Everything about Industry News, eh?

Featured, Industry News

Attend The Film on TV Project 1977 & 1979

Leave a comment

From a media release:

Step back in time as rare, 16mm film clips from TV shows from the ‘60s and the ‘70s are projected onto the theatre’s giant screen.

See the 1963 Fall Preview promotional film “CBS: The Stars Address” featuring Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Ed Sullivan, Dick Van Dyke, Alfred Hitchcock, Clint Eastwood from “Rawhide,” The Beverly Hillbillies, Walter Cronkite and others.

Then there’s 1972’s “CBS Where the Good Times Are,” welcoming a string of new hits that year including M*A*S*H, Maude, The Waltons, The Bob Newhart Show and a show that should have run longer, Bridget Loves Birney. Other clips include scenes from All in the Family, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Carol Burnett Show and many more.

Bill Brioux, TV columnist, curator and podcaster, puts these rare films from his private collection into context. Come ready to answer TV trivia questions and win prizes!

Two matinee showings: Saturday, Sept. 23 at 1 p.m. and Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m.

Go to thewestdale.ca for tickets and more information.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Red River Gold, the new treasure hunting doc series, began their search on August 22, 2023

Leave a comment

From a media release:

Saxon de Cocq, Hannah Hermanson and Ell McEachern of 3 Story Pictures are pleased to announce that principal photography has commenced on Season 1 of the 13x 30 min documentary series, Red River Gold. 
 
Production commenced August 22, 2023, and will continue through October 8, 2023. The series will air on APTN at a later date.     
 
In 1870, a trove of gold coins worth $1,000,000 disappeared without a trace. The coins were on their way to fund a British military force marching across Canada to stop Louis Riel and the Métis during the Red River Resistance. The gold has never been recovered and the Royal Mint of England still considers it lost or stolen. And now, a group of Métis treasure seekers want to find it!
 
Red River Gold is directed by Saxon de Cocq (Treaty Road Season 1, The Other Side), Berkley Brady (Dark Nature, The Secret History of: The Wild West), and Sam Karney (Going Native, Nation Untamed), written by Saxon de Cocq, and is produced by Hannah Hermanson (Treaty Road Season 1, Staying Wild Season 1 &2, Zarqa Season 2), Ell McEachern (Treaty Road Season 1, Staying Wild Season 1&2, Zarqa Season 2), Saxon de Cocq and Sam Karney. The series will be executive produced by Doug Cuthand (Guardians: Evolution, Miywayawin, Big Bear).
  
Red River Gold will be filmed in Richer, Ste Anne, La Coulee, Winnipeg, and all along the old Dawson Trail in Manitoba. Cinematography by Sam Karney and editing by Kolby Kostyniuk (Staying Wild, Dirt Farmers). 
 
Red River Gold was commissioned by APTN and produced with additional financial support from Canada Media Fund and Creative Saskatchewan.   
 
ABOUT HANNAH HERMANSON
Hannah has over a decade of experience in the television and film industry. After earning her honors degree from Middlesex University in London, Hannah hit the ground running, making herself an indispensable part of any team she joined. From production manager to line producer, Hannah has taken on a wide range of roles and responsibilities, consistently executing projects with efficiency and grace. What sets Hannah apart is her unique combination of skills. She is a skilled negotiator, a savvy budgeter, and an excellent communicator. She has a talent for bringing people together, encouraging collaboration and teamwork for the greater creative good. Her resourcefulness is unmatched, and she can turn even the most challenging of situations into a success. Her ability to lead with confidence and finesse has earned her a reputation as a problem-solver, and her contributions to the projects she works on have a lasting impact.
 
ABOUT ELL MCEACHERN
Ell has over twenty years’ experience in film and television, and credits on 90+ hours of content. She has a love of collaboration and the ability to foster it across diverse teams. Ell’s first industry steps were taken on the accounting and finance side. As a CFA Charterholder, Ell showcases her keen analytical skills. As a producer, Ell combines an exceptional eye for detail with big picture thinking. Her secret weapon is helping the team levitate over complex roadblocks to get the stories told. 
 
ABOUT SAXON DE COCQ
Saxon de Cocq is a Métis writer, director and creative producer from Southern Alberta, Region 3 and is a registered citizen of The Métis Nation of Alberta. He has been the creative force behind a number of documentary series and is very excited to be in post, with APTN, on a series about one of his Métis Ancestors which has been greenlit for a second season. Saxon is also in development on his first 3 scripted television series. Saxon has written, directed, and produced eight films (seven narrative and one documentary) that have screened and been broadcasted across the country, including the CBC. Saxon has also written and directed 18 episodes, over four seasons, of the nationally broadcasted APTN TV series, The Other Side, and was the creative producer for the series. Saxon is currently working with the Metis Nation of Alberta, on a documentary about Metis residential school survivors.
 
ABOUT SAM KARNEY
Sam Karney is a Métis-Ukrainian filmmaker and co-founder of award-winning Winnipeg production company, Ice River Films. He started his career working as a television photojournalist in newsrooms across Manitoba and Saskatchewan. He began producing documentaries for Global News’ magazine program Everything Manitoba in 2012 and has since gone on to produce documentaries and factual series for APTN and CBC. Sam has currently produced 25 hours of factual television for the Canadian market, including three seasons of the award-winning series, Going Native and the outdoor adventure series Nation Untamed. In addition to producing, Sam has worked as a director of photography on programs for the likes of Smithsonian, Amazon Prime & the NHL Network. Having worked in small teams and with smaller budgets, Sam has learned almost every job that is needed to make good documentary television. He has produced, directed, shot, edited, done sound, coloured and appeared on camera all in the last 10 years. 

Images courtesy of Trevor Johnsen.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Bones of Crows, Featured, Industry News, Little Bird, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Changing leaves, inspiring stories: APTN unveils fall programming with Indigenous resilience at its core

Leave a comment

From a media release:

Coming soon to APTN is another incredible lineup of Indigenous stories. From groundbreaking dramas that highlight Indigenous resilience and the connection between past, present and future, to a full weekend of special programming in honour of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR), to new episodes of APTN’s hit docuseries, the network’s upcoming season is full of soul-stirring content, both new and old.

APTN’s fall slate will roll out from the beginning of September to the end of October and will include the programs below, plus many more.

NEW TO APTN

Bones of Crows
Expanding on the feature film of the same name, this five-part series is a story of resilience and strength told through the eyes of Cree matriarch Aline Spears. When Aline and her siblings are removed from their family home and forced into Canada’s residential school system, they are plunged into a struggle for survival. Over the next hundred years, Aline and her descendants fight for a more just future.

APTN TV premiere dates: Sept. 20 (English) and Sept. 25 (Cree)
APTN lumi premiere dates: Sept. 21 (English) and Sept. 26 (Cree)

Little Bird
Little Bird, launched initially on APTN lumi in May of this year, is a six-part series that explores the theme of resilience in the face of trauma and loss. Removed from her home on the Long Pine Reserve in Saskatchewan, Bezhig Little Bird is adopted into a Montreal Jewish family at the age of five, becoming Esther Rosenblum. Now in her 20s, Bezhig longs for the family she lost and is willing to sacrifice everything to find them.

APTN TV premiere date: Oct. 12 (English)

Remembering the Children: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2023
Produced by APTN and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, this 90-minute multilingual commemorative gathering seeks to honour residential school Survivors and pay tribute to all the Indigenous children who never made it home. This year’s gathering will encompass powerful reflections from esteemed Elders and Survivors as well as moving performances by First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists.

APTN TV premiere date: Sept. 30 (Multilingual)
APTN lumi premiere date: Oct. 2 (Multilingual)

Sur le terrain*
Sur le terrain is a French-language documentary series that explores the daily lives of frontline Indigenous health and social services workers. Whether they work in a remote region or in an urban setting, their commitment to community members is unwavering. These workers, who are mostly women, offer us an inside look at the immense challenges they face every day.

APTN lumi premiere date: Oct. 16 (French)
APTN TV premiere date: Oct. 23 (French)

Corner Gas – Seasons 1-3
One of Canada’s most popular sitcoms, Corner Gas takes place in the fictional town of Dog River, Sask., and follows the daily lives of the community’s oddball residents, including gas station owner Brent Leroy and coffee shop proprietor Lacey Burrows. APTN will air episodes daily this fall from Tuesday through to Friday.

APTN TV premiere date: Sept. 5 (English)

NEW SEASONS OF APTN FAN FAVOURITES

Gespe’gewa’gi: The Last Land – Season 2*
APTN lumi: Aug. 28 (Mi’kmaq) and Aug. 29 (English)
APTN TV: Sept. 4 (Mi’kmaq) and Sept. 5 (English)

Michif Country – Season 3*
APTN lumi: Aug. 28 (Michif) and Aug. 29 (English)
APTN TV: Sept. 4 (Michif) and Sept. 5 (English)

Merchants of the Wild – Season 4*
APTN lumi: Aug. 28 (Mi’kmaq) and Sept. 26 (English)
APTN TV: Sept. 4 (Mi’kmaq) and Oct. 3 (English)

Friday Night Thunder – Season 3
APTN TV: Sept. 8 (English)
APTN lumi: Sept. 9 (English)

Amplify – Season 2*
APTN lumi: Aug. 31 (Michif) and Oct. 6 (English)
APTN TV: Sept. 7 (Michif) and Oct. 13 (English)

7th Gen – Season 2*
APTN lumi: Oct. 2 (Cree) and Oct. 6 (English)
APTN TV: Oct. 9 (Cree) and Oct. 13 (English)

Spirit Talker – Season 4*
APTN lumi: Oct. 18 (English)
APTN TV: Oct. 25 (English)

The Other Side – Season 9
APTN TV: Oct. 25 (English)
APTN lumi: Oct. 26 (English)

Ghost Hunters of the Grand River – Season 2
APTN TV: Oct. 25 (English)
APTN lumi: Oct. 26 (English)

*Indicates programs launching first on APTN lumi. APTN lumi has put together a collection of these returning favourites and more for viewers to catch up on prior to their television broadcast.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

Macha Grenon, Éric Bruneau, Patrick Watson and Kim Lévesque Lizotte join NRK and Crave original drama So Long, Marianne

Leave a comment

From a media release:

Crave and NRK announced today additional Canadian cast members for the highly anticipated new drama series SO LONG, MARIANNE, co-produced by Montréal’s Connect3 (part of the Cineflix Media group of companies), about the legendary love story of Canadian singer and poet Leonard Cohen, and Marianne Ihlen.

Joining the lead cast of Alex Wolff (Leonard), Thea Sofie Loch Næss (Marianne), Anna Torv (Charmian Clift), Noah Taylor (George Johnston), and Peter Stormare (Irving Layton); is Macha Grenon, alongside special appearances from Éric Bruneau, Kim Lévesque Lizotte, and singer-songwriter Patrick Watson.

Macha Grenon plays Leonard’s mother, Masha Cohen; while Éric Bruneau takes on the role of Cohen’s long-time friend Robert Hershorn; and Kim Lévesque Lizotte plays Monique Mercure, who runs into Marianne at a party in Montréal. Patrick Watson has a cameo as a singer who performs for Cohen on a rooftop.

Robin L’Houmeau, Raphael Grosz-Harvey, Miranda Calderon, Tatiana Latreille, Ryan Bommarito, Emily Lê, Frank Fontaine, Megan Jonker, Sonia Berube, Rob Stewart, Chip Chuipka, Howard Bilerman, and Avi Bendahan round out the Canadian cast.

Set in some of the most beautiful international locations during the 1960s, SO LONG, MARIANNE is an intimate tale of two lonely people falling in love, during a period of their life when they are trying to figure out who they are and their place in the world, while one is becoming one of the most famous singers of all time.

Just as it served as a backdrop for Cohen’s life, Montréal will also feature heavily in SO LONG, MARIANNE. Crave audiences will recognize a number of landmarks, such as McGill University where Cohen studied, distinctive restaurants Toqué! and Greenspot, and the Des Seigneurs Bridge.

SO LONG, MARIANNE is developed by Ingeborg Klyve (Exit), Øystein Karlsen (Exit, Dag, Lilyhammer, Whitstable Pearl) and Tony Wood (Irvine Welsh’s Crime, Marcella, Whitstable Pearl) and written for the screen by Øystein Karlsen and Jo Nesbø (Harry Hole, Kingdom, Headhunters). The series is directed by Øystein Karlsen and Bronwen Hughes (Shantaram, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul). SO LONG, MARIANNE is co-produced by Redpoint Productions, Tanweer Productions, and Connect3. The Executive Producers are Ales Ree for NRK, Richard Tulk-Hart and Tony Wood, Vegard Stenberg Eriksen and Ingeborg Klyve for Redpoint Productions, Dionyssis Samiotis and Nancy Kokolaki for Tanweer Productions, and André Barro and Pablo Salzman for Connect3.

Connect3 is part of the Cineflix Media group of companies, the leading international media company which is also headquartered in Montréal with operations in Toronto, New York, London, and Dublin. Cineflix Rights is distributing the series globally.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

Paramount+ announces first Canadian development slate, commissioned Canadian documentary and investment in acquired Canadian series and films

From a media release:

Paramount+ today announced a Canadian content strategy in development, commissioned features and acquired programming. Announced at the BANFF World Media Festival, the slate includes an impressive roster of critically acclaimed Canadian series and features, including a Paramount+ Original documentary and four new development projects in partnership with some of the best and most diverse creators in the country.

Paramount+ Canadian Series in Development

HATE THE PLAYER: THE BEN JOHNSON STORY
A scripted comedy about the scandal behind the scandal that brought the “world’s fastest man” from hero to zero in 9.79 seconds. From writer Anthony Q Farrell (The Office U.S.) and award-winning producers New Metric Media (Letterkenny).

LEN & CUB
Based on a true story, this limited six-part series dramatizes the secret relationship of two young men in rural 20th-century New Brunswick whose story came to light when a box of photos was recently discovered in an estate sale. From writer Lynne Kamm and producers Muse Entertainment and Elliot Page’s Page Boy Productions.

CARPE DEMON
A one-hour genre series, based on the best-selling book series by Julie Kenner, about a frazzled suburban mom with a loving husband, two kids and one massive secret: she used to be a Demon Hunter. Out of practice and overwhelmed, she has no choice but to get back in the game when her supernatural past comes calling from award-winning showrunner Emily Andras (Wynonna Earp, Lost Girl) and producers December Films, Cineflix Studios, Gina Marcheschi and Jon Brown.

THEY DRIVE AT NIGHT
A dark comedy genre series about two best friends, a vampire and a werewolf, on a road trip across Canada. Written by Emmy Award winner Craig Wallace (Murdoch Mysteries, Todd & The Book of Pure Evil) and producers Black Birds Entertainment.

Paramount+ Original Documentary

500 DAYS IN THE WILD – Paramount+ Original
Fall 2023
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Dianne Whelan (This Land, 40 Days at Basecamp) recorded a solo self-recorded journey travelling across Canada in 2015. She began her trek feeling disillusioned with the state of the world, but six years and 28,000 km later she arrived back in Victoria, BC, feeling wiser, more hopeful, in love and with a passion to share her remarkable journey. Produced by Betsy Carson with Executive Producers Christine Haebler and Dianne Whelan for Rebel Sisters Productions and distributed in Canada by Elevation Pictures.

Produced in Association with Paramount+

THE BOY IN THE WOODS
The remarkable true-life survival story of a Jewish boy hiding and being hunted in the forests of Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe. Based on the memoir The Boy In The Woods by Maxwell Smart. The film is produced by Lumanity Productions and JoBro Productions and distributed by Photon Films.

Paramount+ Canadian Acquisitions

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of Paramount+’s ongoing investments in best-in-class content and promotion for its Canadian catalogue. Recently, Paramount+ invested in marketing and publicity for acquired Canadian content such as the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) Documentary Anything For Fame and the CSA nominated NEVER SEEN AGAIN from Efran Films.

Paramount+ has also acquired Canadian feature films Midnight At The Paradise from LevelFILM currently slated for 2023, along with All The Lost Ones, Café Daughter, Orah and Who’s Yer Father? for 2024.

From Vortex, Paramount+ has acquired the romantic comedy feature The End Of Sex.

By the end of this year, Paramount+ will have acquired hundreds of hours of Canadian content from numerous partners including those noted above as well as Elevation Pictures, Mongrel Media, Sphere Films and Blue Ant Media. A selection of those titles currently streaming on the service include Paramount+ Original series NEVER SEEN AGAIN and FBI: TRUE as well as PAW PATROL and films Away from Her (available July 1), Aline, Kayak to Klemtu and PAW PATROL: THE MOVIE.

The Paramount-owned streamer’s expanded Canadian content offering complements the company’s existing expansive Canadian content lineup on its FAST service in the market, Pluto TV. Currently, Pluto TV offers 45 dedicated Canadian channels spanning different genres including Home + DIY, Food, Kids, Factual and News through its ad sales and content partnership with Corus Entertainment Inc., based in Toronto. In addition, in February Pluto TV in Canada had the Worldwide premiere of Canadian FAST Channel Out TV Proud and also launched the Blue Ant Media-owned channels HauntTV, Crimetime, HistoryTime and Homeful. In March the service debuted The Weather Network’s new FAST Channel.

On July 1, three additional channels will join the Pluto TV family. Truly Canadian, which will highlight Canadian-produced scripted series such as Little Mosque on the Prairie, Edgemont and Arctic Air and Pluto TV Documentaries which will include NFB documentaries and films that have been featured at Hot Docs such as Canadian-produced When Jews Were Funny by Alan Zweig and Randy Bachman’s Vinyl Tap: Every Song Tells a Story. On July 1, Pluto TV will also launch The Red Green Show Channel.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail