Cinespace Studios has expanded its CineCares Workforce Training Program with a partnership with NABET 700-M UNIFOR.

The first production under the new partnership is Citytv’s Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent (pictured), produced by Lark Productions and Cameron Pictures, which is currently filming at Cinespace Toronto. Trainees in the sound, script and lighting departments are provided hands-on experience on set.

CineCares was launched in spring with IATSE Local 873, with BIPOC TV & Film, the Indigenous Screen Office, and POV serving as recruitment partners. According to a news release, the program is meant to provide “wrap-around support,” which includes participant network development, post-program sessions and mentorships.

PSP names sixth showrunner-in-residence

The Pacific Screenwriting Program (PSP) has unveiled Bomb Girls and Tiny Pretty Things creator Michael MacLennan as the showrunner-in-residence for the program’s sixth Scripted Series Lab.

The PSP lab places six B.C.-based writers in a writers’ room with a showrunner to develop an original series. The program includes mentorships, workshops and networking opportunities, with alumni moving on to work on series for Netflix, Bell Media, Prime Video, CBC, Corus Entertainment, Apple TV+, and more.

MacLennan is a Vancouver-born writer who has worked on series such as Queer as Folk, Flashpoint, Bitten and The Fosters. He was the co-creator and showrunner of Global’s Bomb Girls, the creator and executive producer of Citytv’s Godiva’s, and the creator of Netflix’s Tiny Pretty Things.

Shorts Not Pants names Canadian short winner

Ritchie Hemphill and Ryan Haché’s stop-motion animated short Tiny won the Best Canadian Short award at the 2023 Shorts Not Pants Film Festival.

The award comes with a $1,000 cash prize, sponsored by Hollywood Suite. The jury, which included “industry experts and seasoned professionals,” recognized Tiny for its “use of artfully detailed stop-motion animation and compact, cinematic storytelling.”

Liam Hoban Thrush received a special mention from the jury for the short Skin, which the jury commended for its “distinct look and style.”

The Shorts Not Pants Festival ran from Nov. 17 to 19.

Photo by Steve Wilkie, courtesy of Citytv