The Canadian Media Producers Association is taking its annual Indiescreen Awards back to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Applications are now open for the 2023 edition of the awards, which hand out $20,000 in the Established Producer category, and $10,000 in the Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer category, according to a news release. The ceremony will be held on Sept. 7 at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.

The awards were last held at TIFF in 2019, after which they pivoted to a virtual version due to the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by in-person festivities at last December’s Whistler Film Festival in B.C. Damon D’Oliveira of Conquering Lion Pictures won the Established Producer Award, while the Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer Award went to Sara Blake, Magali Gillon-Krizaj and Tyler Hagan of SSMT Productions.

D’Oliveira will serve as the chair of this year’s Established Producer jury, while Blake, Gillon-Krizaj and Hagan will be co-chairs of the Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer jury, said the release.

Terril Calder gets Tribeca love

Toronto-based Métis filmmaker and media artist Terril Calder’s National Film Board of Canada installation Meneath: The Mirrors of Ethics won an award at the Tribeca Festival’s “Tribeca Immersive” showcase.

This stop-motion installation landed the New Voices Award during its world premiere at the festival, which ran through last Sunday. The award honours “a first- or second-time XR creator who brings new perspectives and artistic languages to immersive storytelling,” according to a news release.

Meneath: The Mirrors of Ethics is based on Calder’s 2021 NFB stop-motion animated short. It “unearths hidden Indigenous values and illuminates the bias of our colonial systems,” said the release. The installation features the voice of Gail Maurice and was edited by the late Indigenous filmmaker Jeff Barnaby.

Blown Away heads into fourth season with new host

The hit Netflix glass-blowing competition series Blown Away will make its return with a new title and host.

Toronto-based prodco marblemedia has announced that the series has been renewed for a fourth season on the streaming service in the fall under the title Blown Away: Extreme Heat.

The new season will introduce new host Hunter March (Sugar Rush), who most recently served as co-host of E! late-night talk show Nightly Pop. The first three seasons were hosted by Nick Uhas, while the four-episode Blown Away: Christmas was hosted by Queer Eye star Bobby Berk. Katherine Gray will return as the resident evaluator and glass master.

Blown Away is produced by marblemedia, with co-CEOs Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg serving as executive producers.

I Will Bury You embarks on second season

Number’d Company Pictures’ digital comedy series I Will Bury You is digging into season two, with production now underway east of Toronto. Filming is taking place at the William F. White International backlot in Pickering, Ont., according to a news release.

The Canada Media Fund and Ontario Creates have provided financial support for the second season, which sees Saul Rubinek joining the cast, and Sergio Di Zio and Colin Glazer reprising their lead roles. The series is written and directed by Ravi Steve Khajuria.

Kudos for Less Than Kosher

Filmcoop-produced Canadian short-form series Less Than Kosher was among the winners at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival (TJFF). The 7 x 10-minute musical comedy, directed by Daniel Rosenberg and created and written by executive producers Shaina Silver-Baird and Michael Goldlist, took The Chosen Film: People’s Choice Award.

Less Than Kosher made its world premiere at TJFF, which ran earlier this month. Other Canadian winners included Demon Box, directed by Sean Wainsteim and produced by Simone Stock and Misha Skoric, which landed the NextGen Award for Best Short Film.

Canadian Sync Awards names winners

Music supervisors from Crave’s Shoresy and Prime Video’s The Kids in the Hall revival were among the winners of the 2023 Canadian Sync Awards, honouring the craft of music supervision in filmed media in Canada. Cody Partridge landed three awards and Natasha Duprey took two at the ceremony in Toronto earlier this month, put on by the Guild of Music Supervisors, Canada and Canadian Music Week.

Partridge won Best Sync — Scene, Episodic Series (Drama or Comedy) for incorporating the song True Love by Tobias Jesso Jr. into Shoresy (New Metric Media), as well as Best Sync — Soundtrack, Feature or Documentary Film for Allan Ungar’s Bandit (Goldrush Entertainment, Yale Entertainment). Partridge’s third honour was for Best Sync — Sports Program or Sports Promo for incorporating Stereo by The Watchmen into the 2022/2023 IIHF World Juniors of Hockey (Canada v. Czechia Finals Promo).

Natasha Duprey took hardware for Best Sync — Soundtrack, Episodic Series (Comedy) on season one of The Kids In The Hall (Project 10, Broadway Video), and Best Sync — Soundtrack, Episodic Series (Drama) for season one of Showtime’s Let the Right One In.

Other winners included Sean Mulligan and Victoria Beard with Best Sync — Scene, Feature or Documentary Film for work on Erica Tremblay’s U.S. drama feature Fancy Dance, while Emma Lewicky and Hollie Sanders took the trophy for Best Sync — Soundtrack, TV Movie for Hallmark Channel’s A Picture of Her.

With files from Kelly Townsend

Photo courtesy of the CMPA