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W5 welcomes Avery Haines to Canada’s most-watched and longest-running documentary program

From a media release:

Wendy Freeman, President, CTV News announced today that veteran broadcast journalist Avery Haines joins CTV’s W5, Canada’s pre-eminent investigative series, as an investigative reporter. With nearly 20 years of experience in television and radio as a reporter, anchor, and host, Haines will leverage her vast journalistic experience to investigate and uncover significant emerging stories for W5.

With a lifelong passion for storytelling, Haines has investigated first-hand many significant issues unfolding around the world, most recently reporting on the battle against ISIS from a mosque-turned-hospital in Mosul, Iraq. She’s documented the stories of refugees fleeing the U.S. to seek asylum in Canada, and lived in the jungle of Costa Rica with her family for nearly two years.

Her work on the Discovery series HEALTH ON THE LINE and MEDICAL HOTSEAT earned her multiple nominations and two Gemini Awards (now Canadian Screen Awards) for Best Television Talk Series. She has also been honoured with RTNDA awards for Best Canadian Radio Newscaster and Best Spot Reporter.

 

 

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Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Interrupt This Program reveals art created in the world’s wounded places

Art can be a powerful tool. It can be used to make a statement, get a response and cause social change. That’s certainly the aim of the art and artists showcased in Interrupt This Program, returning for Season 3 this Friday at 8:30 p.m. on CBC.

Montreal documentarians Frank Fiorito and Nabil Mehchi of Noble Television have travelled the world, recording a quartet of artists and a Canadian who are immersed in the local culture of a city, creating art that speaks out against injustice. Friday’s return instalment heads to Mexico City, where violence erupts daily.

“In Mexico every day, women are killed just for being women,” says Andrea, a local artist as the episode begins. “So we use art as a language to speak what we are feeling or living.”

“If you want to criticize your country, use art as a tool for change, art as a weapon of choice,” says another.

Described by Andrea as a safe place to walk around when she was younger, Mexico City has become a battlefield, with murder a daily occurrence and bodies lying in the street the norm. Femicides, in particular, are on the rise; Andrea and her group of artists—the Women Engraving Resistance—convene to carve intricate designs into wood that are printed onto massive posters to be hung in neighbourhoods. “It’s Not Enough to Survive, Women’s Lives Matter,” reads one. “Does Killing Me Make You More of a Man?” reads another. Aside from the words themselves, the images on the posters are stunning.

Meanwhile, Canadian photographer François describes art centred around a moment in Mexico City’s recent past. Desensitized to the gory images of dead bodies shown on the first page of newspapers, François recalls how 43 students headed to a demonstration went missing. Since then, pop-up art reading simply “+43,” paintings of each missing student have shown up around the city and songs have been written about the incident, bringing together the arts community with a common goal: to find out the truth of what happened.

Other cities visited during Season 3 of Interrupt This Program are Jakarta, Nairobi, Warsaw and Karachi. And, for the first time, the program focuses on an American city: Chicago. With a murder rate since 2001 of 8,384—more than the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined in terms of Americans dead—The Windy City is a conflict zone as serious as any other Fiorito and Mehchi have visited.

Interrupt This Program airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. on CBC.

Image courtesy of CBC.

 

 

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

OutTV acquires three seasons of Go Button Media’s Mom vs Matchmaker

From a media release:

Go Button Media announces that three seasons of their original television series Mom vs Matchmaker has been acquired by OUTtv. Season one (6 x 30’) and season two (12 x 30’) will air later this year on OUTtv. Season three (12 x 30’) has been commissioned to air in 2018. OutTV has acquired 30 episodes in total.

In an age where dating is dominated by apps and social media, Mom vs Matchmaker instead brings a new, fun twist to traditional matchmaking.” In Mom vs Matchmaker, sassy professional matchmaker Carmelia Ray goes head-to-head with an opinionated mom to see who can handpick and train the most suitable suitor for mother’s precious offspring. One single, two potential mates and two battling forces of nature. In the time of Tinder, can these titans of love generate game changing sparks for the single using whatever means necessary? Only one, mother or matchmaker, can make the winning match. The final twist, the single won’t know which date is a ringer for which cupid until the end.

Season one and two of Mom vs Matchmaker air in the United States on MyxTV. Season three will air on MyxTV in 2018. The series has been sold to Australia (E!), Middle East (Fox), North Africa (Fox), Discovery Latin America. Season one of the series previously aired on iChannel, FTV, and GSN in Canada. Season two will air on OUTtv and ZTV. Season three has been commissioned as a co-first window on OUTtv and Rewind. The series is licensed internationally by Electus International.

 

 

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Link: Much Too Young: Must-See Canadian TV

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From Jim Bawden:

Link: Much Too Young: Must-See Canadian TV
Don’t get distracted by the glut of new and returning TV series  popping up all over your TV screens this fall.

Save some time for the brilliant new Canadian made TV documentary Much Too Young which has its world premiere Thursday September 21 at 9 p.m., which is World Alzheimer’s Day. Continue reading.

 

 

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Gusto Cooks up a Sweet Batch of Original Premieres This Fall

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From a media release:

Whether it’s searching for the ultimate sweet treat, or adding an international flair to an everyday meal, Gusto has something for every budding chef with two original series headlining the schedule this September.

First up, Gusto gives viewers the sugar with brand-new baking series FLOUR POWER from Gusto Worldwide Media, airing Fridays at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 22. Newcomer Jessica McGovern, who owns her own baking school in Montréal, explores the wonders of flour, sugar, and butter in her retro-inspired kitchen, sharing three recipes in each 30-minute episode. Celebrating an uncomplicated love of baking, McGovern offers impressive recipes for every occasion, whether it’s a delicious treat for a children’s bake sale or an extravagant masterpiece for an elegant dinner party. FLOUR POWER is the newest addition to Gusto’s roster of Canadian-made original productions, with the series representing the network’s first original series all about baking.

Then, Gusto explores a whole new roster of global cuisines when ONE WORLD KITCHEN returns with a new cast of cooks for Season 3, airing Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 26. Mary Tang (Cantonese), Joanna Chery (Greek), Jasmin Rose Ibrahim (Lebanese), and Lisa Nguyen (Vietnamese) share recipes connected with their respective cultures. The culinary style of each locale is explored over each 30-minute episode, sharing everything from age-old traditions and secrets, to fresh recipes and tips. Through modern and traditional recipes, ONE WORLD KITCHEN shows that, no matter where you come from, food is a language that everyone speaks.

FLOUR POWER – Fridays at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT, beginning Sept. 22
Host Jessica McGovern shares her love of baking in this 13-episode, 30-minute series. Set in a retro-inspired kitchen, each episode offers three impressive recipes for every occasion. Some of the mouth-watering recipes explored throughout the season include: Pina Colada Cupcakes, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Pops, Cherry Pistachio Biscotti, Red Velvet Layer Cake, and more.

ONE WORLD KITCHEN – Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT beginning Sept. 26
A brand new cast means a whole new world of global cuisines for Season 3. The 30-minute, eight-episode, season explores Cantonese, Greek, Lebanese, and Vietnamese cuisines through the eyes of four passionate and captivating cooks with family ties to each region. The new season explores exotic recipes like chicken and sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves (Cantonese), spicy hue beef noodle soup (Vietnamese), fried cod with turmeric rice (Lebanese), beef and orzo casserole (Greek), and more.

FLOUR POWER and ONE WORLD KITCHEN are created by Chris Knight, President and CEO, Gusto Worldwide Media.

 

 

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