The federal government and the Directors Guild of Canada called a meeting for late August to discuss the process that permits foreign directors to shoot spots in Canada, a move that has commercial producers concerned that any policy shift could restrict a major source of revenue.
The meeting, which was canceled after On The Spot made inquiries into the matter, was initially called to address a decision made by Human Resources Development Canada earlier last month to deny a U.S. director on the Industry Films roster access to Canada. According to an HRDC representative, the feds wanted to discuss the ruling and get facts on the case.

Reduced advertising budgets may be a blessing in disguise for Canadian commercial directors, with workflow picking up slightly as agencies opt for homegrown talent over expensive imported directors, a move that may benefit the domestic commercial industry in the long run.
‘More and more, Canada is buying Canadian and I think it’s about time to protect our market and our talent,’ says Sylvain Archambault, director and partner at Montreal’s Jet Films, which, with 13 Canadian directors on its roster of 14, is an anomaly in comparison to big Toronto prodcos that tend to rep more imported talent than Canadian. ‘By keeping enough boards for Canadian directors, we are going to retain our talent and develop a real industry,’ he says

L.A.-based Coppos Films and Backyard Productions have partnered with Toronto’s Imported Artists Film Company for Canadian representation, causing a major restructuring of the Toronto production company’s directors roster.
‘We got rid of a lot of the directors we felt either weren’t serious about this marketplace, were unavailable, or who are more difficult to sell based on their style,’ says Christina Ford, owner and president of Imported. ‘What that in turn allowed us to do was make room for Backyard and Coppos.’
In the end, Imported comes out even – removing 14 directors and adding 14 new names to its roster.

Business was brisk at the Toronto International Film Festival this year, as roughly 700 sales delegates, representing 409 companies from 35 different countries, descended on the city’s hotels, screening rooms and bars for the annual 10-day marathon of screenings, schmoozing and sales talks.
At press time, local giant Alliance Atlantis had taken the early lead, announcing three freshly sealed deals. The company scooped all international rights excluding the U.S. for Roger Dodger, the Tribeca and Venice crowd-pleaser and debut feature by Dylan Kidd. AAC’s Odeon Films will distribute in Canada; its Momentum Pictures arm will handle the U.K.

After 10 days of glitzy galas, stargazing nights and oversubscribed media screenings, the 22nd annual Atlantic Film Festival, running in Halifax Sept. 13-21, offers a welcome respite from the hectic pace of the Toronto International Film Festival.
‘After the flurry of the Toronto festival,’ says AFF director Lia Rinaldo, ‘our festival often provides the first opportunity for filmmakers to really relax in front of an audience and they usually have access to some of the key folks out of Toronto in a smaller atmosphere.’
Recognized as a filmmaker’s festival – an event where directors, writers, producers, cast and crew can screen their films, small or large, in an intimate and celebratory environment – this year’s AFF lineup is a testament to the maturing film industry in Atlantic Canada.

As if a bamboo forest, Russian swings, a falling angel and a dancing firefly aren’t enough to round out the more than 50 performers and 150-person tour staff on Cirque du Soliel’s Varekai, add lighting rigs, dollies, 10 high-definition cameras, a mobile HD unit and an 80-person film crew to the mix and you’ve got a real circus.
Cirque du Soleil Images, the multimedia arm of the Quebec performing arts institution, has taken on the ambitious task of shooting for DVD and broadcast its fourth Cirque du Soliel production, Cirque du Soleil Presents Varekai, exec produced by VP multimedia Vincent Gagne with producer Martin Bolduc, and coproduced with U.K.-based Serpent Films. It is the first time since 1991 that a Cirque show has been filmed live in Canada.

Up-and-coming commercial director Zach Math has left Toronto’s Generator Films to join Steam Films.

Industry veteran Charles Falzon is a free agent, along with a handful of his former staffers who were laid off in early September as a result of U.K.-based HIT Entertainment’s recent takeover of Gullane Entertainment.
Falzon, founder of Toronto’s Catalyst Entertainment, took on full-time duties as Gullane president just over a year ago (followed by four years as commercial director), relinquishing his title as CEO of Catalyst, which has since merged with Cambium Entertainment to form Cambium Catalyst International.
Since joining Gullane on an exclusive basis, Falzon and CEO William Harris have been fighting hard to rebuff acquisition proposals from HIT.

Vancouver: In tax-credit news, the B.C. government will extend a couple of existing rebate programs and will likely introduce a new tax credit in its new fiscal year, still six months away.

In Italy, we are told, there are virtually no commercial directors. After years of importing foreign helmers, the domestic production industry has all but extinguished its homegrown talent.

Andrew Tolomizenko is corporate counsel for a large production company and provides legal services to outside clients in the television commercial and film industries.

It’s been three and a half years since I first walked through the doors of Playback to assume the position as new staff writer, and since then the wheel has come half circle. As I ascended the ranks to editor, I became a homeowner, got engaged, married, pregnant, turned 30, learned a thing or two about the industry and now I’m off to pursue not the throng of opportunities in communications, broadcasting or production as so many of my predecessors have, but to enter the world of poopy diapers and stroller fit classes.

Peace Arch shares face suspension

The movie Rub & Tug was edited by Daniel Palmer and supervising editor Saul Pincus, not by director Soo Lyu as reported in the Sept. 2 issue.

Top editor and Relish cofounder Chris Van Dyke has left the post shop less than two years after its launch.