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SRC goes big, TVA plays it safe
Recent fall seasons in Quebec have seen increasingly heated showdowns between its two big networks, market leader TVA and public broadcaster Radio-Canada.
Summer box office rebounds
This year’s domestic summer box office was up by around 7% over that of 2005, according to industry estimates, putting to rest fears that Canadians were fleeing the multiplex.
Defunct Wonderland leads Gemini noms
Long-gone legal drama This Is Wonderland has the edge going into the 21st annual Gemini Awards, with a total of 12 nominations, including nods for best dramatic series and best female lead for Cara Pifko. Science drama ReGenesis, from The Movie Network and Movie Central, follows with 10 noms.
Could Loewy compete with MPD?
Alliance Atlantis’ Motion Picture Distribution has blocked the expected launch of a rival company headed by Victor Loewy with a court injunction, stalling its departed chair until an arbitrator can determine whether his non-compete clause – reportedly binding until next July – should be upheld.
Imax on the ropes
For Imax, the hits just keep on coming, and not the good Hollywood box-office kind.
Stargate killed again
The Sci-Fi Channel has cancelled Stargate SG-1, potentially shutting down the B.C.-shot series just as it entered the record books as North America’s longest-running sci-fi series of all time.
WFF kicks off 30th edition
Serge Losique was overwhelmed with emotion on Aug. 24, the night the 30th anniversary edition of his World Film Festival kicked off at the Place des Arts complex in downtown Montreal.
Parti on
Emmanuel Bilodeau (Maman Last Call) stars in the 3 x 120 Ciné Télé Action miniseries Réne Lévesque, which airs Sept. 7, 14 and 21 on CBC. Bilodeau plays the chain-smoking former Quebec premier, covering his career as a TV journalist in the 1950s through to his part in founding the Parti Québécois and his constant battles with Pierre Trudeau. The cast also includes Pascale Bussières, Lucie Laurier and Marie Tifo.
Canadian films poised to break out at TIFF2006
The main challenge for the 31st annual Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 7-16), with regards to its Canadian movie contingent, is how to drum up sufficient public interest despite the absence of the country’s top-name directors.
Bon box, bad box
Despite a potentially record-breaking box office in Quebec, the bilingual buddy movie Bon Cop, Bad Cop has so far failed to arrest audiences in the rest of Canada.
Masterful McLaren on DVD
The National Film Board, in partnership with Toronto home video distributor Koch Vision, is releasing a seven-disc boxed set dedicated to the late Norman McLaren on Sept. 5, in time for the influential animator’s touring retrospective to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Inuit tale looks to make history at world premiere
The Toronto International Film Festival has programmed many films with unique visions of Canada in its previous 30 years, but possibly none as epic and dramatic as The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, this year’s opening night gala presentation.
Hot Sheet
The Hot Sheet tracks Canadian box-office results for the period Aug. 18-24, 2006 and DVD sales in Canada for the period Aug. 7-13, 2006.
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