NFB launches 2020 consultation

Starting this January, government film commissioner and National Film Board of Canada (NFB) chairperson Claude Joli-Coeur will embark on a national cross-country consultation to inform the organization’s 2020-2023 strategic plan.

Kicking off in Winnipeg on Jan. 13, these meetings will run until March 2 and take place in partnership with the CMPA, the Documentary Organization of Canada, the Directors Guild of Canada, the Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices du Québec and ONF/NFB Creation. In the coming days, these organizations will share a survey for members to highlight the key issues and priorities they want discussed at these meetings. Additionally, creators do not need to belong to these industry organizations to participate or attend.

CMF and NFVF reteam on TV codevelopment program

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) and South Africa’s the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) have renewed their TV codevelopment incentive for the third year in a row.

Targeted towards TV programs from Canadian and South African producers, eligible projects include programs in the drama, documentary, children and youth space. The deadline for applications is Jan. 24, 2020, the program offers $120,000, comprised of coin from each funder. The maximum amount each project can receive is $40,000.

The partnering organizations have invested $240,000 in the co-development of six audiovisual projects since 2017-2018.

2019 UBCP/ACTRA Awards honour Ben Cotton, Camille Sullivan

Ben Cotton (Hammer) and Camille Sullivan (Unspeakable) walked away the eighth annual UBCP/ACTRA Awards best actor prizes on Saturday. Held in Vancouver and hosted by Tom Cavanagh (The Flash), the awards show delivered Best Actor and Best Actress accolades to the pair for their roles in Crown and Anchor and Kingsway, respectively.

The ceremony also saw Steven Roberts (The Romeo Section) take home Best Emerging Performer prize for his role in In God I Trust. Additionally, the Lorena Gale Woman of Distinction Award was presented to Lesley Ewen (The X-Files) and the John Juliani Award for Excellence went to Mel Tuck (Never Steady, Never Still). Finally, the prize for Best Voice was awarded to Erin Matthews for Super Monsters Furever Friends, while best stunt went to coordinator Eli Zagoudakis and performers Nathaniel Shuker and Marshall Bingham for Arrow.