A couple of major players will reveal details of their latest corporate acquisitions and rebranding at NAB2005.

Quebec cinema has had two major celebrations in the span of one month: first at its official awards show, the Prix Jutra, and then at the national Genie Awards on March 21, where it again flexed its might. Productions based in Quebec hauled away three-quarters of the Genie statues (15 awards), with Ontario chiming in for five trophies, and B.C. barely on the radar with one lone prize, for best doc winner The Corporation.

CSC announces nominees

There might still be a dearth of Canadian drama on TV screens, but it’s not for lack of effort on the producers’ side, at least if the volume of recent applications for the Cogeco Program Development Fund is any indication.

Chris Landreth’s Feb. 27 Oscar win for his animated short Ryan capped off 11 months during which he traveled around the world in support of the film, picking up nearly 40 awards. He says the Oscar provides the ultimate closure for his project.

It is becoming an annual tradition in this space to crow about the Canadian film business’ accomplishments at the Academy Awards. Last year it was about Denys Arcand’s win for best foreign-language film for Les Invasions barbares, a masterful showcase for both Quebec’s creative talents and crews. The year before it was for the blockbuster musical Chicago, which shot in Toronto.

Over the past three years, the relationship between Ontario sound editors and the productions they work on has changed significantly. For a decade, these sound editors had wanted to be hired as individual artists on film and TV projects, and not treated simply as employees of large post firms. Through concessions on their part, they have achieved their wish, and, despite some tough sacrifices, most in the local industry say it has been worth it.

Observers may have a hard time differentiating between this year’s Genie Awards and the Prix Jutra, the Quebec film awards that were handed out Feb. 20 in Montreal.

While CHUM will be doing all it can to promote this year’s nominees before and during the awards broadcast, to be emceed by SCTV alum Andrea Martin, the program will also look back on the Genies’ first 25 years.

Ottawa: Producers and other stakeholders came to Prime Time in Ottawa 2005, the CFTPA’s annual conference (Feb. 2-4), to hear from the two government mandarins who hold the most direct sway over the industry. What they got from Minister of Canadian Heritage Liza Frulla and Telefilm Canada executive director Wayne Clarkson were some reasons for optimism as well as some controversy.

Spin Entertainment, the Toronto animation/FX/design shop with sister offices in Atlanta and Vancouver, played revolving doors at the close of 2004. The shop saw five staff come on board and four exit in what Spin CEO and executive producer Norm Stangl calls ‘a restructuring.’

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