Canadians win at Austin Film Festival 

Toronto-based writer Jill Taylor won the sitcom pilot award for best teleplay at the Austin Film Festival Script Competition in Texas, one of several Canadians who took home prizes. A record 9,487 scripts were entered across the various categories, with a panel of judges, including Christine Boylan (writer/producer Once Upon a Time) and Sarah Gubbins (writer/co-creator I Love Dick), selecting winners. Taylor’s script “The Big D,” beat out “Misspelled” from Ottawa-based Matt Corluka, and three other finalists in the category. Toronto-based Kat Sandler’s “How to Build a Fire” won the Fiction Podcast Award presented by Public Radio International, while Toronto-based Michael Allcock’s Ringneck won the short screenplay award. Other Canadian finalists (those in the top five) at the fest include David Margolis’ “On the Road to Nowhere” (Vancouver, B.C.) for the Enderby Entertainment Award. “What the Fox Said” a screenplay by Geneva Films’ James Stewart was named a semi-finalist (top 20) in two categories, drama and sci-fi, while Toronto’s Michael Wright was named a semi-finalist in the Enderby Entertainment and drama categories. The festival also handed out awards to completed films, including Michael Del Monte’s Transformer (Toronto’s Storystream) in the documentary feature category, and Pat Mills’ Don’t Talk to Irene in the comedy vanguard category. Darren Curtis’ Boost received the narrative feature honourable mention. (Correction: the article originally misspelled Matt Corluka’s name. It has since been corrected.)

Women in Animation to launch Canadian chapter 

Women in Animation, an L.A.-headquartered organization dedicated to advancing women in the animation field, will launch its first Canadian chapter in January. WIA Vancouver will be led by a governing board comprised of Vancouver-based Molly Mason-Boulé, VP of worldwide content production, Electronic Arts Worldwide Studios; Sharon Taylor, COO, Animal Logic; and Michelle Grady, SVP of production, Sony Pictures Imageworks. The new branch aims to provide a community for women working in the growing Vancouver animation industry, and offer mentorship and resources.

APTN preps Mohawk Girls final season

APTN has set the premiere date for the fifth and final season of its award-winning dramatic comedy, Mohawk Girls. The series, produced by Rezolution Pictures, will premiere Nov. 14 at 8:30 p.m. Executive produced by creators Tracey Deer and Cynthia Knight, the series follows four Mohawk women trying to stay true to their roots while navigating sex, work and love. Deer directed the six, half-hour episodes, with Knight serving as head writer.