VIFF 2005 received so many strong films from central and eastern European and U.S. indie filmmakers that it built new programming streams around them for this year’s event. This represents a new direction for the fest, which, outside of the Dragons & Tigers: The Cinemas of East Asia sidebar, tends not to cover specific regions.

The surging popularity of documentary films has brought slicker and more expensive products onto the market and into fests including the Vancouver International Film Festival, according to Diane Burgess, who programs VIFF’s Canadian Images section.

Montreal: Programmers at the World Film Festival have long prided themselves on the international flavor of their lineup – but at this year’s awards ceremony it was a Canadian film by a Montreal filmmaker that walked away the biggest winner.
Claude Gagnon’s Kamataki, a Canadian/Japanese coproduction about an uncle’s effort to rehabilitate his depressed nephew after a suicide attempt, won best direction, the Air Canada Prix Publique for most popular Canadian film, the FIPRESCI International Critics’ Prize and the Ecumenical Jury Prize when the fest handed out its honors on Sept. 5.

Renewed talks between CBC and the Canadian Media Guild have resolved a handful of issues but, in the words of one union rep, there were still ‘major hurdles’ separating the network and its 5,500 locked-out employees as Playback went to press.

Nova Scotia-based exhibitor Empire Theatres has acquired 27 movie houses from Cineplex Galaxy for $83 million, expanding its reach in Canada to 59 cinemas and more than 400 screens. Empire’s new theater locations consist of 13 in Ontario, five in British Columbia, seven in Alberta, and one each for Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Empire’s locations in Ontario include London, Kitchener, Burlington, Hamilton, Kingston and Ottawa.

Atom Egoyan has a reputation as a cool, cerebral figure. But the truth is that he’s passionate about many things – among them censorship. That’s why his tussle with the Motion Picture Association of America over Where the Truth Lies rankles so much.

The sun came up very suddenly in Toronto on Aug. 29, when troubled local station Toronto 1 was quickly rebranded with the name of its co-parent Sun Media.

The Hot Sheet tracks Canadian box-office results for the period Aug. 26-Sept. 1 and television ratings for the period Aug. 22-28.

While Aurore, L’Horloge biologique and C.R.A.Z.Y. continue to draw at the Quebec box office, La Neuvaine has quietly slipped into the Canadian top five, drawing some big numbers for a small release.

Global Television introduced audiences to its fall fare a little early this year, premiering Shaftesbury Films’ ReGenesis and Fox’s Prison Break on Aug. 29.

Montreal: If the World Film Festival appeared a bit battered and beleaguered this month, its cross-town rival, the upstart New Montreal FilmFest, is itself looking rather confused.

Mixing film veterans with young talent is a signature strategy for the Toronto International Film Festival and, again this year, director of industry initiatives Kelley Alexander and her team are running panel discussions, mentoring and pitch sessions to further the growth of the next generation of Canadian filmmakers.

Station manager Charles Wechsler proudly comments that Rogers TV has ‘broadcast more hours of film festival coverage than any other station,’ adding, ‘this year viewers will get a special treat with new shows.’

Five years ago, Alan Franey had a vision. Frustrated by abysmal office quarters and a lack of screens for non-mainstream movies, the director of the Vancouver International Film Festival decided that a new film center – run by VIFF’s non-profit society – would solve a lot of problems.

Ottawa: When the organizers decided to transform the Ottawa International Animation Festival from an every-other-year fest to an annual event – one that would incorporate the key elements of the original with those of its sister student festival – they thought they’d receive a lot fewer film entries and be smaller overall. Wrong.