Conquering Lion to pitch “The Illegal” at Berlin film fest
Toronto’s Conquering Lion Pictures will be pitching their latest project The Illegal (based on the novel by Lawrence Hill) at Berlin International Film Festival’s “Berlinale Co-Production Market.” The prodco will be competing against six other projects on Feb. 16 to secure coproduction and financing partners in the “CoPro Series” of the program. Conquering Lion announced in June it had optioned Hill’s novel. 

As well, Denis Côté’s Boris sans Béatrice (“Boris without Béatrice”) will make its world premiere in the Competition program at the 66th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival. The film will screen alongside 23 other titles, with the winner and runner-up taking the Golden and Silver Bear prizes, respectively.

Tattersall mixers nominated for Cinema Audio Society Awards
Re-recording mixers Martin Lee and Kirk Lynds, and production mixer Michael Playfair from Tattersall Sound & Picture are up for awards at this year’s Cinema Audio Society (CAS) awards. All three received nominations in the Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing in a Television Movie or Mini-Series for Fargo season two. The 52nd edition of the CAS awards takes place in L.A. on Feb. 20.

The Boy from Geita wins doc prize
Director Vic Sarin of Sepia Films has won the Accolade Global Film Competition’s Grand Prize Humanitarian Award for his documentary The Boy from Geita. The prize is awarded to filmmakers who raise awareness for issues related to ecology, politics, social justice, health and wellness, wildlife or conservation. Sarin’s film explores the hunting and killing of African children with albinism for their body parts, told through the eyes of a young Tanzanian boy.

Room wins more awards
The casting directors for Canada/Ireland coproduction Room have won an award at the Casting Society of America’s Artios Awards. Fiona Weir, Robin D. Cook and Jonathan Oliveira jointly picked up the casting prize in the Studio or Independent – Drama category at the 31st edition of the awards. The prizes were presented at simultaneous award in L.A. and New York on Thursday night.