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After the earthquake
Really, where do you start…?
It’s impossible not to categorize the decision to place the Canadian Television Fund and the Canada New Media Fund under the purview of cable and satellite operators as anything but an overwhelming win for the ‘casters…
Moore announces merger of CTF and new media funds
Federal Heritage Minister James Moore, on the Toronto set of Flashpoint to announce the rebranding of the Canadian Television Fund, joked that cast member Enrico Colantoni promised not to lob a grenade in his direction if he said something disagreeable…
Hulu or homegrown?
Hulu, the would-be one-stop website for professional video content, has, in its short life, captured significant eyeballs in the U.S.
Quick exit for CFTPA’s Guy Mayson
Guy Mayson has left the CFTPA, stepping down from his post as head of the producers’ association after 12 years with the organization. Mayson says his term as president and CEO, which began in 2004, expired in March and that, with the recent conclusion of the Prime Time conference and the CRTC’s new media hearing, it seemed like ‘it was time to go.’
Where are the women directors?
Why do so few women direct feature films in Canada?
Hot Sheet: Maverick U.S. producer shoots Lullaby for Pi in Canada
Alternately dubbed the ‘American indie super-producer’ or the ‘Queen of the New Queer Cinema’, Christine Vachon is not above the conflicts that plague other indies – namely the struggle between art and commerce. At a recent master class in Montreal, the American indie (I’m Not There, Boys Don’t Cry) told Playback that government subsidies tend to make ‘flabby’ films. But that hasn’t stopped her from using Canadian loonies and French Euros on the romantic drama Lullaby for Pi, her $7.7-million copro with Kevin DeWalt currently shooting in Regina.
Moves & Signings
MOVES
Everyone’s a Critic
Pontypool: Critics are gushing over Bruce McDonald’s twisted tale of a zombie attack on the Ontario village of Pontypool, currently in theaters and set to bow in the U.S. on May 29. Eye Weekly’s Jason Anderson describes it as ‘a lean, mean little thriller that’s far brainier than most such tales of small-town apocalypse.’ Stephen McHattie stars as Grant Mazzy, a controversial DJ for the local radio station turned unlikely hero after zombies start terrorizing the town. The Globe and Mail’s Stephen Cole praises the film as a ‘smart, intriguing reshuffling of classic pop-culture influences,’ and concludes that Pontypool is ‘a testament to its besieged director’s audacity and vision.’
Straight Up & Down
+ CBC’s Heartland has won the 2008 Actors’ Fund Canadian TV Charity Challenge, raising a total of $11,700 for The Actors’ Fund of Canada. The fund has provided millions in emergency aid for over 10,000 entertainment industry workers since it was founded in 1958.
The Burning Question
Has it been a year already? So many movies that we didn’t get a chance to see. But why should that stop us, or anyone else for that matter, from making predictions about who will go home happiest after this year’s Genie Awards? And so we ask: Predictions for Genie night?
Hot, Not & …
HOT
Hot Docs finds God
Jennifer Baichwal’s latest feature Act of God will open this year’s Hot Docs festival on April 30. It will mark the world premiere of the film, a meditation on the significance of being struck by lightning. It is produced by Baichwal, Nick de Pencier and Daniel Iron.
B.C. booms in ’08
Foreign location shooting in B.C. bounced back last year as the province enjoyed a 30% increase in total movie production spending versus 2007. According to recent data from the B.C. Film Commission, production spending, which includes film and television, rose to $1.2 billion in 2008, with the bulk of the gain in foreign feature film activity. The sector generated $442 million – an increase of 146% over 2007.
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