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Senator to mediate union spat
The Quebec government has appointed Senator Francis Fox to mediate the standoff between the AQTIS and IATSE.
B.C. saw major turnaround in ’05
B.C.’s film and television industry staged an economic comeback in 2005, as total spending increased by more than 50% to over $1.2 billion – up from $800 million in the lackluster 2004.
Christmas wraps
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Final Destination 3) stars in the horror remake Black Christmas, which wrapped in Vancouver on March 28. The feature, taking its lead from Bob Clark’s original slasher flick, is about sorority sisters terrororized by a murderous caller. Glen Morgan (Willard) directs the film, a coproduction between Toronto’s Copper Heart Entertainment and L.A.’s 2929 Productions. Clark, who visited the set on the final day, is on board as exec producer. The film is due for release around Christmastime through Dimension Films.
Grendel eats the box
Director Sturla Gunnarsson’s Canada/U.K./Iceland copro Beowulf & Grendel has easily held the top spot in box office among Canadian films since its release on March 10.
The epic tale about the legendary hero Beowulf (Gerard Butler) and his clash with killer troll Grendel (Ingvar Eggert Sigurosson), did solid business from March 17-26, taking in $155,658 for a total of $346,852.
Awards boost Canadian DVD biz
It’s estimated that approximately 60% of Hollywood’s gross domestic film revenue comes from home video, but Canadian producers and distributors have been relatively slow to author globally competitive DVD versions. However, recent video releases of Genie- and Oscar-nominated films with Cancon offer signs that this trend will change.
Hot Sheet
The Hot Sheet tracks Canadian box-office results for the period March 17-23 and DVD sales in Canada for the period March 6-12.
Busy sports sked brings mild ratings to Ceeb
Perhaps its was a case of post-Olympics burnout, but CBC did not fare as well as it hoped with its sports programming last month, one of the most hectic ever for its sports crew.
Top 20 TV Programs
The Top 20 TV Programs tracks ratings for the top 20 television shows in Canada for the period March 20-26.
MTV to team with indie producers
A week after launching the Canadian version of MTV, VP of production Mark McInnis was predictably bullish about the new channel’s debut, and was starting, however cautiously, to think about expanding its program slate.
Briefs
Au revoir, Telefilm
Canucks go multi-platform at MIPTV
MIPTV will have a heavy focus on content for multiple platforms – especially mobile – when the annual TV market returns to the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, April 3-7.
Sold!
* The sales wing of Shaftesbury Films has sold the first 26 half-hours of its newly debuted Life with Derek to Toonami in the U.K., Australian Nickelodeon, Sveriges Television, Selecta-Vision, Israel’s Noga and e-junior in the United Arab Emirates.
C.R.A.Z.Y. sweeps Jutras, as expected
Jean-Marc Vallée’s hit film C.R.A.Z.Y. enjoyed another awards sweep at the eighth annual Prix Jutra on March 19, winning a record 13 of its 14 nominations.
Kids fest tests market
Following the lead of its big sister the Toronto International Film Festival, the ninth installment of the kid-aimed Sprockets festival is planning an informal market for its foreign guests.
‘Side’ project
Daniel Baldwin stars in the superhero satire Sidekick. The picture by Blake Van de Graaf opened the Canadian Filmmakers Festival in Toronto on March 23 and won its people’s choice award three days later.
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