From Noel Ransome of the Canadian Press:
Link: Acclaimed CBC/BET drama ‘The Porter’ will not receive a second season
The creative team behind the CBC and BET Plus series “The Porter” says there’s not going to be a Season 2 of the acclaimed historical drama. Executive producer Jennifer Kawaja commented on the state of “The Porter” shortly after the series scored a leading 19 nominations for the Canadian Screen Awards on Wednesday. Continue reading.
From a media release:
Today, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) announced the nominees for the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards in 145 television, film, and digital media categories, which also include the inaugural nominations in gender-neutral performance categories for lead and supporting performers in film and television.
The first season of CBC’s The Porter leads both television and overall 2023 Canadian Screen Award nominations with 19, including Best Drama Series and Best Lead Performer, Drama Series nominations for Aml Ameen, Ronnie Rowe Jr., and Mouna Traoré. Both CBC’s Sort Of and CBC Gem’s Detention Adventure received 15 nominations, followed by CBC’s Pretty Hard Cases with 11.
In film, Clement Virgo’s Brother tops nominations with 14, including Achievement in Direction and Performance in a Leading Role for Lamar Johnson. Stéphane Lafleur’s Viking follows with 13, while David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future boasts 11.
Revenge of the Black Best Friend leads digital media nominations with nine, including Best Web Program or Series, Fiction; followed by Avocado Toast The Series with seven and Tokens with four.
“From legendary directors like David Cronenberg to new voices like Bilal Baig, the 2023 Canadian Screen Award nominees reaffirm that our country has an immensely talented industry, and we are lucky to call them Canadian,” said Tammy Frick, CEO, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. “Supporting these artists has never been more important, and we are proud to be at the centre of those efforts. I’m thrilled to share my heartfelt congratulations with all of the nominees, and look forward to raising a glass to them in person this April.”
The 2023 Canadian Screen Awards will be presented in a series of seven intimate genre-based awards presentations, with esteemed members of the Canadian screen-based industry who brought us the best work from the last year, gathering in person at Meridian Hall in Toronto from Tuesday, April 11, 2023 through to Friday, April 14, 2023, all culminating with The Canadian Screen Awards with Samantha Bee, broadcasting on Sunday, April 16 at 8 PM (9 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem.
An intimate look at Canadian storytelling excellence on screen, The Canadian Screen Awards with Samantha Bee is an hour-long, star-studded broadcast special featuring celebrity interviews, highlights from the awards presentations throughout Canadian Screen Week 2023, and the presentation of the Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award. The special will also include exclusive access to this year’s Special Award recipients, including: Ryan Reynolds, recipient of the Humanitarian Award, presented by Paramount+; Catherine O’Hara, who will receive the Academy Icon Award, presented by CBC; and Simu Liu, the recipient of the Radius Award, presented by MADE | NOUS.
For the full list of 2023 Canadian Screen Award nominees, please visit academy.ca/nominees; view the full schedule for Canadian Screen Week 2023 at academy.ca/schedule.
From a media release:
The DGC is delighted to announce the winners of the 2022 DGC Awards. The Guild received over 450 submissions this year for both film and television categories.
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FEATURE FILM
David Cronenberg – Crimes of the Future
ALLAN KING AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DOCUMENTARY
Madison Thomas – Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On
DGC JEAN-MARC VALLÉE DISCOVERY AWARD
Anthony Shim – Riceboy Sleeps
BEST SHORT FILM
Hayley Gray – Send the Rain
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – FEATURE FILM
Tamara Deverell – Nightmare Alley
BEST PICTURE EDITING – FEATURE FILM
Cam McLauchlin – Nightmare Alley
BEST PICTURE EDITING – DOCUMENTARY
Sarah Peddie – Unloved: Huronia’s Forgotten Children
BEST SOUND EDITING – FEATURE FILM
Nathan Robitaille, Jill Purdy, Dashen Naidoo, Josh Brown, Nelson Ferreira, Kayla Stewart, Craig MacLellan, Kevin Banks – Nightmare Alley
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMATIC SERIES
Charles Officer – The Porter, Episode 101, Episode 1
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY SERIES
Fabrizio Filippo – Sort Of, Episode 101, Sort of Gone
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FAMILY SERIES
Melanie Orr – The Hardy Boys, Episode 207, The Doctor’s Orders
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND MINI-SERIES
Helen Shaver – Station Eleven, Episode 108, Who’s There?
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – DRAMATIC SERIES
Elisabeth Williams – The Handmaid’s Tale, Episode 405, Chicago
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND MINI-SERIES
Elisa Sauvé – Sneakerella
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – COMEDY OR FAMILY SERIES
Zoë Sakellaropoulo – Ghosts, Episode 109, Alberta’s Fan
Zoë Sakellaropoulo – The Bold Type, Episode 505, Don’t Turn Away
BEST PICTURE EDITING – DRAMATIC SERIES
Ana Yavari – The Handmaid’s Tale, Episode 407, Home
BEST PICTURE EDITING – MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND MINI-SERIES
Maureen Grant – Stolen by Their Father
BEST PICTURE EDITING – COMEDY OR FAMILY SERIES
Lee Walker – Astrid and Lilly Save the World, Episode 105, A-Borg
BEST SOUND EDITING – DRAMATIC SERIES
David McCallum, Ed Douglas, Marvyn Dennis, Peter Thillaye, Kayla Stewart, Jean Bot – The Porter, Episode 108, Episode 8
BEST SOUND EDITING – MOVIES FOR TELEVISION AND MINI-SERIES
Jane Tattersall, Brennan Mercer, Martin Gwynn Jones, David Caporale – The North Water, Episode 103, Homo Homini Lupus
BEST SOUND EDITING – COMEDY OR FAMILY SERIES
John Douglas Smith, Kayla Stewart, Paul Talbott, Kelly McGahey, Taylor Brockelsby, Kevin Banks – Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, Episode 112, Into the Trash
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @DGCTalent. Use the hashtag #DGCAwards to join the conversation!
The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a national labour organization that represents over 6,000 key creative and logistical personnel in the screen-based industry covering all areas of direction, design, production and editing. The DGC negotiates and administers collective agreements and lobbies extensively on issues of concern for Members including Canadian content conditions, CRTC regulations and ensuring that funding is maintained for Canadian film & television programming.
From Jesse Whittock of Deadline:
Link: CBC/Radio-Canada boss Catherine Tait: “We developed ‘Schitt’s Creek’, Simu Liu and The Kids In The Hall and we’re open for business”
“We can’t be that big, generalist television network; we have to focus on truly authentic Canadian stories.” Continue reading.
From Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post:
Link: Labour of love: Sabryn Rock’s latest acting job was a life-changing experience
“It was this interesting kind of synchronistic thing … having this huge life event of motherhood happen and then portraying somebody who all she wants is to be a mother.” Continue reading.
From Debra Yeo of the Toronto Star:
Link: CBC’s ‘The Porter’ sheds light on part of Canadian history with ‘energy,’ ‘sexiness’ and ‘fun’
If you want to know what CBC’s historical drama “The Porter” is about, there’s a lot to be gleaned from the television series’ opening minute and 10 seconds. Continue reading.
From Sadaf Ahsan of the Toronto Star:
Link: CBC’s ‘groundbreaking’ new drama series ‘The Porter’ is a story of Black ambition
When CBC’s “The Porter” debuts Monday, it will become one of the network’s largest Black-led television series, ringing in Black History Month in a “powerful” way, says Toronto star Ronnie Rowe Jr., who adds that he’s “honoured to be a part of history.” Continue reading.
From Heather M. of The Televixen:
Link: Previewing CBC’s The Porter with the creative team
A rich, wide-ranging story of Black Canadians during the 1920s, the series follows the story of the titular porters who work the railways and their extended community of family and friends in Montreal. Continue reading.
From Johanna Schneller of The Globe and Mail:
Link: The Porter is an overdue win for Black representation on Canadian TV
When the cast wall went up, everyone got a lump in their throats. Headshots of the actors playing the 100-odd characters in The Porter, an eight-part CBC series in partnership with BET. Row after row of faces. Ninety-five per cent of them Black. Continue reading.
From Eric Volmers of the Calgary Herald:
Link: The Porter takes a rare look at the injustices, triumphs of Canada’s Black Diaspora in the 1920s
In the new CBC series, The Porter, part of the action takes place in a lively night spot called Club Stardust. It’s a gathering place for many of the characters in the series, a hotspot in Montreal’s Black neighbourhood of St. Antoine in the roaring 1920s. Continue reading.
From Alicia Cox Thomson of Chatelaine:
Link: How CBC’s The Porter Made Me Reexamine My Own History
The Porter takes place in 1921 when train travel for wealthy white people was the height of luxury; train porters were always male and Black. Continue reading.
From Sherlyn Assam of Broadview:
Link: ‘The Porter’ showcases Black Canadian train workers’ historic fight for equality
CBC’s new original series The Porter tells the fascinating story of how Canadian train porters helped organize North America’s first Black labour union. Continue reading.
From Bill Brownstein of the Montreal Gazette:
Link: Brownstein: CBC-TV’s The Porter revisits the Black experience of 1920s Montreal
Some had just returned from fighting overseas for Canada during the First World War. Others were recent immigrants from the Caribbean. They had dreams of finding promising jobs and earning the respect of their fellow countrymen. Continue reading.
From Etan Vlessing of The Hollywood Reporter:
Link: ‘The Porter’ Creators Talk Black Representation and Canadian TV’s Culture Shift: “It’s a Pretty Powerful Moment”
Canada is making a giant step forward in representation with the civil rights drama The Porter, to air on the CBC and BET+ stateside. Continue reading.
From Carolyn Hinds of The Gate:
Link: Loren Lott and Aml Ameen talk The Porter on CBC
“Colorism has affected me all my life, you know? But it’s something that I always swept under the rug, just like I think the Black community has.” Continue reading.
From Norman Wilner of NOW Toronto:
Link: The Porter gives Black Canadian history a new look
Mostly, the show is about the path to social justice for its idealistic characters, which is paved with tragedies, betrayals and setbacks. But it makes room for Black joy, and that feels important. Continue reading.
From Bill Brioux of Brioux.tv:
Link: The Porter is a dazzling train ride 100 years into Canada’s past
Set 100 years ago in the early 1920s, the Canadian railway drama tells the story of train porters Junior Massey and Zeke Garrett (Ami Ameen and Ronnie Rowe Jr.) and their families as they strive against fierce resistance to form North America’s first Black labour union. Continue reading.
From Charles Trapunski of Brief Take:
Link: Interview: The cast and creators of The Porter
It was extremely resonant hearing from Marsha Greene, in particular, about the ways in which The Porter developed along the way, finding the correct track, so to speak. Continue reading.
From Heather M. of The Televixen:
Link: The Televixen chats with the women of The Porter
In the final part of my chat with The Porter team during the press day, series stars Mouna Traoré (Marlene), Loren Lott (Lucy), and Oluniké Adeliyi (Queenie) discuss working on the show. Continue reading.
