Chris Delaney, founder of Vancouver animation house Delaney & Friends Cartoon Productions, began to notice a lull in demand for 2D animation four years ago and it hasn’t shown any signs of picking up. In the early to mid-’90s, Delaney was producing 30 to 40 spots a year, and now, he says, he’s lucky to get eight or 10.

You may not be able to make a living off short films, but filmmakers traditionally use them to springboard into long form and to experiment with style and content. And while still falling behind Europe in terms of appreciating and providing a market for short films, Canada is beginning to recognize them as a unique and valuable art form.

Winnipeg: director Guy Maddin’s Dracula: Pages From a Virgin’s Diary, a made-for-TV adaptation of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s performance based on the Bram Stoker novel, is being transferred to 35mm for theatrical release in Canada, the U.S. and overseas next year, more than a year after debuting on CBC’s Opening Night in February.
‘I never dreamt that there would be a theatrical release, and I have some pretty arrogant daydreams,’ says Maddin. ‘I just didn’t think anyone would want to risk the expense of running prints of a dance film for theatrical release.’

* Director/writer: Keith Behrman * Producer: Trish Dolman * Cinematographer: Steve Cosens

* Director: Weibke von Carolsfeld * Writer: Daniel MacIvor * Producers: Julia Sereny, Brent Barclay, Bill Niven * Cinematographer: Stefan Ivanov

* Director/writer/lead: Daniel MacIvor * Producer: Camelia Frieberg * Cinematographer: Rudolf Blahacek

* Director: Mina Shum * Writers: Mina Shum, Dennis Foon * Producers: Scott Garvie, Christina Jennings, Raymond Massey * Cinematographer: Peter Wunstorf

For Canadian filmmakers, the significance of the Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Atlantic film festivals, about to pass in rapid succession, can not be overstated. Especially for first-time filmmakers, often working with seemingly impossible budgets, the festival season provides an opportunity for recognition and a vital portal into an often hard-to-crack industry.

Having had success with the pilot for the political comedy Rideau Hall, which aired on CBC in January, Halifax-based Topsail Entertainment is busy producing the first full season of the series, six half-hours for the public broadcaster.
The series, shooting in Halifax Aug. 5 to Sept. 6 and slated to debut Oct. 11, is penned by Made in Canada writers Ed Macdonald, Alex Ganetakos and Bob Martin. Directors Allan Nicholls (Saturday Night Live), Ron Murphy (Gavin Crawford Show) and Michael Kennedy (Kids in the Hall) will helm two episodes each.

Stanley Mestel, 65, one of the country’s most distinguished commercial cinematographers, died in a boating accident near his cottage on Lake Couchiching, ON, May 17.

This year Alliance Atlantis weighs in light with only seven Primetime Emmy nominations for two productions, a departure from last year’s showing that saw the Canadian media giant dominate among its American counterparts with 27 noms for six different productions.
‘Last year, about half of our nominations were for the Judy Garland miniseries,’ says Seaton McLean, president, production at Alliance Atlantis. ‘And we didn’t have a miniseries that was eligible this year.’

Toronto-based director Jordan Patriquin joined Hero earlier this summer. Patriquin rose through the ranks in Toronto’s commercial production industry, starting as a production assistant and working his way up to director. While establishing himself, Patriquin wrote, produced and directed spec spots for Surfline.com, Visa and Kaos High Test Lemonade. Most recently, he completed a spot for Senior Tours Canada, operator of escorted tours for the mature traveler.