Leonard Cohen doc wins top Canadian prize at Rockie Awards

KOTV’s Être ado won the Prix Francophone and BBC’s Hell Jumper claimed the Grand Jury Prize.

DGC BIPOC membership remains below national average: report

The Directors Guild of Canada’s 2024 census also revealed that average yearly incomes fell 22.4% across ethnic and gender lines, due to the 2023 strikes.

Knowledge Network greenlights doc Seeking Saltwater City

The three-part series from Black Rhino Creative is the first greenlight from the Stories (Un)told stream, with another project now in development.

BANFF ’25: Canada’s media leaders look globally for growth

Bell Media’s Sean Cohan, Rogers’ Colette Watson and CBC’s Marie-Phillippe Bouchard discussed opportunities at home and abroad at the Banff World Media Festival.

BANFF ’25: Content leaders explore market challenges, AI

Broadcasters from Canada and the U.K. discussed YouTube strategies for discoverability and Tubi’s CEO broke down the streamer’s Gen Z success on day two of the festival.

CRTC updates local news fund amid streamer appeal

The Commission added changes to the Independent Local News Fund on June 9, the same day foreign streamers argued against supporting it at the Federal Court of Appeal.

Canadian media orgs sign shared statement of values

CBC, Bell Media and the Canada Media Fund are among the more than 75 signatories supporting values around equity and inclusion.

Deals: Paramount+, Cineflix Rights, Sphere Abacus, Sinking Ship

Paramount+ in Canada acquires The Pink Pill as an original documentary, Cineflix Rights closes multiple deals for its factual content, and more.

Paramount+ greenlights Forté Entertainment’s Eva LaRue doc

Commissioned for Paramount’s See It Now Studios, the doc has been picked up by Hearst U.K. and Bell Media for its Oxygen True Crime channel.

Hot Sheet

Hot Sheet: The Handmaid’s Tale tops digital demand after finale

Netflix’s Stranger Things moved up in demand following the announcement of its final season premiere date.

Bell Media to make strategic investment in Blink49 Studios

The deal includes a production and distribution partnership and is expected to close in the fall.

Indie List 2025: Producers mixed on opportunities for screen sector

Canadian producers weigh in on the good, the bad and the AI of it all in the fast-evolving film and TV industry.

BANFF ’25: Netflix seeks Canada’s Adolescence in scripted pitches

Day one of the Banff World Media Festival saw CBC’s content executives discuss their scripted and unscripted wishlists, while TVO execs spoke to their kids strategy.

In Brief: Cjay Boisclair wins 2025 WIDC Advantage Award

WIFT+ Toronto and its foundation welcome new board members, the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival announces executive changes, and more.

Toronto distributor levelFILM shuts down operations

EXCLUSIVE: The independent distributor cited market realities beyond its control for the reasoning behind the decision.