The winners of the best drama and comedy series awards at the 18th annual Gemini Awards were both surprises. One is a first-time winner, the other garnered its sixth such prize.
The Eleventh Hour, the Alliance Atlantis/CTV drama about the goings-on behind the scenes at an investigative news program, usurped the best drama honors from cop show Da Vinci’s Inquest, which won the award the past four years running.

Vancouver: At press time, Lions Gate Entertainment appeared close to finally sealing a deal with Artisan Entertainment, after a two-year courtship.

Telefilm Canada has released its 2002/03 annual report, boasting that its ‘end-to-end support for cultural products, from script to international marketing,’ totaled $239 million in financial commitments. Telefilm’s 2001/02 fiscal saw the agency commit $208 million.

McKenna fills in for Asper

Four years ago, Philip Mellows, who had found success in the 1990s by launching and growing The Players Film Company, decided the time was ripe to make his big play – to expand the reach of his commercial production house.

It’s ironic that the concept behind new Toronto-based production/representation/sales company Obvious Management isn’t as immediately clear to everyone as its partners would have hoped. But according to partners Christina Ford president/exec producer of Imported Artists, and Tom Symes former publisher of Boards Magazine (Boards is published by Brunico Communications which also publishes Playback and On The Spot), who along with Treehouse North’s Karen Silver make up the executive, the concept is typical of how things are done in many markets outside Canada.

Toronto’s Hoodoo Films, known throughout Canada for its prowess in the music video sector under executive producer Michael Rosen, is positioning its commercial production division as a strong alternative for spots with ‘challenged budgets.’

Vancouver: The 22nd annual Vancouver International Film Festival wrapped Oct. 10 with more than 150,000 moviegoers attending and box office of more than $900,000, up almost 16% over last year.

Montreal: Siddiq Barmak’s Osama (Afghanistan/Japan/Ireland), an emotional portrait of a brave Afghan woman and her daughter’s struggle for survivor, is the winner of the $10,000 DvColor best feature award at the 32nd edition of the Montreal International Festival of New Cinema and New Media. FCMM unspooled Oct. 9-19.

In the early days of TV advertising, and on radio before that, jingles were the body copy of commercials. Whether it was ‘Hey Mabel, Black Label’ or ‘Everything’s better with Blue Bonnet on it,’ jingles were the pitch, sung so that listeners would have brand recall next time they were in the supermarket.

Last year’s First Cut Award winner, Trevor Cornish, has found a place on Spy Films’ roster.

A few weeks does not a season make, but with early numbers trickling in, media buyers have begun to prognosticate on the fate of new shows and the early winners of the ratings race.