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Fade Out prospects fading for Halifax
Production on Fade Out, a feature film written and directed by Michael Christofer (Gia) and starring Billy Bob Thornton, slated to start shooting in Halifax June 28, has been halted after leading lady Kate Beckinsale dropped out.
Canadian Film Centre Short Dramatic Films
On June 7 at Toronto’s Varsity cinemas, the Canadian Film Centre held its annual screening of the five shorts from its Universal Studios Short Dramatic Film Programme, produced by its most recent crop of student residents. Playback spoke with the directors of photography who lensed the five shorts.
OMDC shelves critical report
The Ontario Media Development Corporation is keeping the lid on a damning report that portrays Ontario’s production infrastructure as cracking and that is highly critical of both the Ontario government and its agency’s handling of the problem.
Canadian licence fees don’t stack up
A new study confirms that licence fees paid by English-Canadian broadcasters are among the lowest in the world.
Through the Looking Glass, an independent study authored by research consultant Kirwan Cox, compares Canadian broadcast licence fees to those in Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. – previously unavailable statistical information.
Banff festival celebrates 25th after reshuffle
Ah, the Banff Television Festival. Another glorious week in the mountains with the best and brightest of the little screen. Um, right?
Meet the new boss
Robert Montgomery takes over the Banff Television Festival from former CEO Pat Ferns, in the wake of the event’s recent bankruptcy crisis. Eight of Banff’s 30 full-time employees lost their jobs in the handover to Achilles Partners, but Montgomery says relations in-house have improved.
Big Three casters rev up election buses
Call it the battle of the buses. Paul Martin had barely finished his sentence – dissolving Parliament and calling a federal election for June 28 – before the three national networks all hit the road, loading their reporters onto tricked-out rolling newsrooms and leaving the familiar media enclaves of B.C. and Ontario for a 35-day trek across the Canadian political landscape.
Few surprises at L.A. Screenings
With their domestic production commitments finalized, Canadian broadcasters went to Los Angeles May 20-25 to fill the balance of their fall schedules with U.S. programs presented at the annual Los Angeles Screenings.
CBC unveils sked
CBC pulled back the curtain on its ’04/05 season late last month, unveiling a new lineup heavy with specials and minis but light on new domestic or scripted series. The net is hoping that its ratings – set to swell over the summer thanks to the Stanley Cup playoffs, the federal election and the Olympics – will carry over into the fall, where the reality-ish series The Greatest Canadian and Making the Cut, playing to news and sports fans, respectively, will launch the new season while dominating the early primetime schedule.
New creatives for Trudeau
Trudeau: The Prequel, initially intended to be a fall 2003 shoot with Colm Feore in the lead and Jerry Ciccoritti helming both an English- and French-language version, ended up going to camera in Montreal May 16 as an English-only production without either talent.
Lions Gate picks up Moore’s Cannes hit
Vancouver’s Lions Gate Films has entered into a partnership to distribute Cannes Palme d’Or winner Fahrenheit 9/11 in the United States this summer for Bob and Harvey Weinstein.
CFTPA joins battle against AIDS in Africa
Vancouver producers Christine Haebler of Crescent Entertainment and Lisa Richardson of Dogwood Productions are among the members of the CFTPA to donate time and energy to the creation of five public-service announcements in support of The Stephen Lewis Foundation for AIDS relief in Africa.
Canada’s turn in the spotlight
On its 25th anniversary, the Banff Television Festival will once again bring the TV world to Canada, allowing homegrown talents to rub shoulders with their international counterparts.
Banff fetes Brown’s revolutionary Steadicam
The Steadicam camera-stabilizing system, a ubiquitous tool in today’s film packages, will be recognized with the Deluxe Outstanding Technical Achievement Award at the 25th Anniversary Banff Television Festival.
Playoffs pay off for CBC
Having a Canadian team in the final round of the NHL playoffs is certainly paying off for the CBC, as more Canadians are tuning in to the series than have done so in more than a decade.
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