WIDC Feature Film Award winner named
Canadian filmmaker Gloria Ui Young Kim (pictured) has won the Women in the Director’s Chair 2016 national Feature Film Award. The prize, valued at $190,000 in cash and in-kind services, will help Kim complete her debut feature, Debra and Mona. As part of the award, Kim will develop her feature at WIDC’s Story and Leadership program at the Whistler Film Festival. She’ll also receive further development support and equity investment from Bell Media’s Harold Greenberg Fund, as well as in-kind support including studio rentals, a camera package, support for picture and audio post production, clearances, closed captioning and insurance. WIDC sponsor William F. White International will also provide a grip and lighting equipment rental package.

Canadians nominated for Independent Spirit Awards
The Witch, produced by Scythia Films’ Daniel Bekerman, as well as Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Jodi Redmond, Rodrigo Teixeira has been nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. The film was also nominated for Best First Screenplay (written by American director Robert Eggers) as was Stella Meghie’s Jean of the Joneses, which she produced alongside Amos Adetuyi and Floyd Kane and coproducer Jason Jallet. Elizabeth Cullen, Sean Dwyer and John Bain served as exec producers. The annual awards are presented by Film Independent in L.A.

Next Step nabs a BAFTA
The British Academy of Film and Television’s Children’s Awards were presented this week and The Next Step, produced by Boat Rocker’s Temple Street, in association with the Family Channel, was named the Kids’ Vote TV series winner. The category was chosen by kids aged seven to 14 who cast their vote at the BAFTA Kids website.

Yap Films’ Elliott Halpern to exec produce NBC series
NBC has offered a script commitment for a legal drama to be executive produced by Elliott Halpern of Yap Films, Yap Films has confirmed. Halpern came up with the idea for the series, about a lawyer who represents cops in internal investigations, more than 10 years ago. Halpern’s agents connected him with L.A.-based Flame Ventures this year and they teamed up to work on the project this spring. Flame Ventures will produce the project alongside ITV Studios America and Blue Bloods EP Ken Sanzel, who will also write the script, as first reported in Deadline. Morena Baccarin will star in the project, as well as executive produce alongside Flame CEO Tony Krantz and Yap Film’s Halpern. Co-executive producers are Sarah Jackson of Seven Summits and Yap’s Elizabeth Trojian.

Anne gets additional cast
The roles of Diana Barry, Rachel Lynde and Gilbert Blythe have all been filled for the the upcoming eight-part one-hour drama series Anne. Dalila Bela (Odd Squad: The Movie), has been cast as Diana, Corrine Koslo (Best in Show) joins as Rachel and Lucas Jade Zumann (Sense8) will play Gilbert. Based on Lucy Maud Montgomery’s iconic novel Anne of Green Gables,  the series is executive produced by Moira Walley-Beckett and Northwood Entertainment’s Miranda de Pencier. Anne is in production in Ontario until February and will premiere on CBC in Canada later next year, and Netflix everywhere outside of Canada.

CBS puts Spottiswood-penned series into development
NBCUniversal has confirmed that CBS in the U.S. has put Under Suspicion into development, as first reported in Deadline. The series, based on the crime thriller series from Mary Higgins Clark, is written and executive produced by Canadian writer Greg Spottiswood (Remedy). It is produced by John Glenn, Momentum TV and NBCUniversal’s Universal Television.