Vancouver: Nine Telefilm Canada-supported English-language productions reflect the new focus on explicitly commercial films that still deliver distinctively Canadian content, says Telefilm executive director Richard Stursberg.

* Mambo Italiano (Cinemaginaire) is a romantic comedy about a young gay couple trying to stay in the closet in a tight-knit Italian community.

Produced by Denise Robert and Daniel Louis, who created the French-language hits L’Odyssee d’Alice Tremblay and Nuit de Noces, Mambo Italiano is directed by Emile Gaudreault, who wrote Louis 19. Equinox Films distributes.

* Falling Angels (Triptych Media), based on a Barbara Gowdy novel, is a 1950s period piece about a trio of sisters in a peculiar family directed by Scott Smith (rollercoaster) and produced by Robin Cass. Seville Films distributes.

* Republic of Love (Triptych Media), based on Carol Shields’ novel, is a contemporary romance set in Winnipeg directed by Deepa Mehta (Bollywood/Hollywood) and produced by Anna Stratton. Seville Films distributes.

* A Problem with Fear, gearing up for production in Calgary, tells the story of a paranoid young man whose phobias seem to affect other people. It is directed by Gary Burns (waydowntown) and produced by Shirley Vercruysse of Alberta and Luc Dery (Production Qu4tre par Quatre). Christal Films distributes.

* An Intern’s Diary (Minds Eye Pictures), written and directed by comedy veteran Dave Thomas, is about the day-to-day grind of an intern at fictitious St. Michael’s Hospital. The feature is produced by Josh Miller. TVA International distributes.

* Les Belles Soeurs (Cite-Amerique Cinema Television), an English-language film based on the play by Michel Tremblay, is a social comedy about a ‘clueless, arrogant’ woman and her coterie of eccentric friends. John N. Smith (The Boys of St. Vincent) directs and Lorraine Richard produces. Seville Films distributes.

* Eating the Bones, called a racy urban sex comedy, is a love story about two young black Canadians in Toronto. Bones is directed by David Sutherland (The Farmer’s Wife) and his producing partner Jennifer Holness. ThinkFilm distributes.

* Bleeding (Crescent Entertainment), based in part on the life of writer Angus Fraser (Kissed), is about the impact of an act of violence on family and friends. Directed by Stephen Surjik (Wayne’s World 2), the U.K./Canada coproduction is produced by Harold Tichenor, Christine Haebler, and Howard Dancyger in Vancouver and Michael Cowan in the U.K. Seville Films distributes.

* The Great Goose Caper (Voice Pictures/Les Films Colin Neale) stars Chevy Chase and Joan Plowright in a story about a troubled eight-year-old boy and his talking goose. Nicholas Kendall (Mr. Rice’s Secret) directs and Wendy Hill-Tout and Colin Neale produce. Odeon Films distributes.

Despite what appears to be a preponderance of Quebec industry influence in these English-language titles, there is no connection between the French and English strategies, says Telefilm spokesperson Jeanine Basile.