CRTC greenlights Videotron takeover

The CRTC has approved Quebecor’s takeover of Groupe Videotron’s cable assets, allowing the Montreal-based printing giant to move forward with its plan to create a major media convergence group.

Under the terms of the deal, Videotron’s cable assets and TVA Group are to fall under the umbrella of Quebecor Media along with Sun Media Corp.’s newspapers, Le Journal de Montreal and the Canoe Web portal.

In announcing the decision, the CRTC said it has reviewed the shareholders agreement between Quebecor Media and Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, concluding that the pension fund is not in a position to control Quebecor media operations.

The Caisse has a 45% interest in Quebecor Media with Quebecor owning the remaining 55%.

AAC buys into Wisdom

Alliance Atlantis Communications and Vision TV have struck a deal in which AAC will acquire a 29.9% interest in Wisdom: The Body, Mind & Spirit Channel, Vision’s category 1 digital specialty set to launch Sept. 7.

Under the terms of the deal, AAC maintains an option to buy an additional 3.4% interest in the channel, for which a new name is soon to be announced.

While retaining a programming partnership with Wisdom Media, U.S., the new deal with AAC makes the forthcoming specialty a 100% Canadian-owned service.

Wisdom will feature programming devoted to the interconnectedness between body, mind and spirit.

‘Alliance Atlantis sees a great opportunity to work with Wisdom as part of the launch of our new digital channels, particularly in a complementary way with The Health Network Canada,’ states Phyllis Yaffe, CEO, AA Broadcasting. ‘Wisdom is also a good fit with our entire lifestyle category of channels.’

CRTC approves Astral buy

The CRTC has approved Astral Media’s acquisition of the remaining 50% interest in Family Channel, held by Corus Entertainment.

The transaction gives Astral 100% ownership of the specialty service and increases its interest in Teletoon to 40%, for a cash price of $126 million.

Corus gained a 50% share in Family when it acquired WIC Western International’s media assets, but was mandated by the CRTC to divest of interest because of its ownership of YTV and Treehouse TV.

The deal is expected to close by the end of May.

Tele-Quebec renewed

The CRTC has renewed the broadcast licences of the Tele-Quebec network and its flagship CIVM-TV station in Montreal through to Aug. 31, 2007.

The decision (CRTC 2001-256) says Tele-Quebec will broadcast on average 21 hours a week of Canadian children’s programming, targeted to two- to 11-year-olds. Citing a recent decrease in commercial revenues, the CRTC has granted Tele-Quebec permission to increase commercial airtime from six minutes to eight minutes an hour, up to a maximum of 800 minutes a week. Programs aimed at children two to 11 will not be interrupted by commercials. The commission also granted permission to add alcoholic products (other than in programs aimed at two- to 17-year-olds) to Tele-Quebec’s eligible on-air advertising products list.

First Inuit feature wins at Cannes

The first-ever Inuit feature film, Atanarjuat, directed by Zacharias Kunuk and coproduced by Igloolik Isuma Productions and the National Film Board’s Aboriginal Filmmaking Program is the first Canadian film to win the coveted Camera d’Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Atanarjuat beat out 23 other entries.

Kunuk, a resident of a small island community off the coast of Baffin Island, picked up his Camera d’Or prize for best first feature at the festival’s glittering closing night ceremony May 20. The win includes a cheque for $60,000.

Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner) is adapted from an ancient Inuit legend and tells the story of a small community of nomadic Inuit whose lives are disrupted when an unknown shaman creates rivalries between families.

Atanarjuat was written by the late Paul Apak Angilirq and stars Natar Ungalaaq in the title role.

The $2 million movie has been picked up for distribution in Europe, and is expected to hit the North American festival circuit this summer and fall prior to a commercial release in theatres.

Atanarjuat’s producers are Zacharias Kunuk, cinematographer Norman Cohn and Paul Apak Angilirq and Germaine Wong of the NFB. Sally Bochner is exec-producer for the NFB.

Sextant fetches $4.5M

Sextant Entertainment Group in Vancouver says it has secured $4.5 million to fund working capital. Interest will be paid at 12% per year and the company will pay a bonus of 625,000 common shares to the Canadian chartered bank lender.

As part of this transaction, the private investment company will obtain the right to purchase 1.9 million common shares of Sextant from five non-management shareholders of Sextant, which, if exercised, will bring the investment company’s ownership of Sextant to greater than 20%.

The money will help Sextant meet production deadlines, says company president Matthew O’Connor.

Cinar’s Emmy tally at five

Cinar has picked up two 2000/01 Daytime Emmy Awards bringing its coveted Emmy haul total to five.

Arthur, based on the Marc Brown book series and produced for PBS in association with WGBH Boston, won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Animated Program. Earlier this month, Zoboomafoo directors Jacques Laberge and Pierre Roy picked up the Emmy for Outstanding Direction in a Children’s Series. The preschool animal adventure series is produced by Cinar in association with PBS and the Kratt Brothers Co.

Arthur’s winning producing team includes exec producers Carol Greenwald and Peter Moss, producers Cassandra Schafhausen, Lesley Taylor, Marc Brown and Geoff Adams and coordinating producer Pierre Valette.

This season, Cinar produced 10 new episodes of Arthur bringing total production to 95 half-hours. The series is the top-rated children’s show among two- to 11-year-olds in the U.S.

Standing committee reviews Broadcasting Act

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has officially announced its launch of an 18-month study on the state of the Canadian broadcasting system, including a reassessment of the Broadcasting Act.

Such a review ties into a future review of the role of the CRTC, which has yet to be announced.

The committee is expected to start hearing submissions from interested parties after the House returns on Sept. 17. The committee is chaired by Clifford Lincoln.

WFF & Market prep

National cinema promotion groups attending this year’s 25th edition of the Montreal International Film, Television and Video Market, held in conjunction with the World Film Festival, Aug. 23 to Sept. 3, include MECLA, representing various South and Latin American countries, Italia Cinema and Germany’s Export-Union des Deutschen Film.

Invited guests at a conference program on ‘National and International Distribution,’ scheduled for Aug. 27-28, include Steven Bickel, president of The Shooting Gallery and Lewis Horwitz, president of international film financer LHO.

The program also includes an ACCT tribute breakfast marking Astral Media’s 40th anniversary.

On Aug.30, SODEC and market organizers will host a conference session on ‘Coproduction: Financial and Creative.’

The market’s parallel Symposium program includes a series of workshops on copyright and related issues, organized in association with Belanger Sauve.

For the first time, WFF’s long-running Latin American cinema section includes a $10,000 cash prize for best film. This year’s special tribute country is Germany.

Drolet wins Chalmers

Montreal filmmaker Stephane Drolet (Cendres et Soleil, Oumar 9-1-1) has won the prestigious 2001 Chalmers Documentarian Award for his feature-length film, A l’abri du temps/Time and Away.

The film explores the definition-defying notion of time through interviews with scientists at the National Research Council and a Quebec watchmaker who flies off to Switzerland where he meets like-minded master craftsmen.

A l’abri du temps was produced by Nicole Lamothe of the National Film Board’s French Program Realite.doc studio.

The Chalmers Awards, administered by the Ontario Arts Council Foundation, honor Canada’s premier artists in dance, theatre, music, visual arts, documentary film/video, artistic direction and arts administration. *