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FIFA reels in record crowds
Montreal: Montreal’s Festival of Films on Art welcomed 30,000 attendants this year, up from 28,000 in 2003, according to founding director Rene Rozon.
O’Farrell speech spooks cablers
Friction between domestic broadcasters and Canadian cable companies took on a nationalistic turn when Canadian Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Glenn O’Farrell suggested Canada should end the ‘free ride’ of foreign signals vying for Canadian audiences.
Lean days at Cinematheque
Montreal: Struggling under $579,000 of debt, the internationally respected Cinematheque Quebecois is resorting to drastic financial measures. It’s cutting spending by 10%, with its 50 employees taking 20% pay cuts. While the popular Mediatheque room will be open this summer, screenings will be halted from May 15 until September to reallocate human resources.
Jump Cuts
Layoffs at Telefilm
Larry Gosnell, 1923-2004
Filmmaker and environmentalist Larry Gosnell died of natural causes in Toronto on March 23. He was 80.
NFB partners with PIM
Cannes, France: As it continues to expand its distribution business, the National Film Board announced a groundbreaking new deal with Partners in Motion to distribute the Regina-based producer’s entire catalogue internationally.
Let’s stop the cheering over CTF
Arthur Lewis is executive director of Our Public Airwaves, an advocacy group for public broadcasting.
History repeating
‘What do you do when you’re out of money?’
Corrections & Clarifications
Corrections
Character animation grows in sophistication
There are two schools of thought about cinematics, the non-interactive scenes often used as chapter breaks in videogames.
FX shops gig on games
For reasons both ‘carrot’ and ‘stick,’ post-production houses across Canada are continuing to do more work on videogames – rushing in to claim partnerships and a share of profits from the growing-like-mad gaming field (there’s the carrot) while stepping away from the endless hassles and money troubles (aka the stick) of domestic film and TV.
Fun and games
Radical Entertainment, Vancouver
imX shoots The River King
Producer Chris Zimmer of Halifax-based imX communications is currently shooting The River King, a $16-million feature starring Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice) and Edward Burns (Confidence).
Directed by Brit Nick Willing, the feature is based on Alice Hoffman’s novel of the same name, adapted by David Kane. The U.K./Canada copro is a mystery thriller about a small-town cop, played by Burns, whose investigation into a young man’s death is aided by visits from the deceased’s spirit.
Victoria office struggles despite boom
Vancouver: After a banner year in 2003, generating about $24 million in film and television production budgets, the Victoria Film Commission finds itself again in a mortal struggle with funding.
According to film commissioner Russ Cowan, Victoria’s film office has six to 24 months of life left, unless new funding is secured to support the $228,000 budget.
Service
Montreal dressed for The Jacket
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