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Awards, Featured

The Book of Negroes, Orphan Black and Schitt’s Creek top WGC Screenwriting Awards

Clement Virgo (The Book of Negroes), Russ Cochrane (Orphan Black) and Amanda Walsh (Schitt’s Creek) were among the winners recognized at the 2016 Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Awards on Monday night in Toronto. Hosted by Elvira Kurt, the WGC event—delivered to a packed Koerner Hall—also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the WGC, which broke away from ACTRA in 1991 to become a guild of independently congregated writers.

“Writers, this is a big night for you,” Kurt joked during her opening monologue. “I look around and I see that the Chuck Taylor’s have been polished, the Spanx have been spanked, spiffy outfits have been borrowed and for some of us the meds we take for social anxiety are almost kicking in.”

“I want to thank all of my fellow finalists, and to all female screenwriters for telling their stories because you inspired me to tell my story,” Walsh said upon winning the TV Comedy category for her Schitt’s Creek script “The Cabin.” Orphan Black writer and co-executive producer Aubrey Nealon accepted Cochrane’s award for Season 3’s “Newer Elements of Our Defense,” while Virgo and The Book of Negroes author Lawrence Hill (pictured above) were on hand to accept the trophy for writing in a Movie of the Week or Miniseries.

Clive Endersby received the Alex Barris Mentorship Award, Penny Gummerson the Sondra Kelly Award, Peter Mohan the Writers Block Award and Frank van Keeken the Showrunner Award, who stunned the crowd by announcing he’d been ousted as showrunner on The Next Step and Lost & Found Music Studios.

Frank van Keeken (Image courtesy of Christina Gapic.)
Frank van Keeken (Image courtesy of Christina Gapic.)

Here’s the complete list of categories (winners denoted in blue):

CHILDREN
Numb Chucks, Season 2 “Witless to the Prosecution”
Written by Evan Thaler Hickey

Odd Squad, Season 1 “Puppet Show”
Written by Charles Johnston

Pirate Express, Season 1 “Fountain of Misspent Youth”
Written by David Elver

DOCUMENTARY
Deluged by Data
Written by Josh Freed

Ninth Floor
Written by Mina Shum

MOW & MINISERIES
The Book of Negroes: Episode 1
Story by Lawrence Hill, Teleplay by Clement Virgo

The Gourmet Detective
Written by Becky Southwell & Dylan Neal

Kept Woman
Written by Doug Barber & James Phillips

SHORTS & WEBSERIES
Bob! The Slob
Written by James Nadler

Goldfish
Written by Michael Konyves

TV COMEDY
Mr. D, Season 4 “President Jimmy”
Written by Anita Kapila

Mr. D, Season 4 “Short Stocked”
Written by Marvin Kaye

Schitt’s Creek, Season 1 “The Cabin”
Written by Amanda Walsh

TV DRAMA 
19-2, Season 2 “Orphans”
Written by Jesse McKeown

19-2, Season 2 “Property Line”
Written by Nikolijne Troubetzkoy

19-2, Season 2 “School”
Adapted by Bruce M. Smith

Orphan Black, Season 3 “Newer Elements of Our Defense”
Written by Russ Cochrane

X Company, Season 1 “Into the Fire”
Written by Mark Ellis & Stephanie Morgenstern

TWEENS & TEENS
Some Assembly Required, Season 2 “Rocket with a Pocket”
Written by Jennica Harper

Some Assembly Required, Season 2 “Snappo”
Written by Cole Bastedo & Jennifer Siddle

The Stanley Dynamic, Season 1 “The Stanley Grandpa”
Written by Alice Prodanou

FEATURE FILMS
A Christmas Horror Story
Written by James Kee and Sarah Larsen and Doug Taylor and Pascal Trottier

End of Days, Inc.
Written by Christina Ray

The Saver
Written by Wiebke von Carolsfeld

(Images courtesy of Christina Gapic.)

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Awards, Industry News

Celebrate the Writers: WGC Screenwriting Awards, May 2

From a media release:

The WGC Screenwriting Awards recognize the talented Canadian writers whose scripts spark an entire television and film industry.

On May 2, 2016 the screenwriter is in the spotlight at the awards gala, held at the Royal Conservatory of Music’s beautiful Koerner Hall. Host Ryan Belleville brings his sharp wit to the stage in a fast-paced show co-written with This Hour Has 22 Minutes writer Jeremy Woodcock.

Writers from Orphan Black, 19-2, and X Company compete for the best TV Drama Award, to name just one category. Awards will also be handed out for the winning children’s, documentary, feature film, MOW and miniseries, shorts and webseries, TV comedy, and teens and tweens scripts. Close to 150 scripts were nominated, with 24 scripts chosen as finalists, and 32 screenwriters up for awards.

Awards presenters include The F Word screenwriter Elan Mastai, What Would Sal Do? showrunner Andrew De Angelis with star Dylan Taylor, powerhouse couple Sudz Sutherland and Jennifer Holness (Shoot the Messenger), Mohawk Girls showrunner Cynthia Knight, documentary writer Michael McNamara (The Cholesterol Question), and Jessie Gabe, writer of Cas & Dylan.

A full slate of special awards, including the WGC Showrunner Award, the Alex Barris Mentorship Award, and the Sondra Kelly Award will also be presented.

The 2016 WGC Screenwriting Awards mark the 25th anniversary of the Writers Guild of Canada. Join us Monday, May 2, 2016, at the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning’s Koerner Hall.

2016 WGC Screenwriting Awards Finalists

CHILDREN
Numb Chucks, Season 2 “Witless to the Prosecution”
Written by Evan Thaler Hickey

Odd Squad, Season 1 “Puppet Show”
Written by Charles Johnston

Pirate Express, Season 1 “Fountain of Misspent Youth”
Written by David Elver

DOCUMENTARY
Deluged by Data
Written by Josh Freed

Ninth Floor
Written by Mina Shum

FEATURE FILMS
A Christmas Horror Story
Written by James Kee and Sarah Larsen and Doug Taylor and Pascal Trottier

End of Days, Inc.
Written by Christina Ray

The Saver
Written by Wiebke von Carolsfeld

MOW & MINISERIES
The Book of Negroes: Episode 1
Story by Lawrence Hill, Teleplay by Clement Virgo

The Gourmet Detective
Written by Becky Southwell & Dylan Neal

Kept Woman
Written by Doug Barber & James Phillips

SHORTS & WEBSERIES
Bob! The Slob
Written by James Nadler

Goldfish
Written by Michael Konyves

TV COMEDY
Mr. D, Season 4 “President Jimmy”
Written by Anita Kapila

Mr. D, Season 4 “Short Stocked”
Written by Marvin Kaye

Schitt’s Creek, Season 1 “The Cabin”
Written by Amanda Walsh

TV DRAMA
19-2, Season 2 “Orphans”
Written by Jesse McKeown

19-2, Season 2 “Property Line”
Written by Nikolijne Troubetzkoy

19-2, Season 2 “School”
Adapted by Bruce M. Smith

Orphan Black, Season 3 “Newer Elements of Our Defense”
Written by Russ Cochrane

X Company, Season 1 “Into the Fire”
Written by Mark Ellis & Stephanie Morgenstern

TWEENS & TEENS
Some Assembly Required, Season 2 “Rocket with a Pocket”
Written by Jennica Harper

Some Assembly Required, Season 2 “Snappo”
Written by Cole Bastedo & Jennifer Siddle

The Stanley Dynamic, Season 1 “The Stanley Grandpa”
Written by Alice Prodanou

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Awards, Industry News

Beth Janson appointed CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television

From a media release:

Beth Janson has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, it was announced today by Academy Chair Martin Katz. A Montreal native, Janson is the former Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Institute.

Janson assumes the CEO position on June 1, 2016, succeeding outgoing CEO Helga Stephenson, who will officially step down May 31, following her resignation in February of this year.

As CEO, Janson will set and implement a strategic vision for the Academy as it continues to build upon its mandate to honour outstanding achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media, as well as heighten public awareness and appreciation for Canadian screen productions.

The recipient of a BFA from York University in Theatre Studies, Beth Janson has nearly two decades of experience in the film, television, and cultural sectors. From 2009 to 2014 she served as executive director of the Tribeca Film Institute, where she was responsible for budget management, fundraising, public relations, human resources, and programmatic direction.

Janson joined Tribeca in 2003 and was the creative force behind the development of its signature programs, including the TFI New Media Fund, a partnership with the Ford Foundation and the first-ever fund for independent transmedia work in the U.S.; Tribeca All Access, a grant and networking program for minority filmmakers; and the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund. Previously, Janson was the programming director of the Newport International Film Festival.

Janson began her career in theatre administration, and later worked in the programming department of HBO Documentary Films. Most recently Janson was the founding director of Rent the Runway Foundation’s Project Entrepreneur program, providing women with access to the tools, training, and networks needed to build scalable, economically impactful companies. Janson’s Twitter handle is @Beth_Janson and her website is: http://www.bethjanson.com/

(Photo by Anna Herbst)

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Awards, Industry News

Toronto Screenwriting Conference announces recipients of the Telefilm Canada New Voices Award

From a media release:

The Toronto Screenwriting Conference (TSC) is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the Telefilm Canada New Voices Award. The emerging screenwriters were selected from over 30 Canada-wide applicants. Those receiving the honours this year are Marie Dame,  Ana De Lara,  Rebecca Hales,  Kim Izzo and John Ward.

About the winners:

Marie Dame: From Alberta/Ontario, Marie, is an actress, producer and writer. She is the recipient of the Writer’s Trust of Canada grant a BravoFACT writing grant. Her short film, Bar None, which she wrote and produced, premiered at the 2013 Montreal World Film Festival.

Ana De Lara: A Filipina-Canadian filmmaker and stand-up comic based in BC, Ana has written, directed and produced a number of award-winning short films which have been screened at Canadian and international festivals. She has turned her one-woman play into a feature-film script.

Rebecca Hales: Rebecca grew up in BC and recently completed the exclusive Bell Media Prime Time Television program a the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto. She is currently working on developing both a dramatic and comedy series.

Kim Izzo: Kim is an Ontario-based journalist, author and screenwriter. She adapted her first novel The Jane Austen Manual into a screenplay which is being produced and her original feature-film project is being developed by Corus/Movie Central’s Script to Screen initiative. She is working on three original television pilot scripts and her third novel is being published in 2017.

John Ward: A Vancouver-based TV and comic-book writer, John is developing a on-hour episodic sci-fi pilot about a team of time-travelling mis-fits.

“The calibre of talent we are exposed to through this initiative every year is truly astounding,” said Kim Robinson, Toronto Screenwriting Conference producer. “It is an extraordinary challenge for us to single out just five individuals when the artistic breadth of these emerging writers is so strong.”

Carolle Brabant, Telefilm’s Executive Director, added: “We would like to congratulate the 2016 winners of the Telefilm Canada New Voices Award. The development and promotion of emerging talent is one of the best means of ensuring the continued viability of our industry. We’re also proud to partner again with the Toronto Screenwriting Conference. Screenwriters have a vital role to play in ensuring that Canadian films connect with their audiences.”

Each winner receives a pass to the TSC and a meeting with representatives from Telefilm Canada. The seventh annual Toronto Screenwriting Conference takes place on April 30 & May 1, 2016 at its new location, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

To qualify for the Telefilm Canada New Voices Award, candidates must have written at least two short films of which one has been produced, and have written one feature length screenplay, TV pilot or series treatment. They must not have previously produced a feature or TV series/pilot, nor received Telefilm Canada funding.

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