Vancouver producers Christine Haebler of Crescent Entertainment and Lisa Richardson of Dogwood Productions are among the members of the CFTPA to donate time and energy to the creation of five public-service announcements in support of The Stephen Lewis Foundation for AIDS relief in Africa.

The producers, who are also board members of the CFTPA, enlisted hot Vancouver ad agency Rethink Advertising, director Keith Behrman and DOP Les Erskine for their two spots ‘Doll’ and ‘Diagnosis,’ designed to help Stephen Lewis, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS, with his mission to fight the battle against AIDS in Africa. Production was in May.

‘This has been such an enriching experience for us as creators,’ says Toronto producer Laszlo Barna, chair of the CFTPA. ‘The support from each and every sector of our industry has been extraordinary. To use our collective talents to get the message out about the people who are suffering from the ravages of AIDS in Africa has been humbling.’

In Toronto, producers Mary Young Leckie and Heather Haldane of Tapestry Pictures brought together a team that included Keith Ross Leckie as writer/director, Rene Ohashi as DOP and Tim Bider as production designer for their spot ‘The Disappearing.’

‘Millions of children are already orphaned, and that number will soon climb to tens of millions,’ says CFTPA board member Leckie. ‘The burden of care has fallen to the elderly and the children themselves. It is a staggering concept and one we felt we had to get across to North Americans.’

In Montreal, producer Kevin Tierney of Park Ex Pictures approached the National Film Board and a 30-second animation spot is now underway, under the supervision of producer Michael Fukushima.

Producer Mary Sexton of St. John’s is contributing a spot featuring the work of director Thom Fitzgerald, who is using footage he shot in South Africa while filming his next feature Three Needles.

At least three of the PSAs will premier at the Banff Television Festival on June 16 during the CFTPA’s annual luncheon.

-www.cftpa.ca