If you tuned in to the 75th Annual Academy Awards, you witnessed unprecedented success for the Canadian film biz, including key involvement in the night’s biggest champ.

Last year’s National Association of Broadcasters conference and exhibition was a tough one for organizers. The industry was in an economic and morale hangover from Sept. 11, and attendance numbers fell by 10%. This year, consensus among the Canadian broadcasting, cable, satellite, production, post, equipment and new media communities has been one of renewed interest in returning to what is touted as ‘the world’s largest electronic media show.’

Award-winning sound editor and designer Jane Tattersall has left her position as president and CEO of Toronto picture and audio post house Tattersall Casablanca, citing the desire to return to a more hands-on role in her craft. March 7 was Tattersall’s last day at the company.

When director George Lucas announced he was going to shoot Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones on the high-definition Sony HDW-F900 24p camera, many predicted HD was going to take a quick, huge bite out of 35mm movie production. But 24p HD origination has actually skewed significantly more toward the TV side.

The original creators and producers of Starhunter have severed ties with the series to start up a new prodco.

Soho on and in the court

The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film

Montreal-headquartered Lightworks has announced global sales of 80 of its Touch systems. Launched at IBC in September, Touch has been used for offline and online in PAL and NTSC on a host of different film and TV projects.

Its director may have been inexplicably snubbed, but Ararat turned out to be the big winner at the 23rd Annual Genie Awards.

With North American production currently flat, Canadian post-production shops would be wise to consider partnering with other industry centres, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade sees Egypt as an ideal market.

‘It came out of left field,’ Norman Jewison says of his Board of Governors Award from the American Society of Cinematographers, being presented February 16 in L.A. ‘Every year they choose a director or producer that they think has done particularly well, I guess, by the cinematographers that have been involved in their work. And God knows I have worked with a lot of them.’

A panel assembled by the Toronto International Film Festival has voted on the 10 best Canadian films of 2002, and the results were announced at a recent Toronto soiree hosted by actors Arsinee Khanjian and Fabrizio Filippo.