Shadow Lake, a $2-million psychological thriller mow licensed by Chum Television’s The New vr and coproduced by Breakthrough Entertainment and Ottawa’s Sound Venture Productions, has just wrapped in Bala, Ont.

Boasting a bevy of Canadian talent including a lead role turn from Graham Greene (Dances With Wolves) as local opp sleuth Garson Longfellow, the murder mystery chronicles efforts to solve a 14-year-old murder in a seemingly peaceful small town.

The character of Garson Longfellow was written specifically for Greene, says executive producer and Breakthrough principal Peter Williamson. If all goes well, the intention is to produce more Garson Longfellow tv movies or perhaps a television series.

‘I thought that something we didn’t have here in Canada was a police hero, in a more rural setting,’ says Williamson. ‘[With the rural Canadian setting] you get a chance to look at some more authentic Canadian landscapes.’

Williamson says the series is ‘less a slam-bang action adventure show’ and more a highly indigenous Canadian Agatha Christie or Colombo mystery.

Executive producing along with Williamson are Breakthrough’s Ira Levy and Sound Venture’s Neil Bregman. Paula J. Smith is the producer and writer, and Donald Martin is the associate producer. Carl Alexander Goldstein is directing Shadow Lake.

Shadow Lake is one of the last productions to go to camera with funding from last year’s ctcpf lfp.

After premiering next year on The New vr, Shadow Lake will most likely be broadcast on other stations which make up Chum’s New Net. Chum holds Canadian rights while Toronto’s Catalyst Distribution has taken worldwide rights.

The production marks the second mow that Breakthrough has produced for Chum following the double Gemini-winning Coming Of Age in 1996. Breakthrough is also developing another tv movie with Chum set in ‘VR Land,’ working titled Christmas In July.

‘We’ve done quite a few projects with them [Chum and The New vr],’ says Williamson. ‘We’ve had a pretty fruitful relationship, and one of the reasons they were so keen to work on this project is because it is set in their own region.’

The producers have attracted a great cast for the production including Joy Tanner (Viper), Frederic Forrest (Apocalypse Now), Shirley Douglas (Wind At My Back), Michael Hogan (Cold Squad), Gabriel Hogan (Traders), Roberta Maxwell (Dead Man Walking), Mag Ruffman (Road To Avonlea, A Repair To Remember) and Steve Smith (Red Green), who takes on the role of Tommy, Shadow Lake’s bartender.

*Back Alley In Tha’ CBC Mix

Toronto’s Back Alley Films is developing a six half-hour series for cbc titled In Tha’ Mix, a spin-off of two characters from its Straight Up teen series.

The show features Straight Up characters Dennis and Jeff as they face the challenges of producing a hip hop campus community radio show in Toronto.

Spearheaded by principals Adrienne Mitchell and Janis Lundman, Back Alley recently got the green light for Desire, a 13-part anthology erotic drama series ordered by Showcase.

*Charlie remake

Flowers For Algernon, a tv movie remake of the ’60s film Charlie, about a mentally challenged man who becomes a genius, is set for a spring shoot in Toronto.

The mow is for cbs.

*Sprockets lineup

The Toronto International Film Festival Group’s film festival for children, Sprockets, runs April 10-18 in Toronto. The fest’s sophomore year will feature the world premiere of two Canadian films – David Wellington’s Dead Aviators and Gerard Pullicino’s Canada/ France coproduction Babel, which will close the festival.

Other Canadian films at Sprockets include the Canada/u.k. feature coproduction Owd Bob and the short films Tuba Girl from director Michele Muzzi and Snow Cat from Sheldon Cohen (The Sweater) and the National Film Board.

Returning to Sprockets this year is First Impressions, a program featuring selections from prominent Canadian film types. Asked to choose memorable or influential movies seen in childhood, director Sturla Gunnarsson has picked The Black Stallion, writer Paul Quarrington has selected The Greatest Show On Earth and actor Sheila McCarthy has chosen The Trouble With Angels.

Swedish director Goran Carmback’s The Master Detective and Rasmus will open the festival.

*DAWC shorts

Four short films from the Directing, Acting and Writing for Camera spring ’99 program will be shot in Toronto in late March and early April. All films are produced by Maruska Stankova, artistic director of dawc, in association with The Harold Greenberg Fund, Independent Production Fund, Shaw Communications and the Ontario Film Development Corporation.

The cloning drama Baby Cage is directed by Christopher Terry and written by Brigitta Schmidt, with Gillean Raske associate producing.

Second Thoughts is about sex changes and their consequences and written by Eric Lunksy, directed by Naomi Wise and associate produced by Travis Stanley.

Reinventing Marjorie is a story of crime and conflict in the family, written by Maaja Wentz and directed by Glenn Forbes, with Laura James associate producing.

And Now The News, about ‘the crime in the tv station with a twist,’ is directed by John Sisko, written by Peter Campbell, and associate produced by Jeff Pangman.