From Brendan Kelly of the Montreal Gazette:
Sex and the City … On the Rez
Tracey Deer has been dreaming of making Mohawk Girls since he was a kid. “I wanted to be a filmmaker since I was 12, and I never in a million years thought I would get to tell stories that are close to my heart about my own people,” Deer said. Continue reading.
From CBC:
Mohawk Girls series tells stories of once ‘voiceless’ women
The director behind a TV series being shot in Kahnawake says she wants to show Canadians what it means to be a Mohawk woman. “I’m making a show about my own life, about my sister’s life, my friends’, my cousins’,†says director Tracey Deer. Continue reading.
From a media release:
WINGIN’ IT TAKES ITS FINAL FLIGHT MAY 25 ON FAMILY CHANNEL
After three hit seasons of magical mayhem, the adventures of Carl Montclaire and Porter Jackson come to a conclusion in the Canadian original series finale of Wingin’ It premiering Saturday, May 25 at 11:30 a.m. ET/PT. As the boys prepare for their high school prom, Family Channel celebrates with a morning of prom-themed episodes from top series Wizards of Waverly Place, Gravity Falls, Jessie and Good Luck Charlie beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET/PT. Immediately following the finale is a special presentation of High School Musical 3: Senior Year at 12 p.m. ET/PT.
In the final episode, titled “Live and Let Fly,†Porter deals with an aching back while the teachers and students get ready for Bennett High’s prom. Carl asks Jane to be his date and Brittany runs for Prom Queen with Serge as her Prom King. Meanwhile, Denise finally receives her A.I.T. assignment.
For the past three seasons, Wingin’ It has seen Angel-In-Training (A.I.T.) Porter Jackson help Carl Montclaire, a disaster-prone high school student, navigate the halls of Bennett High. To earn his wings and become a full fledged angel, Porter was tasked with transforming Carl in to the most popular kid in school. But this seemingly simple task was often hindered by Porter’s side-tracked schemes and multiple magical mishaps, making this mission more difficult than expected. Now, with graduation in sight and everything finally falling into place, the unlikely duo prepare for the biggest – and hopefully best – night of their lives.
The fun continues at Family.ca where fans can play Wingin’ It themed games and catch up on past episodes. Throughout the month of May, devilish and angelic audiences alike can watch favourite episodes from the entire series on Family OnDemand. The final episode will be available May 31.
Wingin’ It stars Dylan Everett as Carl Montclaire; Demetrius Joyette as angel-in-training Porter Jackson; Brittany Adams as Carl’s friend Jane; Hannah Lochner as Brittany, the most popular girl in school; Sebastian Hearn as the jock, Serge; Brian White as tagalong friend Alex; Wayne Thomas Yorke as Dr. Cassabi; and Kendra Timmins as Denise. Jenn Robertson plays Carl’s mom Angela and Jamie Bloch plays Carl’s little sister, Becky.
Commissioned by Family Channel, Wingin’ It is produced by Temple Street Productions and is executive produced by Frank van Keeken (The Next Step, Kids in the Hall, Billable Hours), Ivan Schneeberg and David Fortier (The Next Step, Orphan Black, Being Erica).
From a media release:
APTN and OMNI Television Start Production on Original Series, Mohawk Girls
APTN, OMNI Television, and Rezolution Pictures today announced that principal shooting has begun on the seven-episode, 30-minute original series Mohawk Girls. The edgy new dramedy is both filmed and set in Montreal, and the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory in Quebec. Slated to premiere in 2014, Mohawk Girls will air in English on both APTN and OMNI Television, in Mandarin on OMNI, and in Mohawk on APTN. Full broadcast details to be announced at a later date.
Mohawk Girls follows four, sexy twentysomethings, as they try to figure out what it means to be a modern day Mohawk woman. From battling family pressure, tradition, and the intoxicating freedom of the “outside world,” to trying to find love on a reserve where everyone has dated everybody, this fabulous foursome is on a mission to find happiness…and themselves.
The cast features Jenny Pudavick (Cashing In) and Glen Gould (Da Vinci’s
City Hall) who are joined by Christian Campbell (Big Love), Kyle Nobess (Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil), Rachelle White Wind (Moccasin Flats), Ashley Michaels (Snare), and Meegwun Fairbrother (The Time Traveler). New Canadian talent Brittany LeBorgne, Heather White, and Maika Harper round ut the key cast.
Mohawk Girls is directed by Gemini Award-winning Tracey Deer (Club Native), who also serves as executive producer. Mohawk Girls is inspired by Deer’s 2005 acclaimed feature-length documentary of the same name, about the trials and tribulations of teenage girls growing up on the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawake. Cynthia Knight (Sophie) is the showrunner; and executive producers for Rezolution Pictures include Catherine Bainbridge, Christina Fon, Linda Ludwick, and Ernest Webb, all of whom were involved in producing the multiple Gemini and Peabody Award-winning film, Reel Injun.
From John Doyle of The Globe & Mail:
Mr. Hockey is a well-told tale for playoff time
We approach this type of TV movie with some trepidation. Well, I do anyway. The abominable two CBC movies about Don Cherry set a new low in hockey drama – groan-inducing, obvious, sanitized and trite. There is plenty of sentimentality in Mr. Hockey (no surprise it will air in the United States on the Hallmark Channel next week), but it’s a well-told, engrossing movie that has fine performances. The tropes of hockey movies are there, but there’s wit, too, and an occasional sharp edge. Continue reading.