Behind the stabilizing of the video market, the flux in pay television, the changed definition of ‘independents,’ new studio affiliations and the limited amount of cash in the market, the distribution sector is in the process of what Jeff Sackman, president…

Continuing with its six-month cycle of upgrades, Toronto’s Side Effects software has unveiled Houdini 2.0, its next generation 3D digital animation software package….

Now in its 17th year, the Atlantic Film Festival wrapped Sept. 27 after nine days of parties, seminars, schmoozing and the screening of a record 211 films from local, Canadian and international filmmakers….

‘Once when I was a young man, I killed a man in Newfoundland.’ Thus reads a line from the feature script Misery Harbour. Ken Pittman, executive producer of St. John’s based Red Ochre Productions (Finding Mary March, Anchor Zone, No Apologies)…

In this report Playback looks at the state of the union for editors, getting the opinion of tried and true talent on creativity, technology and where do they go from here? (See story this page.) We also talked to a couple…

So now what?…

Udy Epstein, principal of Los Angeles-based Seventh Art Releasing, has been screening films non-stop while visiting this year’s Toronto festival. Epstein hopes to pick up a title or two for u.s. distribution, and perhaps worldwide rights for the four-year-old company he…

Always a presence at tiff, Canadian distributor Malofilm has what senior vp and managing director Andy Myers calls their ‘strongest festival slate in history.’…

With the luxury of buying for a film-going public that watches 45% non-American studio pictures (it likes independents), Jim Frazee, vp of Oslo-based Scandinavian Entertainment Group, is attending his first Toronto International Film Festival, with a mandate to purchase at least…

Like a steel magnate getting into the railroad business, l.a.-based Banner Entertainment is pushing full-steam ahead with a vertical integration strategy by starting up a new distribution company, Banner Pictures Releasing….

Canadian director Sturla Gunnarsson (Final Offer, Diary of Evelyn Lau), who is at tiff this year with Gerrie and Louise, has a full slate of projects in the works. Between premiering his documentary and attending a few functions, he has been…

A sign of what Canadian tv writers hope is a new trend in homegrown television production, Traders screenwriters Alyson Feltes and Hart Hanson have been given the brunt of creative control over the Atlantis Communications-produced series….