Dark Slope, the Toronto-based virtual production studio and gaming company, has announced the appointment of John Albright (pictured), co-founder and general partner of Relay Ventures to its board.

The announcement follows a $1.5 million investment in the company from Toronto-based Relay, which is an early-stage venture capital fund.

The funding will be used to accelerate Dark Slope’s integration of artificial intelligence into its virtual production pipeline, to drive IP creation and the promotion of its virtual production sound stages and related services.

Dark Slope’s portfolio of virtual production-based collaborations includes work with Marblemedia, Aircraft Pictures, Insight Productions and Nickelodeon.

The company recently launched a new 35,000 square-foot virtual production studio.

CCE Awards winners announced

The Canadian Cinema Editors association has announced the winners of its 2024 CCE Awards.

The winners were revealed at a ceremony on June 14 in Toronto, with Justin Oakey picking up Best Editing in Feature Film for the mystery drama The King Tide. Best Editing in Documentary Feature went to Ricardo Acosta and Mike Magidson for Children of Las Brisas.

In the TV categories, Jonathan Eagan won Best Editing in TV Drama for Apple TV+’s The Changeling (“Stormy Weather), while Justin Li won Best Editing in TV Comedy for AMC’s Lucky Hank.

On the unscripted side, Best Editing in Docu-series / Docu-drama / Factual went to Steven Budd for Vice TV’s Dark Side of Comedy (episode 201), while CBC’s Best in Miniature (ep. 208) picked up the Best Editing in Lifestyle / Competition / Reality honour for Jeff Perry, Ryan Monteith, Curtis Rogers and Keisha Rose. YTV’s The Hardy Boys (ep. 302) won Best Editing in a Live Action Family Series or MOW for Thomas Lieu. Peacock’s Superbuns (ep. 116) won Best Editing in an Animated Pre-School Series for Paul Hunter, Katie Tomchishen and Jason Pichonsky.

Other awards include Greg Canning, Max Szentveri, Nicholas Shepard, Ryan Jobling and Leland Miller, who won Best Editing in Animation for The Snoopy Show: Charlie Brown; Christopher Donaldson, who won Best Editing in MOW / Mini-Series for the Showtime series Fellow Travelers (ep. 101); and Ben Allan, who won Best Editing in Web Series / Digital Content for Less Than Kosher (ep. 101).

Rounding out the list of award winners are Marie-Pier Dupuis, who picked up Best Editing in Documentary Short Form for Après-coups and Myriam Magassouba, who won Best Editing in a Short Film for Faire un enfant.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recipients this year were Mary Stephen and Gordon McClellan, while Don Thompson received the Career Achievement Award.

Yintah sets off for theatrical, in-community screenings tour 

Hot Docs-winner Yintah has set off on a cross-Canada tour, which will include theatrical and in-community screenings for the doc which looks at the Wet’suwet’en First Nation’s fight for sovereignty

The screening tour kicked off at the Aron Theatre Co-Op in Campbellford, ON, on June 20 and ends with a screening at Cinéma sous les étoiles in Montreal on Aug. 22.

Yintah is co-directed by Jennifer Wickham, Michael Toledano and Brenda Michell and produced by Wickham, Toledano, Michell and EyeSteelFilm’s Bob Moore.

The film picked up the $50,000 Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary as well the the Audience Award at the 2024 Hot Docs.

Image courtesy of Dark Slope