From Tyrone Warner of CTV:
The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) will celebrate the winning words of 2007 on April 14 at the 2008 Canadian Screenwriting Awards. More than 125 scripts were submitted for this year’s awards, honouring excellence in screenwriting. The entries have been narrowed down to 33 finalists in nine categories, including screenwriting for feature film, drama series, documentary film and more. Several special awards, including the WGC Showrunner Award, will also be handed out at the event.
Among the finalists, you will find the writers of television favourites such as Corner Gas, Robson Arms, Intelligence, Across the River to Motor City, This Hour has 22 Minutes and more, as well as the writers of feature films including The Stone Angel, Poor Boy’s Game and more. A complete list of finalists can be seen on the WGC website.
All winners will be announced at the 2008 Canadian Screenwriting Awards on Monday, April 14, 2008. Guest host (and finalist) Gavin Crawford (This Hour Has 22 Minutes) will once again keep everyone in stitches as he keeps the celebrations rolling. Kyle Tingley (also a finalist for 22 Mins) will co-write the awards show with Crawford.
Last year’s winners included Sarah Polley for the screenplay of Away From Her, Kevin White and Brent Butt for Corner Gas and Susan Coyne & Bob Martin & Mark McKinney for Slings & Arrows.
This year’s finalists reflect the high level of achievement of Canadian screenwriters across the categories.
From Bill Harris of the Toronto Sun:
From a media release:
THREE OUTSTANDING CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS SELECTED AS FINALISTS FOR THE 2008 SHAW ROCKET PRIZE
The best in children’s television will contend for $50,000 prize
with the winner decided by a 700-member National Student Jury
The Shaw Rocket Prize is pleased to announce its three finalists for this year’s $50,000 winner-takes-all prize. The Shaw Rocket Prize recognises this year’s best Canadian television programming targeted for children 12 and under.
An international jury of highly esteemed industry experts in children’s television and media selected the finalists for the Shaw Rocket Prize. Jury members Adina Pitt, Vice President, Content Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Cartoon Network and Boomerang; Finn Arnesen, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Original Series and International Development, Turner Broadcasting; Frank Dietz, Head Acquisitions & Co-Productions, Super RTL; Marc Buhaj, Senior Vice President of Programming, Jetix Europe; and Michael Carrington, Controller, CBeebies BBC Children’s, made the announcement at a reception held today during the 9th Annual KidScreen Summit in New York City.
Continue reading Shaw Rocket Prize finalists announced
From a media release (so please don’t ask me what makes these Canadian TV shows independent):
Association announces CFTPA Indie Awards nominees
The Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) is extremely pleased to announce the nominees of the CFTPA Indie Awards.
The awards were created by the CFTPA in order to recognize and honour the outstanding achievements of Canadian independent producers. The Awards will be presented at a special reception and ceremony in Ottawa on February 20th, 2008.
“There is an incredible number of talented independent producers across Canada, and this is a reality that is not celebrated nearly as often as it ought to be,” said Guy Mayson, President and CEO, CFTPA “On behalf of the members of the CFTPA and the Board of Directors, we are proud to showcase such excellence and we congratulate all the nominees.”
Continue reading In the news: Canadian indie award nominees