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Toronto fests persevere through SARS scare
The 11th annual Toronto Jewish Film Festival, held May 3-11, wrapped with a 20% increase in attendance and a 15% jump in box-office revenue, says the festival’s managing director Ellie Skrow.
Gill and Duguay recreate Hitler’s evil rise
Director of photography Pierre Gill admits to feeling uncomfortable at times while filming the two-part miniseries Hitler: The Rise of Evil, directed by Christian Duguay for Alliance Atlantis Communications and U.S. broadcaster CBS.
24th Banff fest opens amid biz uncertainty
Not long ago, Pat Ferns, president and CEO of the Banff Television Foundation, looked into his crystal ball and saw a lot of long, worried faces.
Fest fetes Mercer’s comedic talents
Rick Mercer will wear almost as many hats at Banff as he does in the TV biz as a quadruple-threat writer, performer, producer and director. The funnyman will grace the Rocky Mountain town to participate in a master class, co-host the awards show and, most notably, receive a special award himself.
The Frantic life of exec producer Jamie Brown
Frantic Films CEO and executive producer Jamie Brown has some advice for those who want to get ahead in the highly competitive film and TV business. And some won’t want to hear it.
Banff recognizes Murray’s ‘biocentricity’
Retired TV producer Jim Murray, best known for executive producing The Nature of Things, will be feted at Banff with ACTRA’s John Drainie Award for his contribution to broadcasting.
Writer Karen Walton comes full circle at Banff
In the career trajectory of Canadian screenwriter Karen Walton, historic dates might be listed as ‘BB’ or ‘AB’ – as in life before the 1992 Banff Television Festival and the whole ‘life as writer to watch’ period after.
Don McKellar, reluctant man of letters
To speak to Don McKellar, you might find him a curious choice to lead a Banff master class on writing.
Lunz shares the driver’s seat on Comedy Bus
Gerald Lunz doesn’t appear too nervous about participating as the subject of a Banff master class on writing. Perhaps he seems comfortable because he’ll be up there with Rick Mercer, a man with whom he has worked and laughed for more than a decade, the pair making up a partnership known as Island Edge (see Mercer story, p. 29). Or maybe it’s because the title of the master class is ‘Driving the Comedy Bus,’ a topic he understands very well.
Fragmentation, concentration and diversity: old policy issues for a new world
Janet Yale is president and CEO of the Canadian Cable Television Association. She will be at Banff to participate in a State of Television panel session entitled Fragmentation, Concentration and Diversity. Here she provides a preview of some of her thoughts .
TV programming financing – a fix now for the long term
Glenn O’Farrell is president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. He will be at Banff participating in the State of Television panel session entitled Fragmentation, Concentration & Diversity.
Can Canadian movies be fun?
CHUM’s Paul Gratton is VP and GM of Space: The Imagination Station and Drive-In Classics and station manager of Bravo! NewStyleArtsChannel. At Banff he will be sitting on a State of Television panel for a session entitled National Cinema – Box Office or Broadcast?, which explores realistic objectives in developing Canuck movies, particularly in English Canada.
B.C. producers balance service with ownership
Vancouver: For a handful of Vancouver-based producers, there is a yin and yang to their business plans – or perhaps, more specifically, a yen and Yank.
Alberta may soar with Superman’s return
The Alberta film production industry has traditionally been hit-and-miss in attracting the high-profile productions that would bring the likes of Access Hollywood or Entertainment Tonight to town in tow. Despite the province’s variable track record – which does include Unforgiven and some of the Christopher Reeve Superman movies – recent coups such as the Kevin Costner western Open Range and scenes from X2 might be pointing the way to a more steady stream of big productions coming to shoot.
Don’t have a cow: caterers ready for beef scare
If the casts and crews of Alberta-based film and TV productions are wary of eating the province’s beef after the recent ‘mad cow disease’ scare, local caterers are ready to offer up plenty of alternatives.
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