Portfolio Entertainment

Toronto-based prodco and distributor Portfolio Entertainment has acquired the global distribution rights to Counterfeit Pictures’ mockumentary Decoys (6 x 15 minutes, pictured). The series, which will be launched to the global market at MIPTV in April, was created by David Pelech and produced by Counterfeit Pictures. It premiered on CBC Gem in July 2020. Decoys follows a group of professional duck carvers who are preparing for the Northern Alberta Carving Cup in a Best in Show-like style.

The acquisition is part of Portfolio’s “expansion into prime time comedy and premium scripted content,” according to Donnie MacIntyre, VP of sales and business development.

Farpoint Films

Winnipeg-based prodco Farpoint Films has optioned short Strong Son from Winnipeg filmmaker Ian Bawa.

Bawa will write and direct a feature based on his autobiographical short drama. Farpoint Films’ Kyle Bornais and Tony Wosk will produce the film, which is set to go into production in 2022. Strong Son premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival and centres on a South Asian bodybuilder who moves back into his elderly father’s house to become his primary caregiver. It also screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival and  South Western International Film Festival.

“Strong Son is a very personal and important story to me. Farpoint Films has not only been a supporter and champion of me and my past work over the years, but has also shown an understanding and belief in my projects, and because of that I feel that they are the best partners to help bring this story to life,” said Bawa in a statement.

Crave

Bell Media streaming service Crave has picked up the rights to documentary Framing Britney Spears from Red Arrow Studios International. The doc is produced by The New York Times and Left/Right, a Red Arrow Studios company, for FX and Hulu in the U.S., and is available on Crave as of today (Feb. 26). Crave has also secured the entire The Weekly: Special Edition documentary collection, of which Framing Britney Spears is a part.

Directed by Samantha Stark, the film takes a deep dive into the pop icon’s career and serves up an assessment of the movement rallying against her court-mandated conservatorship, while also examining the American pop-star machine. It has also been acquired by Sky (U.K. & Ireland), Nine (Australia), Three (New Zealand), Talpa TV (the Netherlands), NRK (Norway), TV2 (Denmark), TV4 (Sweden & Finland), Discovery (Italy), Originals Factory (French & German-speaking Europe), OSN (Middle East), Odisea / Odisseia (Spain & Portugal), HOT8 (Israel), yes (Israel), DPG (Belgium) and CANAL+ Poland.

Framing Britney Spears is executive produced by Jason Stallman, Sam Dolnick, Stephanie Preiss from The New York Times, and Ken Druckerman, Banks Tarver and Mary Robertson from Left/Right.

CBC

CBC has picked up four new dramas for this spring.

The pubcaster has added Victoria, a historical series about Queen Victoria starring Jenna Coleman (1 x 90 minutes, 7 x 60 minutes, Mammoth Screen, U.K.); 1850s London-set detective series Miss Scarlet and The Duke (6 x 60 minutes, A+E, Element 8 Entertainment, Shinawil Productions, U.S./U.K.); BBC limited series Us (6 x 60 minutes, Drama Republic, Bandstand, U.K.), based on David Nicholls’ bestselling novel of the same name; and psychological thriller The Secret She Keeps (6 x 60 minutes, Lingo Pictures, Australia) starring Laura Carmichael and Jessica De Gouw.

Notably, Victoria, Miss Scarlet and The Duke and The Secrets She Keeps are making their Canadian network premieres, while Us landing on CBC marks the show’s exclusive Canadian premiere.

Victoria is set to debut on Monday, March 22 at 8 p.m. on CBC and CBC Gem, meanwhile, Miss Scarlet and The Duke will join the schedule on Monday, March 29 at 8 p.m. All episodes of the latter will be available on CBC Gem on March 29 as well.

On Sunday, April 4 at 9 p.m., Us will land on CBC TV. Of note, all episodes will also be available on CBC Gem on April 4.

Finally, The Secrets She Keeps will debut on Wednesday, April 14 at 8 p.m. Back-to-back episodes will air weekly on CBC TV and all episodes will land on CBC Gem on April 14.

The Gig is Up

U.K. documentary prodco and distributor Dogwoof has acquired Shannon Walsh’s (H2Oil, Illusions of Control) latest doc feature The Gig is Up for world sales representation. The deal was negotiated by Oli Harbottle for Dogwoof with Ina Fichman of Intuitive Pictures and will cover international sales excluding first window TV in Canada, France, Germany and Belgium.

Directed by Walsh, The Gig is Up was produced by Fichman and Luc Martin-Gousset; edited by Sophie Farkas Bolla; director of photography Etienne Roussy; written by Shannon Walsh, Julien Goetz and Harold Crooks; with original music by David Chalmin. The film profiles gig workers to shine a light on the hidden costs of this new digital economy.

The film is an Intuitive Pictures and Point du jour Production in association with ARTE France and documentary Channel with the participation of Rogers Group of Funds, Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund, CNC, RTS, Evoke Media, Archer Gray, and Quebec and Canada tax credits.

With files from Realscreen