired by Nomi Prins, a former Golman Sachs investment banker turned journalist.

And Terraferma and Kryptonite took top awards last Sunday at the inaugural Italian Contemporary Film Festival in Toronto.

Terraferma, from Italian director Emanuele Crialese, won the Angela Baldassare Award for best film, awarded by members of the Toronto Film Critics Association, and also took a People’s Choice Award honourable mention.

Kryptonite, from Ivan Cotroneo, nabbed The People’s Choice Award, while La Scomparsa Di Pato, from Rocco Mortelliti, took the IC Savings Award for best contribution to Italian social and cultural value.

Scholarships

Gayatri Bajpai, Iuliana Constantinescu and Heather Trawick were announced last week as winners of the 2012 Daryl Duke and William Vince Scholarships, presented by the B.C. Film Foundation.

The three recipients each receive $10,000 towards their education expenses for the upcoming academic year.

The scholarships were created to honour Duke and Vince’s contributions to the film and TV industry and support B.C. filmmakers in their advanced education.

$1K challenge update

The $1000 Feature Film Challenge, launched by pUNK Films’ Ingrid Veninger and The Royal’s Stacey Donen will finance five features by Toronto filmmakers.

The films greenlit for production are

Hotel Congress

Director: Nadia Litz; Writers and producers: Nadia Litz, Philip Riccio, Michel Kandinsky; Cast: Nadia Litz and Philip Riccio

Methadonia

Director and writer: John L’Ecuyer; Producer: Paul Lenart; Cast: John L’Ecuyer, Ryan Ward, Sherry White

Me, the bees and cancer

Directors: John Board, Hector Centeno; Consulting producer: Morley Markson; Writer, producer, and cast: John Board

Mourning Glory

Directors: Brett Butler, Jason Butler; Writer: Brett Butler; Producer: Jason Butler; Cast: Robert Nolan

Simon

Directors: Ben Roberts, Rick Roberts, Sam Peters; Writers, producers and cast: Ben Roberts, Rick Roberts

Veninger launched the $1K film challenge in conjunction with the run of her latest film, i am a good person/i am a bad person, at The Royal, with proceeds from the film’s run going towards financing the film challenge.

Veninger and Donen will exec produce and mentor the projects through completion, with the Royal/Theatre D offering each film a one day mix, including mixer. Productions will begin shooting this month, and be presented at The Royal in September, with proceeds going towards a new film challenge.

Recently announced

Comedy web series Moderation Town, produced by Toronto-based interactive prodco Stitch Media launched new episodes this week.

The series, starring Nick Flanagan and Tim Gilbert as competing CEOs, and Dani Barker, is produced with support from the Independent Production Fund.

New episodes will roll out on the first Monday of every month.