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Jump Cuts
CHUM posts profit gains
Broadcasters rally against CCTA, 49th Media
Nothing gets people talking like bad news and, so, there will be much to discuss this month when Canada’s private broadcasters meet in Quebec City for the annual Canadian Association of Broadcasters powwow. It has not been a banner year for Canuck TV and – thanks to those funding shortfalls, a still-sluggish international market, the continued problem with signal theft and a pair of controversial proposals before the CRTC – the television execs holed up at the Quebec City Convention Centre have a lot of issues on the agenda.
Digis face make-or-break year
Specialty channels are more entertaining and useful to viewers, more affordable for advertisers, and are continuing to eclipse network TV in both Canada and the U.S., according to recent studies and ratings. But this season will be make-or-break for many of this country’s newest channels, say pundits, as digital specialties enter their third broadcast year and are expected to finally turn the corner towards profitability.
Brits impose 40% spend rule
The U.K.’s Department of Culture, Media and Sports has confirmed new minimum spending requirements for feature film coproductions with Canada.
NFB and NHK sign HD copro pact
Under a new agreement, the National Film Board and Japan’s public broadcaster NHK will cooperate on coproductions and share expertise in high-definition technology. NHK is considered a world leader in the HD realm.
Filmmakers with Vision
VIisionTV announced the winners of its first Cultural Diversity Drama Competition on Oct. 22 at a celebration of the multifaith network’s 15th anniversary. Three Canadian production teams were awarded $100,000 to develop and produce one-hour dramas.
Bunker, Fortier, Tag l’epilogue top Gemeaux noms
Montreal: The 18th edition of the Prix Gemeaux, which recognizes excellence in French-language television, is the first in some time held under the banner of broad industry unity.
Longinotto, Lalou tributes highlight diverse RIDM
Montreal: The program for the sixth edition of Rencontres Internationales du Documentaire de Montreal, Nov. 14-23, features 94 works from more than 20 countries, selected from over 400 submissions, including a benefit screening of American filmmaker Jonathan Demme’s The Agronomist – a feature-length documentary tribute to assassinated Haitian journalist and human rights advocate Jean Dominque.
Tireless film promoter Andre Lafond dies at 59
Montreal: Andre Lafond, Montreal film commissioner from 1989 to the fall of 2002, passed away Oct. 22 of a brain tumor at the age of 59.
Bennie, Reyes, Mehta honored with Crystals
Women in Film and Television-Toronto will honor Isme Bennie and Cynthia Reyes with outstanding achievement awards at its 16th annual Crystal Awards, Nov. 18 in Toronto.
Directors lay claim to creative control
The millennia-old rivalry between writers and directors flared up again last month when international organizations representing both sides issued contradictory statements about who does what on film and TV sets.
YTV sees jump in adult viewing
YTV has emerged as the top specialty channel in Canada since launching its fall schedule, and it’s not just kids that are tuning in.
Don’t be fooled by fool’s gold
Glenn O’Farrell is president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.
The best drama not on TV
The most intense and compelling cliffhanger coming out of Canadian TV is neither an MOW nor a one-hour drama. Rather it has played out in a series of closed-door meetings, most recently in a Toronto meeting room Nov. 3 and 4, where the Canadian Television Fund board convened to settle on just how to finance future TV production.
Correction
Mentioned in Playback’s Oct. 13 Report on Post-Production, Starhunter was misidentified by its earlier title of Starhunter 2300. Talisman and Citadel Studios produce the series and Toronto’s Optix Digital Post & FX is handling post-production with Elektrofilm Postproduction Facility GmbH.
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