A n Unfinished Journey, a documentary co-directed by Toronto’s Aeyliya Husain and U.S. filmmaker Amie Williams, will make its world premiere at the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights Geneva (FIFDH).

The film is produced by Toronto-based HitPlay Productions and France’s Les Films d’Ici. Producers include HitPlay’s Nadine Pequeneza and Charlotte Uzu for Les Films D’Ici. An Unfinished Journey was commissioned by CBC for The Passionate Eye and will premiere on CBC and CBC Gem this fall.

The film centres on four Afghan women — past journalists, parliamentarians and ministers — who went into exile following the Taliban take-over of Afghanistan in 2021.

The doc (pictured) will premiere in the festival’s International Focus Competition on March 12, with the filmmaking team seeking domestic and international distribution partners, according to a press release. The film is also one of 16 projects selected for the Impact Days forum, which connects filmmaker with funders committed to advancing human rights.

The 22nd edition of FIFDH will run from March 8 to 17.

On Screen Manitoba reveals finalists for short film pitch competition

On Screen Manitoba, the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), and the Franco-Manitobain Cultural Center (CCFM) have announced the finalists of the inaugural Short Film Pitch Competition.

The $10,000 pitch competition, presented by RBC, is geared towards emerging Franco-Manitoban filmmakers. The finalists for the first competition include Mehdi Bereddad (Tendance), David Boulet (Sandwich aux œufs), Alix Cameron (Calme toi), Rémi Chevalier (Pain Sec), and Martin LaFrenière (Valise) and were selected by an independent jury.

The finalists will participate in an in-person pitch competition, which will take place on March 7 at the CCFM, with the winner receiving $10,000 to make their film, courtesy of RBC.

The filmmaker will also receive $5,000 worth of equipment rental from William F. White; a mentorship from the National Screen Institute – Canada; a $1,000 equipment rental credit and a General Plus membership to the Winnipeg Film Group; $2,500 credit for sets, props, wardrobe, and locations equipment from Talon Production Services; and a premiere screening of their film at On Screen Manitoba’s All Access industry forum in 2025.

Each finalist will receive a one-year membership with On Screen Manitoba and a day pass to All Access 2025.

Versatile Media opens Burnaby film studio

Versatile Media has opened the doors to its 44,000-square-foot film studio in Burnaby, B.C., which, according to the company, “will set a high bar for virtual production.”

The studio, which began construction in 2022, houses an LED volume in its main stage with a smaller sound stage of 13,000 square feet for use as traditional filming space, as well as 10,000 square feet of offices. The LED volume stands at 83 feet wide, and 29 feet tall, with an immersive 270-degree curvature.

Versatile Media said in a statement that the “film facility and LED volume realizes our ambitious goal on offering an end-to-end virtual production solution for filmmakers.”

Super Bowl LVIII draws 10 million viewers on TSN, CTV, and RDS

Super Bowl LVIII was the most-watched Super Bowl in Canada on record, says broadcaster Bell Media. The football championship pulled in an average audience of 10 million viewers on TSN, CTV, and RDS, according to data from Numeris.

Overall, 19 million unique Canadian viewers watched some or all of the NFL’s championship game between Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, ranking as Canada’s most-watched broadcast of the 2023/24 broadcast season to date, added Bell in a press release.

The game was one of the top five most-watched English-language broadcasts on record in Canada, said Bell.

Image courtesy of HitPlay Productions