Film festivals in Montreal and Halifax are expected to resolve their differences ‘very soon,’ following meetings between organizers of the Atlantic Film Festival, the new Montreal International Film Festival and funding boss Wayne Clarkson.

The CRTC’s plan to boost homegrown TV drama has met with mixed reviews, and yet all of Canada’s major broadcasters – with the exception of CBC – have now signed up for the deal, or are in the process of doing so.

A new tree appeared on the landscape this month, with word that Lions Gate has sold off its Canadian distribution operations to newly formed Maple Pictures, a Toronto-based outfit that, overnight, has taken its place as the second-largest indie film and video handler in the country, behind Alliance Atlantis.

Two of Canada’s most esteemed directors will battle it out for the coveted Palme d’Or at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival as Atom Egoyan’s Where the Truth Lies runs against David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence. Both were chosen to screen in competition at next month’s fest, along with 18 other features selected from among more than 1,500 submissions.

Christal Films’ La Vie avec mon père lost some ground in its third week out – its per-theater average slipping to $2,481 from $4,906 the week before – but had no trouble hanging on to the number-one spot at the Canadian box office despite competition from the English Canada release of Mémoires affectives and the much-anticipated Saint Ralph.

* Saint Ralph: There was faint praise for the pre-hyped festival favorite about marathons, moms and miracles, most of which gave nods to the able work of stars Adam Butcher and others but took issue with the maudlin script by writer/director (and, gasp, long-distance runner) Michael McGowan. The pic has ‘nothing going for it,’ says CanWest’s Jay Stone, ‘but the goodwill of a talented cast and a plot so unpretentiously dopey… wins you over.’ Overwritten, agrees Mark Slutsky at the Montreal Mirror, but it ‘works in parts, mostly thanks to [Campbell] Scott and [Gordon] Pinsent.’

Telefilm Canada helped spread some cheddar earlier this month when it announced financing for five projects through the Canada Feature Film Fund and its Ontario and Nunavut and Western offices.

The Hot Sheet tracks Canadian box-office results for the period April 8-14 and television ratings for the period April 11-17.

Saint Ralph, Corner Gas and H2O were among the winners on April 18 when the Canadian Screenwriting Awards were handed out at a packed downtown Toronto nightspot.

Nineteen Canadian programs are in the running for the Rockie Awards at this year’s Banff World Television Festival, a ‘banner year’ for Canucks, say organizers, who will compete with nominees from 16 other countries at the 26th annual awards gala on June 13.

Hot Cargo

Las Vegas: Canadian FX and animation software providers took varying approaches at this year’s NAB.