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‘Killers killed
Banff finances hit rock bottom
The Banff Television Foundation dropped the biggest bombshell of its 25-year history in April when it filed for bankruptcy protection in a Calgary court – blaming SARS and mad cow, openly criticizing the management of former CEO Pat Ferns and warning that, if certain legal and business proceedings did not go forward, its landmark festival would die just two months short of its silver anniversary.
On April 12, Madame Justice Horner of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta appointed the accounting firm Richter, Allan & Taylor as the foundation’s trustee in bankruptcy and a deal has been struck with a Toronto company that is expected to keep the festival afloat.
Market abuzz as formats take over
Cannes, France: With ‘super formats’ Survivor, Big Brother and The Apprentice firmly entrenched in the television landscape, buyers and sellers went to the south of France for the 2004 edition of MIPTV March 29 to April 2 in the hopes of grabbing the rights to the next big thing. Canadians were right in the thick of it.
But the activity took on an almost surreal quality in Cannes, as buyers looked beyond the reality shows that have become synonymous with the format craze to comedies and dramas.
CanWest puts Fireworks on the block
CanWest Global says it wants out of international production and will soon offload its challenged subsidiary Fireworks Entertainment, producer of Canadian-content action-adventure series including Mutant X and Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda. The media company says it will, however, continue to produce programs for the domestic market.
It’s a high-def world at NAB
Las Vegas: For those who thought all the talk about high-definition TV was still just a lot of hype, the attention it has received at NAB2004 strongly indicates otherwise.
Pieces falling into place for CHUM
With a new slate of commissioned series on the horizon and the need to compete on the same footing with CTV and Global to acquire programming, CHUM’s acquisition of Craig Media couldn’t have come at a better time for the Toronto-based media company.
Broadcasters divvy up $131.5M from CTF
With the help of more federal dollars, the Canadian Television Fund opened its wallet April 15 to the tune of $131.5 million, to be distributed among Canadian ‘casters through its Broadcaster Performance Envelopes for 2004/05.
The Corporation tops $1 million
The Canadian documentary that skewers corporate (ir)responsibility is doing blockbuster business – Vancouver-made feature The Corporation earned $1,026,000 in Canada over the April 16 weekend, becoming the most successful all-Canadian doc in history.
Late night gets a makeover
There’s a lesson to be learned from the meltdown of Mike Bullard – a reason why the respectable audience numbers he drew over the course of six years to CTV and The Comedy Network did not follow him through his short, dark winter at Global. Was it the lackluster guests? Or the lack of a strong lead-in? Were fans turned off by Bullard’s departing spat with CTV or did the stigma of his very un-hip weight-loss commercials finally catch up with him?
Unearthly success for sci-fi flick
After only one week at theaters, Dans une galaxie pres de chez vous, a feature from Montreal’s Zone3 based on its popular Quebec youth TV series, passed the $1-million mark at the box office and now boasts the fifth-highest opening-week gross in Quebec history.
Cinar cofounder dies suddenly
Micheline Charest, cofounder, former chair and co-CEO of scandal-plagued animation house Cinar, suddenly died April 14 while undergoing plastic surgery in Montreal. She was 51.
Profits top APFTQ confab agenda
Quebec producers are teaming up to address some of the province’s most pressing production issues at the Association des Producteurs de Films et de Television du Quebec annual congress, to be held May 4-6 at Hotel Loews Le Concorde in Quebec City.
Alias acquired
Las Vegas: Alias, the Toronto-based makers of Maya software for 3D animation and FX, was at NAB2004 within one week of announcing that Accel-KKR, a tech-focused private equity firm, was finalizing a US$57.5 million deal that would back Alias’ separation from parent Silicon Graphics.
SODEC names fund recipients
Montreal: On April 6, Quebec cultural funder SODEC selected six feature films and four shorts for this year’s first round of funding.
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