The Content Innovation Awards recognized projects from Sinking Ship Entertainment, Shaftesbury and Sphere Media at MIPCOM this week.

The ninth annual awards were held at the annual trade market in Cannes on Wednesday (Oct. 18), honouring innovative television content on the international stage.

Projects from Canadian prodcos took away three awards overall. CBC and Max original Sort Of (Sphere Media; pictured) won the Representation & Inclusion Award – Scripted; BYUtv and Family Channel series Ruby and the Well (Shaftesbury) won Best Live Action Kids Drama; and Apple TV+ series Ghostwriter (Sinking Ship Entertainment, Sesame Workshop) won Best Live Action Kids Programme.

Canadian Academy sets expanded cohort for Women in Post program

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (Canadian Academy) has selected 12 participants for the third round of its Women in Post program.

The initiative, launched in 2020, offers hands-on mentorship and skill-building workshops for women-identifying and non-binary professionals working in post-production. This year’s program includes virtual modules running from October to April 2024, as well as placement opportunities throughout the next 12 months.

The 2023 cohort – which has been expanded from eight to 12 – includes four participants from Vancouver: KJ Edwards (picture editing/sound), Eimear MacCarrick (music), Kaitlyn Redcrow (sound), and Evelyn Starks (picture editing, animation, VFX).

Another four hail from Toronto: Bernice Chu (sound), Luvleen Hunjan (colour), Meeka McLean (picture editing, colour), and Fabiola Caraza (picture editing, VFX), who is also based in Saskatoon, Sask.

The remaining four participants include Halifax’s Melina Coolen (sound), Winnipeg’s Nathalie Massaroni (post-production supervision, picture editing), St. John’s-based Lian Morrison (picture editing, colour) and Moncton, N.B., and Montreal-based Tracey Richard (sound).

Toronto-based post-production company acquired by difuze

Montreal-based media services company difuze has acquired Toronto-based post-production service provider Wanted! Sound + Picture. The transaction was supported by an investment from Quebec’s Fonds de solidarité FTQ. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Wanted! Sound + Picture provides recording, editing, mixing and localization services, while difuze offers distribution and post-production services such as finishing, localization and accessibility.

Telefilm supports 19 film festivals

Telefilm Canada has selected 19 Canadian film festivals for support under its Medium to Large-Scale Festivals Program. The funder has set an investment of $1.78 million in this second round of the program, with a total investment of $3.46 million.

The selected festivals have start dates between April 1 and Sept. 30, 2024. The list includes Toronto’s Hot Docs, the Ottawa International Animation Festival, Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival, Toronto’s Inside Out festival, Winnipeg’s Gimli International Film Festival, Halifax’s Atlantic International Film Festival, and the Vancouver International Film Festival, among others.

Photo by Jasper Savage