Here’s a summary of various news items that may be of interest to the Canadian screen-entertainment industry to come Playback‘s way over the last week.

War Witch awards path

The acclaims for director Kim Nguyen’s child soldier drama War Witch (also known as Rebelle) keep coming.

The film, which has been selected as the official Canadian entry into the best foreign language film Oscar race, quietly secured a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award in the best international film category in late November (The ISA’s are handed out Feb. 23).

Then, at the start of December it took top prize at Plus Camerimage, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography in Torun, Poland. Its cinematographer, Nicolas Bolduc, was named recipient of the Golden Frog along with Nguyen.

Wednesday the U.S. National Board of Review named it one of the top five foreign language films of 2012.

More Sundance-bound Canucks

The Sundance Institute announced more titles slated to be shown during its festival in late January, and a few more Canadian projects made it into the event.

When I Walk, a Canadian-U.S. documentary directed by Jason DaSilva, has secured a world premiere during the festival. It focuses on DaSilva, a filmmaker and artist who at 25 discovers he has a severe form of multiple sclerosis.

Meanwhile, into the international narrative short films’ section has landed Le Futur Proche. Directed and written by Sophie Goyette with co-screenwriters Madeleine David, the film focuses on a French immigrant pilot who receives an unexpected and life-altering phone call.

On Nov. 29, Sundance unveiled a batch of titles, including three Canadian features.

New Toronto festival

The Montreal International Black Film Festival has spun off an Ontario edition, with the announcement this week that the inaugural Toronto Black Film Festival will run Feb. 13 to 17. It is presented by Global Toronto.

The Montreal fest was started in 2005 by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, a non-profit organization whose goal is in part to help the development of the independent film industry as it relates to the “realities” of the international black community, the organizers said in a statement Wednesday.

The 2012 edition of the Montreal event featured 115 films from over 40 countries, organizers said.

Carolle Brabant

Power list

Three screen-industry notables have made the Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 list, which was announced earlier this week. Two of the three are from Bell: Jeanne Beker, Canadian fashion icon and FashionTelevisionChannel host, and Wendy Freeman, president, CTV News. Joining them on the list is Telefilm’s Carolle Brabant.

Rogers expands multi-screen offering

Rogers Communications earlier this week rolled out new additions to its  NextBox 2.0 offering in Ontario, what it is marketing as its Rogers Anyplace TV Home Edition application for select tablets and smartphones.

The new application, which was available immediately for iPads and iPhones and is to be available on Android tablets and smartphones “this year,” reportedly offers access to your home TV’s advanced search, remote control, as well as manage and set its PVR, plus lets you live stream news, sports and entertainment content.

Roger’s Citytv this week also launched its own mobile offering: the new City Video Mobile App for Android; this free app (available at the Google Play Store) offers access to  many full-length episodes of shows from Citytv’s prime-time lineup.

Meanwhile, competitor Bell rolled out this week two new mobile channels, one called NBA TV Canada and NBA on TSN.

Original programs to premiere

Rocket Monkeys

Rocket Monkeys and Just Kidding, two Teletoon original productions first ordered back in 2011, are set to have their season premieres in early 2013. The shows are Can-con tentpoles of the channels’ Thursday lineup.

Breakthrough Entertainment’s Rocket Monkeys features the voice work of comedians Mark McKinney (voice of Lord Peel) and Seán Cullen (voice of Gus), and debuts Jan. 10.

Just for Laughs Productions’ Just Kidding is a childrens-oriented take on the popular Just For Laughs Gags and starts Feb. 3.

Meanwhile, over on The Comedy Network, its original program Just for Laughs: All Access debuts with a 90-minute special featuring The Muppets on Dec. 24, before the regular season premieres Jan. 7. Taped at the Montreal JFL festival last summer, the 13-episode series features Bill Hader, Joel McHale, Jeremy Hotz, Jack McBrayer, Jason Jones, and John Pinette.

Renewal

The one-hour documentary series Murder She Solved: True Crime returns for a third season on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network (Canada) Jan. 5.  Produced by Force Four Entertainment in association with Mystique Films, and developed and produced in collaboration with OWN, it offers an inside look at the details of actual murder investigations and the female investigators who doggedly work them.

Operation Oblivion

Pixie Awards

A total of 21 Canadian production companies, individuals and advertising agencies were among the numerous winners in the the fourth annual Pixie Awards. The awards, which focus on achievements in motion graphics, effects and animation, were handed out in late November by the Sanibel, FL-based American Pixel Academy.

Canuck screen companies who won the honours (either Platinum or Gold) across the academy’s nine categories included Vancouver’s Atomic Cartoons, Milton, Ont.’s Creative Bube Tube, Calgary’s Francomedia, Cobour, Ont.’s Media Monkey Productions and Toronto’s Loopmedia, Optix Digital and Plasmalife (Shown is an image from Media Monkey’s Operation Oblivion, their World War Two documentary that was funded by Omni Television and the federal government’s Community Historical Recognition Program).

For the complete list, click here