The Alberta production industry has taken quite a hit over the past two years since the Alberta Motion Picture Development Corporation was closed. Since 1996, indigenous production has been falling – from $50 million to $13.6 million in 1997 and the low of $9.8 million in 1998.

With the backing of the new production grant and by tapping further into the foreign market, local producers anticipate doubling last year’s indigenous volume with the aid of the new fund.

Great North Productions has five international treaty coproductions on its 1999 production slate and four projects triggered by American broadcasters.

This year, company president Andy Thomson anticipates producing 86.5 hours with total budgets of $27 million. This is a substantial increase from ’98 volume, which rang in at 60 hours worth $14 million.

Recognizing that only 20% to 25% of the projects in line at the ctf will be funded, Thomson says the distribution division is actively trying to presell all its projects internationally.

Great North will shoot 14 more hours of The Canadians, its biography series for History Television, three with international partners. One of the projects is on Anna Lea Owens, the governess in the King of Siam’s court whose memoirs were the basis of The King and I.

Unbeknownst to many, after Owens raised the king’s 50 children, she emigrated to Canada and lived in Nova Scotia for 25 years where she founded the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and became involved in suffragette politics.

The biography will be coproduced with BBC Wales and shot in Canada and Siam.

A portrait of explorer David Thompson and the story of Arctic adventurer John Rae will be coproduced with Eolas, a production company situated in Northern Scotland.

A joint venture with Austria Interspot, Doves and Pigeons is licensed to Discovery Canada, u.s. and Europe, Austria’s ors and Germany’s zdf.

A coproduction with F4C in Wales, The Kinmel Park Riot chronicles a darker side of Canadian and u.s. wwi history. At the end of the war, Canadian soldiers stationed in North Wales were waiting for ships to bring them home, but on a number of occasions their ships were commandeered by the u.s. military and used to transport Americans back to the States. The Canadians became increasingly angry and impatient and eventually rioted. Five Canadian soldiers ended up dead, another 28 injured, shot by their own comrades. An investigation into the situation was hushed up at the time.

The one-hour doc will air on History Television.

Great North’s Storm Warnings, a $250,000 per hour series which looks at the impact of weather on people, has been renewed by Discovery in Canada and the u.s. for an additional 13 hours. High Seas Rescues, three one-hours about daring and extraordinary rescue attempts, will air on Discovery Canada and The Learning Channel in the u.s.

Great North is following in the path of the Brits and will produce its first docusoap – all the rage in documentary circles in the u.k.

Two camera crews and a director will board a Caribbean cruise ship and document the goings on. Titled Cruise Ship, the three one-hours have been licensed by Life Network in Canada and the Travel Channel in the u.s. The budget is $125,000 per episode.

Minds Eye Pictures Alberta is scheduled to shoot the $3-million-plus feature film Tickets this September in Edmonton.

Licensed to A-Channel, the caper romance/comedy is written by Minds Eye’s Josh Miller and centers on a guy who devises a way to fix the odds of winning the lottery. However, the situation becomes complicated when he falls in love with a woman from the tax department. Anne Wheeler will direct.

Edmonton’s Anaid Productions and Minds Eye have received the go-ahead from Vancouver Television, wic and Vision Television for seven more episodes of the coproduced kids’ series Mentors. Six half-hours were produced last year which will bring the program to a full 13 episodes.