Canada Post has issued a new stamp to honour Quebec-born filmmaker Denys Arcand, whose career has now spanned more than 60 years.

The stamp features a black and white photograph of Arcand by Bertrand Carrière, which was taken during the filming of his feature Le déclin de l’empire américain, which won eight Genie Awards and also became the first Canadian film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Arcand has written and directed more than two dozen films, TV shows and documentaries, including On est au coton (1970) for the National Film Board of Canada, Jésus de Montréal (1989) and Les invasions barbares (2003), which won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film — the first for Quebec and Canada.

Arcand was honoured with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in 1995 and a Canada’s Walk of Fame induction in 2004. He is also a Companion of the Order of Canada (2004) and a Compagnon de l’Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec (2015).

RBC $10,000 Emerging Filmmaker Pitch Competition participants announced

On Screen Manitoba has announced the five finalists of the 12th RBC $10,000 Emerging Filmmaker Pitch Competition, presented in partnership with RBC and the Gimli International Film Festival (GIFF).

Pitching their projects will be Catherine Dulude (Petit mollusque), Sarah Luby (Night Terrors), Reed Makayev (Interloper), Farrah Murdock (Regalia) and Ethan Stark (Haircut).

The finalists were selected from 33 submissions from emerging filmmakers across Manitoba, and will have the opportunity to present their short film ideas to a panel of industry professionals and a live audience during GIFF on July 29.

The winning filmmaker will receive $10,000 in production funds from RBC as well as mentorship from the National Screen Institute – Canada, a $5,000 equipment rental grant certificate courtesy of William F. White International, as well as a $1,000 equipment credit and free membership from the Winnipeg Film Group. The filmmaker will also have the opportunity to premiere their film at GIFF in 2024.

The judges for this year’s pitch competition are screenwriter Guy Maddin, producer Elizabeth Klinck and Winnipeg Film Group chair Sarah Simpson-Yellowquill.

Super Channel manager retires

Kimberley Perdue, Super Channel’s manager, BDU revenue, is retiring after 13 years with the company.

Perdue will serve her last day on Friday (June 30), according to a news release. She joined the channel in 2010 as manager, affiliate relations and prior to that held positions at Channel Zero and Global Television. She has been a member of CTAM and served on the board of directors.

“Kimberley has been an integral part of the Super Channel team over her tenure with the company, working with our BDU partners and affiliates to market Super Channel to our customers and grow our subscriber base,” said Don McDonald, president and CEO, Super Channel, in a statement.

Graham Greene, Ryan Reynolds to be honoured at Weengushk

The sixth annual Weengushk International Film Festival is set to honour a handful of actors, musicians, activists and other leaders in entertainment with awards on July 16. Weengushk is a not-for-profit indie film film festival and cultural event led by Dr. Shirley Cheechoo.

Prolific Oneida actor Graham Greene, who earned an Academy Award nomination in 1991 for Dances With Wolves, will receive the Clearing the Path Award, recognizing his “bold steps to improve diversity and inclusion… in mainstream media,” from the Indigenous-led independent film festival.

Meanwhile, Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) will be honoured with the Humanitarian Award for his work “in promoting the welfare and social advancement of the community and its youth.” The award will also be given to philanthropists Barry and Laurie Green.

Image courtesy of Canada Post

With files from Kristi Alexandra