CWG calls for docs

David Steinberg is a partner in the entertainment group at Heenan Blaikie, advising producers, financiers and distributors in all aspects of the film and television industries. A version of this article appeared in the December issue of Emmy Magazine in the U.S. and is reprinted with permission.

What a difference a year makes. This time last year, when producers convened at the CFTPA’s annual Prime Time in Ottawa, the mood couldn’t have been more somber.

Edmonton: There may be no NHL this year, but Calgary-based Alberta Filmworks has teamed up with Toronto’s Accent Entertainment to produce an MOW about a hockey legend. No, it’s not the story of Wayne Gretzky, but rather that of his father, Walter Gretzky.
The $3.5-million CBC MOW Waking Up Wally: The Walter Gretzky Story is based on the best-selling book, On Family, Hockey and Healing, written by Canada’s greatest hockey dad.

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Halifax: In addition to winning the CFTPA Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Collideascope Digital Productions has a full slate on its hands heading into 2005. So full, in fact, that the Halifax-based toonco is adding a new animation studio to handle the workload.
The new studio, which should be up and running by Feb. 7, means the addition of 40 animators and staff, making Collideascope the largest animation house east of Montreal.

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Since last year’s Prime Time in Ottawa, the CFTPA’s annual powwow, producers have gotten much of what they asked for.

The CFTPA will hand out its annual industry awards at Prime Time in Ottawa on Feb. 4, starting at 12:30 p.m. at the Westin hotel. This year’s winners are Halifax prodco Collideascope Digital Productions and Toronto producer Stephen Ellis.

Having grossed more than US$44 million at the North American box office at press time, White Noise has been a massive success for Canadian prodco Brightlight Pictures out of Vancouver and U.K. coproducer Gold Circle Films. Nevertheless, Brightlight says it isn’t pursuing any new Canada/U.K. copro deals, due to last year’s changes in U.K. international copro rules.