Montreal: The new 11-hour Radio-Canada drama Tag begins with a violent and convincing chronicle of war between youthful inner-city street gangs and a portrait of children on the margins and their relationship with their stoned-out mother.

Some of the performances in the series are simply brilliant. The story’s central character, Tag, a 17-year-old Latino accused of murder, is played by newcomer Luis Oliva. Celine Bonnier (Million Dollar Babies, Les Muses Orphelines) is remarkable as the troubled mom Melanie, as are Caroline Dhavernas (L’Ile de Sable, Reseaux) in the role of her coked-out friend Stephanie and YTV Award winner Lawrence Arcouette (Les Orphelins de Duplessis) as Kevin, Melanie’s tragic 12-year-old son whose secret inner life is haunted by images of angry elephants.

By the time Tag is imprisoned, the story turns to the mystery of Stephanie’s murder and the social responsibility of those who work with big-time youth offenders, the police and the courts.

Tag is scripted by Joanne Arseneau, with the assistance of Luc Dionne (Omerta). Arseneau has emerged as one of Quebec tv’s most talented drama writers. Her credits include the Richard Ciupka feature Le Dernier Souffle, the Russian mob miniseries 10-07, and earlier youth series such as Zap and Club des 100 Watts.

The series is directed by Pierre Houle and produced by Francine Forest for Motion International and executive producer Andre Picard. Support cast includes Laurent Allaire as Tag’s friend Sammy, a rare-to-tv Gabriel Arcand as Tag’s lawyer, Micheline Lanctot as the psychologist who works with Kevin, and Christian Paul as the leader of the rival black street gang. Also featured are Omar Falcon, Guy Nadon and Patrick Goyette.

Tag was shot over 90 days on Super 16 by dop Louis de Ernsted. Jean-Pierre Cereghetti is the editor. Michel Proulx was the art director and Francois Laplante designed the costumes. Dominique Chartrand headed the sound team and the show’s excellent hip-hop theme music is by Michel Cusson (Omerta).

Houle and Forest worked together on the first two seasons of Omerta and also collaborated on the Telefilm-Banff/Hot Docs! winner Riopelle, Sans titre 1999, collage. Currently they’re working with screenwriter Dionne and production house Zone3 on Bunker, a new src primetime drama series on the psychology of personal and political power.

*Cantin films The Hidden Fortress

The new Roger Cantin family film La Fortresse Suspendue/The Hidden Fortress shoots for 32 days through to Oct. 17 in the New Glasgow area west of Montreal. The $4-million movie is produced by Productions La Fete’s Rock Demers and Chantal Lafleur, and is the second entry in La Fete’s new Tales for All feature films collection, following Gopi Desai’s My Little Devil, starring Om Puri.

With My Little Devil’s release date undetermined (‘You need at least six months to properly prepare a release,’ says Demers), it’s possible The Hidden Fortress could be released before My Little Devil, which will screen at this month’s Chicago International Film Festival.

The new-generation cast includes Matthew Dupuis, Roxane G.-Loiseau, Jerome Leclerc-Couture, Jean-Philippe Debien, Charli Arcouette, Xavier Dolan-Tadros, Laurent-Christophe De Ruelle, Jeremy Gagnon, Carmina Senosier, Emilie Cyrenne Parent and Serge-Olivier Paquette.

Cantin cowrote Andre Melancon’s Golden Reel winner La Guerre des Toques/The Dog Who Stopped the War (1984). Some of the players from La Guerre who are now adults are featured in Fortress, including Isabelle Cyr, Patrick Labbe and Hugo Dube.

Montreal Insectarium founder Georges Brossard (Insectia) and small invertebrate specialist Stephane Letirant helped create some of the cottage-life micro-climate, unfolding chrysalids and swarming bumblebees. Allen Smith is the shoot’s dop, Jean Becotte is art director, Francesca Chamberland is the costume designer and Simon Sauve is picture editor.

Demers says Fortress, slated for distribution in French and English across the country next June, will be released using ‘a new distribution pattern.’ Distribution La Fete and an unnamed partner intend to promote and release four to five family films nationally each year, including new Tales for All titles, other Canadian family films and international pickups.

Demers says he can get a better price and still hold on to creative control with a completed film, as opposed to financing through presales. Gap-financing services have been provided by fidec.

Fortress investors include sodec, Telefilm Canada, Astral Media, TVA Group and La Fete.

La Fete and producer Pierre Gendron are also shooting L’Or, a new 10-hour family drama for Radio-Canada, which wraps filming in Shanghai at the end of the month.

*Samsara enters ‘world of illusion’

John Dutton and Denis McCready, writers/directors previously associated with MusiquePlus/Musimax, have launched a new multimedia production house called Samsara Arts.

The intent is to create content for tv, theatrical, advertising and the Web. McCready, who also worked as director of creation/production with Astral Media services Super Ecran and ppv Canal Indigo, is talking to a video game publisher about a music video designed for Web distribution, and is developing a factual program with an ethnic/history element, which he says will be taped across the country.

Dutton, who is also a partner with Stefany Corey in Oblik Creation Marketing, is pitching a movie adaptation of his well-received ’98 stage play Sane Men, a psychological thriller set in an isolated cottage community.

‘We’re not closing any windows on the type of products or approaches we might take,’ says McCready, who adds cinematographer Francois Dagenais (Mechant Party, Between the Moon and Montevideo) is among several helpful advisors.

Apparently, Samsara is a Buddhist term meaning ‘the opposite of Nirvana. I heard it defined years ago as ‘the world of illusion,’ ‘ says Dutton.

*Bio series from Shapiro

Veteran Montreal producer Larry Shapiro of World Affairs is producing 10 one-hour epiosdes of two entertainment-based biography series, The Actors and The Directors, both airing on Bravo! and Star! The shows were taped at the Mount Stephen Club in Montreal and at the residence of Canada’s former consul general in l.a., Kim Campbell. Actors profiled this season include Peter Coyote, Mia Kirchner, Stardom lead Jessica Pare, Lloyd Bochner and three showbiz legends Steve Allen, Uta Hagen and Jeanne Moreau.

Director profiles include Canadian ex-pat success stories Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) and Arthur Hiller (Love Story) and Paris-based Walt Stillman (Barcelona). Shapiro says he’s trying to add Roman Polanski (Chinatown, The Ninth Gate) to the mix, and is in development on a tribute to the late, great Louis Malle.

World Affairs is also producing 39 new half-hours of the pbs current affairs series The Editors, set for its 15th season. It’s hosted by nbc Dateline anchor Keith Morrison, who shares hosting duties with Geoffrey Kortman on The Actors and The Directors. Segments and series from both shows have been sold internationally by World Affairs and by Les Harris of Canamedia.

Meantime, students from the Universite de Montreal’s hec took top honors at last month’s The Economist Business Challenge, a 15 half-hour televised competition produced by World Affairs.

The series, commissioned by tvontario, Canadian Learning Television and pbs, was produced over the Sept. 9-10 weekend at the D.B. Clarke Theatre at Concordia University, with 48 of North America’s brightest mba types battling it out for scholarships and other prizes.