Lauro Chartrand-DelValle, Jennifer Clement to receive UBCP/ACTRA Awards

Lauro Chartrand-DelValle (War of the Planet of the Apes, right) and Jennifer Clement (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, left) will receive lifetime achievement awards at the seventh annual UBCP/ACTRA Awards Gala. Stunt coordinator and 2 Chart Productions writer/director/producer Chartrand-DelValle will receive the John Juliani Award of Excellence, which is presented each year for a performing artists’ achievement and contribution to the film and TV industry.

Meanwhile, Clement will be honoured with the Lorena Gale Woman of Distinction Award, a prize that celebrates a UBCP/ACTRA member that has helped advance the status of women and diversity within the industry. Clement has worked as an actor for over 30 years, performing over 100 roles in theatre, film and TV across Canada. She is also the head of the Vancouver Film School’s acting department. A ceremony will be held on Dec. 8 at the Vancouver Playhouse to honour the duo.

UNLTD introduces Trinity

Montreal-based mixed reality production studio UNLTD has launched its VR project Trinity on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and in over 50 U.S. VR arcades. Produced in association with the Canada Media Fund, Rex Media Capital, DPT, Frima Studios and Audio-Z, the 12-minute VR experience explores a future where humans have long been extinct and androids are fighting a final war for freedom against an all-powerful God. Filmed using a combination of live actors and VFX, Trinity is the first in a five-episode series that will continue production into 2019. Additional arcades in Canada and China will have access to the project in early December. Trinity was directed by Patrick Boivin with UNLTD’s John Hamilton, Sébastien Gros and Robert Boulos. UNLTD’s VR project will also be available for purchase through the Steam store and Viveport on Nov. 20.

Lalita Krishna named co-chair of Hot Docs’ board of directors
Canadian documentary film festival Hot Docs has named filmmaker and In Sync Media founder Lalita Krishna as co-chair of its board of directors. Krishna succeeds board member Michael McMahon who is stepping down from his role as co-chair of the board. McMahon, who is president and executive producer at Primitive Entertainment, has spent more than 18 years with the Canadian festival, serving as co-chair of the board for 15 of those years. Working alongside co-chair Robin Mirsky, McMahon helped to guide the growth of Hot Docs, including the purchase of the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in 2016. McMahon also helped diversify the funding opportunities the festival provides filmmakers, including the development of its production funds presently valued at over CA$10 million. Krishna, meanwhile, won the Best Canadian Documentary at the 2015 Reel World Film Festival with her film Listen to Me. She also took home the 2013 Crystal Award for mentorship by Women in Film and Television. She is the recipient of the 2012 Reel World Film Festival’s Trailblazer Award, and the Dream Catcher Award given by the New Jersey-based Hope and Dreams Festival. A former Hot Docs board member, Krishna is currently the co-chair of the Ontario chapter of the Documentary Organization of Canada.