– Alliance/CLT-UFA ink licensing/prod deal

Alliance Communications has signed a licensing and production deal with Luxembourg-based CLT/UFA International for six television movies.

The futuristic suspense thrillers will be produced by Chesler/ Perlmutter Productions for Alliance, which has licensed the movies in the u.s. to the United Paramount Network and has rights to distribute the films to broadcasters worldwide outside Europe.

Late last month, Alliance announced a worldwide distribution deal with Chesler/Perlmutter for the new 13-episode sci-fi series Betaville.

clt-ufa is a division of the CLT-UFA Group, which has shares in 22 channels in nine European countries. clt-ufa acquires, coproduces and distributes fiction rights in all media. Created in 1994, the company holds rights to over 3,500 hours of television programming.

Production on the movies is scheduled for this April in Luxembourg at clt-ufa’s production facilities.

– Epiphany in process

Producer Liz Jarvis of Winnipeg’s Buffalo Gal Pictures and writer/director Paula Kelly of Journey Films are prepping for production on a new half-hour drama, Epiphany Rules.

Lensing at various locations throughout Winnipeg from Feb. 6-12, Epiphany Rules is a dark coming-of-age story in which the fates of three people collide. The film features an all-Manitoba cast including Katelynd Johnston, Jeff Skinner and Jan Skene.

Epiphany Rules is being produced in association with mtn, cfcf and wtn with assistance from the ctcpf Equity Investment Program, Manitoba Film & Sound Development Corporation, Manitoba Arts Council, the National Film Board and the Winnipeg Film Group.

– OFDC in NYC

The Ontario Film Development Corporation’s Skills Development and Marketing Initiatives Group has launched a New York feature film immersion program.

The five-day event, to be held March 22 to 27 in New York City, will aid Canadian feature producers in fostering relationships with the American film industry.

Meetings are planned with October Films, New Line/Fine Line, Miramax, Lions Gate, Sony Pictures Classics, Good Machine, hbo and icm, as well as financiers, sales agents and independent producers.

Up to 10 mid- to senior-level Ontario dramatic feature producers who have at least one feature that has been acquired domestically and/or internationally where they are the credited producer will be selected for the program (a few spaces will be reserved for emerging filmmakers).

Applicants must submit a slate of projects currently in development or preproduction and the sdmi will tailor the immersion to the participant’s goals.

Application deadline is Feb. 12.