Traditionally, unless your actors speak French or your name is Sarah Polley, few Canadians will seek out your homegrown movie at the local multiplex, least of all during summer. And yet, Away from Her is standing up to Spidey, Shrek and Jack Sparrow, and Telefilm boss Wayne Clarkson thinks Canadian-mades could again break the 5% mark at the box office by the end of 2007. So we ask the regular, moviegoing public:

Pierre DesRoches, former executive director of Telefilm Canada, has died of cancer. The veteran broadcaster, who steered the federal agency through a notably fruitful period from 1988 to 1994, passed away on May 24 in Longueuil, QU. He was 75.

• Bill Nemtim is now executive producer of the World Congress of History Producers, having joined Achilles Media, the event management company that runs the annual conference.

• CTV has signed a three-year broadcast deal with the National Football League that includes ratings powerhouse the Super Bowl, scooping the rights from Global. Its sister TSN, meanwhile, has signed a three-year deal for exclusive rights for live airings of the French Open beginning this year.

what’s turning heads, what isn’t, and what’s on deck

VANCOUVER: It might be a little after-the-fact buttering up, but judges handed the best music, comedy or variety program Leo to the 21st Annual Gemini Awards, which was broadcast from Vancouver Nov. 4, 2006, the first time the event has been hosted outside of Toronto.

Advertisers are happy to see Rogers as the country’s fourth network, ending what would have been a CTVglobmedia/CanWest Global duopoly

Halifax Film’s animated preschool series Poko was the grand prize winner at the annual awards of The Alliance for Children and Television, an industry group that looks to support quality media for kids through advocacy, recognition, and training

Now that even the most disorganized among us have caught up with our laundry in the wake of MIPTV, many will tell you that the international market for Canadian television is thriving.

Until going fully CG is as cheap as shooting live action, we need to remember that the most important relationship on the film set will continue to be the one between the director and the cinematographer.

Vancouver-based Hothead Games was named most promising new company of the year, as the Canadian New Media Awards honored the best digital filmmakers, game developers and interactive designers at a gala ceremony on May 28 in Toronto.

Von Finckenstein describes new way of doing things at the federal regulator during speech at Banff