Cree filmmaker Tasha Hubbard’s feature documentary Singing Back the Buffalo will make its world bow at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Montana.

Singing Back the Buffalo (pictured) is written and directed by Hubbard, who is also a producer alongside Jason Ryle and George Hupka. Bonnie Thompson an executive producer on the film.

An episode of CBC’s The Nature of Things adapted from the doc will follow the festival and theatrical run, and the feature version will air on APTN in 2025, according to a spokesperson of the film.

Singing Back the Buffalo follows Indigenous communities who are rematriating the buffalo to the North American plains they once defined.

CAVCO to undertake comprehensive review of service standards

The Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO) is proposing an interim change as it undertakes a comprehensive review of its service standards.

The proposal seeks to convert service standard for processing applications to the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC) and the Film or Video Production Services Tax Credit (PSTC) programs from 120 business days to 176 calendar days. The performance target to process 85% of applications within the service standard would remain, according to a public notice. The change is expected to go into effect on April 1.

CAVCO announced it is undertaking a comprehensive review to ensure its service standards could better reflect the services it provides, and falls within compliance with the amended Service Fees Act and other Government of Canada directives and policies. The review includes the creation of a policy for “remitting a portion of a fee if CAVCO considers that the associated service standard has not been met.”

Comme le feu to make world bow at Berlinale

Quebec filmmaker Philippe Lesage’s Canada-France copro Comme le feu will make its world premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale).

The drama is written and directed by Lesage and produced by Montreal’s L’unité centrale and France’s Shellac Sud. Galilé Marion-Gauvin produced for L’unité centrale. Premiering in the Generation section, it centres on a teenager who is invited by his friend’s family to stay at the lodge of a film director.

The film’s cast includes Noah Parker, Aurélia Arandi-Longpré, Antoine Marchand-Gagnon, Arieh Worthalter, and Paul Ahmarani. Maison 4:3 is the distributor.

MPA report highlights economic impact of What We Do In The Shadows

Production on the fourth season of FX Networks’ What We Do In The Shadows generated a spend of more than $33.8 million in Ontario in 2021, according to a report commissioned by the Motion Pictures of Association (MPA).

The report — developed by Oxford Economics — said the production expenditure triggered approximately $47 million in contribution to the province’s GDP that year, with every $1 million in production spend resulting in $1.7 million in GDP contributions.

The fourth season created 420 jobs across Ontario — including 210 direct jobs on the series– with 52% of production spending supporting wages and salaries for local crew and labour at more than $17.4 million.

Forty-eight percent of the total spend — amounting to $16.4 million — went towards 500 local suppliers of goods and services.

Telefilm increases prize money for VFCC One to Watch award

Telefilm Canada has increased the prize money of the Vancouver Film Critics Awards One to Watch award.

The award, which has been renamed Telefilm One to Watch Award, will now come with a $1,000 cash prize, up from $500.

The One to Watch honour recognizes emerging Canadian talent and has been sponsored by Telefilm since its inception. Previous winners in the category include Anthony Shim (Riceboy Sleeps), Matthew Rankin (The Twentieth Century), Katherine Jerkovic (Roads in February), and Trevor Mack (Portraits from a Fire).

The 24th edition of the VFCC awards will take place on Feb. 12 at the VIFF Centre Studio Theatre, with the event recognizing the best international and Canadian films and performers of 2023 in twenty categories.

Photo by George Hupka