Vancouver: The Canadian producers of Cold Squad and U.S. producers of Cold Case, a new CBS series with striking similarities to Canada’s longest-running drama, have begun preliminary communications into the thorny issue of copyright.
Vancouver-based Cold Squad producers Matt MacLeod and Julia Keatley have hired Los Angeles attorney Carole Handler of the law firm O’Donnell and Schaeffer to broker talks with Cold Case producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Warner Bros.

Vancouver: At press time, Lions Gate Entertainment appeared close to finally sealing a deal with Artisan Entertainment, after a two-year courtship.

Vancouver: The 22nd annual Vancouver International Film Festival wrapped Oct. 10 with more than 150,000 moviegoers attending and box office of more than $900,000, up almost 16% over last year.

Vancouver: The volume of television production may have slowed considerably in Vancouver in the current market, but Victoria is experiencing a mini television boom, in part because of the yeoman’s job Vancouver producer Ted Bauman is doing to bring production to the capital city.

Vancouver: Low film and television production volumes in Canada have forced the consolidation of GVFX – Gajdecki Visual Effects, which has closed its Toronto and Los Angeles offices, but remains working in Vancouver.

Vancouver: At press time, the 22nd annual Vancouver International Film Festival was several days from wrapping up. However, organizers expect this year’s attendance and box office to surpass last year’s tally of 150,000 movie-goers.

Film and television veterans were well represented in the annual Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards for 2003, announced Sept. 30. Director Norman Jewison, television comedian Dave Broadfoot and writer/actor Micheline Lanctot were among the six award recipients this year.

Vancouver: Princess, the preying mantis, is the muse for the animation artists at Vancouver-based Bowes Productions, which is creating and manipulating the stop-motion insects used in the $3-million Monster Island, MTV’s homage to B-movie monster flicks.

Vancouver: Mainframe Entertainment, Vancouver’s groundbreaking computer animation house, is now majority owned by a New Jersey-based multinational telecommunications company.
In a $14-million deal announced Sept. 16, IDT Media, through its division called DPS Global Animation Studio Network, has acquired 56.1% of Mainframe. The transaction includes $10 million in common share equity and $4 million in convertible loans.

Vancouver: Vancouver-based private equity firm Tricor Pacific Capital has invested more than $40 million in equity and subordinated debt to allow Paul Bronfman to formally consolidate his large, longstanding ‘partnership’ of independent entertainment companies into Comweb Group. Tricor’s ownership stake is 17%.

Vancouver: The B.C. government is looking for a partner to run the Knowledge Network, the province’s 22-year-old educational broadcaster. Expressions of interest are due by Nov. 24, with a decision by March.

The reviews are in: Canada’s television critics say there are few genuine reasons to proudly wave the flag of Canadian TV or the Gemini Awards designed to pat our cultural output on the back. The Awards Gala is not relevant, they say. Badly timed. Oblivious to what Canadians really watch. Insular.