From a media release:

Today, at the Prime Video Presents Canada showcase event, Prime Video revealed the premiere date and official trailer for the new Canadian Amazon Original series The Kids in the Hall, produced by Broadway Video. The iconic Canadian comedy troupe—Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson—is back with a new season of their groundbreaking sketch series, featuring a fresh batch of fun offbeat characters and beloved favourites, with sketches that pack a satirical punch, laced with the hilarious, edgy, and fearless comedy The Kids are famous for. The Canadian Amazon Original series The Kids in the Hall will be available exclusively on Prime Video on May 13 in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

First premiering in 1989, the original Emmy-nominated The Kids in the Hall was an alternative comedy sensation that developed a die-hard fanbase while influencing countless comedians and performers. The new season marks the return of The Kids, with eight new episodes featuring all-new sketches from the beloved comedy troupe. The season’s guest stars include Paul Bellini, Pete Davidson, Catherine O’Hara, Kenan Thompson, Brandon Ash-Mohammed, Will Forte, Catherine Reitman, Samantha Bee, Fred Armisen, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Jay Baruchel, Eddie Izzard, Tracee Ellis Ross, Mark Hamill, and Colin Mochrie.

The Kids in the Hall is produced by Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video and Canadian production company Project 10. The Kids in the Hall is created, written, and executive produced by Foley, McCulloch, McDonald, McKinney, and Thompson, with executive producers also including Michaels, Britta von Schoeler, and Andy Garland for Broadway Video, Andrew Barnsley and Ben Murray for Project 10, and Garry Campbell. Kelly Makin and Julie Klausner are co-executive producers. Mark Valdez serves as producer for Broadway Video. Other producers include Jen Goodhue, Colin Brunton, Jen Kirkman, Matt Watts, and Norm Hiscock.

Joining the revival series on Prime Video will be the previously announced The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks, a two-part documentary produced by Blue Ant Studios, which recently premiered at SXSW and will screen at the Hot Docs Festival in May. The Canadian Amazon Original The Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks will launch on May 20 in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Featured, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Preview: TVO pushes off for a leisurely cruise in Tripping the Bruce

April 14, 2022 Greg David 2 Comments

The first time I cruised along with Mitch Azaria was for his first non-stop boat excursion, Tripping the Rideau Canal. That was followed by Tripping the Niagara. Now comes the third.

Tripping the Bruce—airing Friday at 7 p.m. ET on TVO, TVO.org and TVO’s YouTube channel—sticks with his winning formula, inviting viewers to hop into a sailboat for a three-hour, non-stop 34-kilometre trek along the north shore of the Bruce Peninsula.

Kicking off with a stunning drone shot of rocky crags, deep blue water, green trees and the sound of surf and birds, viewers begin the journey in Wingfield Basin, Lake Huron. Once there—and as with the past two Tripping projects—on-screen facts about the basin are given before we hear the call for anchors to be pulled up and the trip to begin.

Part history lesson, part travelogue, Tripping the Bruce is fascinating not only for the natural spectacles in this rugged part of Ontario but the more than 1,000 shipwrecks festooned along the lake bottom. Engaging animation recalls the history of some of those ships—like the W.L. Wetmore, Sweepstakes and Niagara II—before heading below the waves to show what remains of them today.

The route north is studded with boulders strewn on its shores and a landscape with deep caves and tunnels carved by weather, swimmers and sunbathers at the famous Grotto, the beaches of Dunks Bay and Tobermory, where Canada’s most-visited shipwreck can be seen just below the waterline. The trip ends at Flowerpot Island and its famous sea stacks.

Tripping the Bruce is at its best when no one speaks, when the water, sails and birds are the soundtrack to the stunning visuals captured.

Tripping the Bruce airs Friday at 7 p.m. ET on TVO, TVO.org and TVO’s YouTube channel.

Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Blue Ant Media commissions Hoarders: Canada, produced by Saloon Media

April 12, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media company, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with A+E Networks to produce the format of the critically acclaimed series, Hoarders, marking the first-ever format commission for the series outside the USA. Under the title Hoarders: Canada, the series has been greenlit by Blue Ant Media for its Canadian programming slate. Hoarders: Canada follows a team of experts as they tackle some of Canada’s most challenging hoards, giving viewers an in-depth look at the emotional stories of those dealing with compulsive hoarding behaviours. Produced by the award-winning Saloon Media, nationwide casting for Hoarders: Canada will begin this month.

Hoarders: Canada will explore the world of extreme hoarding and provide an in-depth look at real-life stories of those directly affected by compulsive hoarding. Each episode will introduce viewers to individuals from across Canada as a team of experts try to help clean out massive hoards and assist with setting these individuals up for future success. Leading Canadian psychologists will work in tandem with extreme cleanup experts in an effort to help these families deal with a hoarding crisis of epic magnitude. Hoarders: Canada will premiere on Blue Ant Media’s specialty channel Makeful in late 2022.

Hoarders: Canada joins a roster of original TV formats commissioned by Blue Ant Media for its Canadian specialty channels, including Makeful’s Landscape Artist of the Year: Canada and Cottage Life’s highest-rated original series, Life Below Zero: Canada, produced by Saloon Media and now in its second season. Casting for Hoarders: Canada is now open and is accepting applications nationwide via hoarderscanadacasting.com.

Hoarders: Canada is based on the critically acclaimed A+E Networks series Hoarders. Franklin Cumberbatch and Peter Tarshis serve as executive producers for A+E Networks. Hoarders: Canada is produced by Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media company. Shannon McKinnon serves as the Series Producer and Deborah MacDonald is the Supervising Producer. Michael Kot, Betty Orr and Pam Mcnair serve as Executive Producers.

Awards

Banff’s 2022 Rockie Awards International Program Competition nominees announced

April 12, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is pleased to announce the full list of nominees for the 2022 Rockie Awards International Program Competition, recognizing excellence in television and digital media from around the globe. Hosted by actress and comedian Rakhee Morzaria (Run the Burbs), the Rockies Program Competition ceremony will be held in-person as well as live-streamed on YouTube during this year’s Festival at 6:30 pm ET (4:30 pm MT) on Monday, June 13^th.

The Rockie Awards International Program Competition is one of the largest awards programs of its kind, juried by an esteemed panel of 150 international industry professionals and covering all major genres. The Rockie Awards Grand Jury chooses the coveted Grand Jury Prize, selected from the top-scoring programs across the entire field of nominees. This year’s Grand Jury includes: Vanessa Brookman, Head of Kids EMEA, WarnerMedia; Trish Williams, Executive Director, Scripted Content, CBC; James Blue, Head, Smithsonian Channel & Senior VP, MTV News and Docs, ViacomCBS Entertainment & Youth Brands; Young-kyu Kim, Co-CEO, Studio Dragon; Caroline Hollick, Head of Drama, Channel 4; Candice Wilson Cherry, Head of Development and Production, LOL and Monika Ille, Director, APTN.

“This year’s Rockie Awards are more international than ever before,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director of the Banff World Media Festival. “The creative spirit and exceptional work across the nominees truly exemplify the very best of global content. We can’t wait to share this year’s show and celebrate in-person with nominees and winners once again in Canada’s beautiful Rockie Mountains.”

In addition to the Grand Jury Prize, the $25,000 Rogers Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content, awarded to the top Canadian production and The Francophone Prize for the top French-language production will also be awarded in addition to other special awards. In total, 29 awards will be bestowed in the category streams of Documentary & Factual, Arts & Entertainment, Children & Youth, Scripted, and Podcast, in addition to the presentation of several Rockies Gala Awards to be announced soon.

Leading nominations by company are:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) – 23 nominations
National Geographic and Disney Branded Television – 9 nominations each
HBO – 7 nominations
Sky – 6 nominations
Warner Brothers – 5 nominations

Leading nominations by country are:

USA – 54 nominations
UK – 59 nominations
Canada – 30 nominations
Australia – 9 nominations
France – 6 nominations

Additional countries represented in the nominations are:

Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Canary Islands
China
Denmark
Finland
Germany
India
Ireland
Italy
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Qatar
Singapore
Sweden
Uruguay

FOR THE FULL LIST OF NOMINEES, PLEASE VISIT: https://rockies.playbackonline.ca/nominees

Now in its 43^rd year, BANFF is the international conference and marketplace where new business partnerships are forged and new TV, film and digital media projects are ignited. With delegates from 50+ countries, the Festival attracts the world’s top creators, producers, showrunners, talent, networks, studios, streamers, press and media companies. In addition, BANFF continues to deliver important fellowships and initiatives including The BANFF Spark Accelerator for Women in the Business of Media, supported by the Government of Canada which empowers and trains Canadian women entrepreneurs to launch and grow their own sustainable businesses within the screen-based industries as well as the Netflix-BANFF Diversity of Voices Initiative, a program that jumpstarts and accelerates the careers of up to 100 Black, Indigenous and People of Colour producers and creators.

ABOUT RAKHEE MORZARIA

Rakhee Morzaria is an actress and comedian who produced, wrote, and starred in the Canadian Screen Award and Canadian Comedy Award-nominated web series, NOTE TO SELF about the daily adventures of an overconfident second-generation millennial.

Rakhee has performed at the Toronto Fringe Festival, Toronto Sketchfest, SheDot Festival, Hart House Theatre and Bad Dog Theatre. She is a graduate of Factory Theatre’s artistic training program, Second City’s Conservatory, the Second City Bob Curry Fellowship Program, and she has performed in various shows with the company. Her on-screen credits include Global TV’s PRIVATE EYES, FX’s WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, and HUDSON & REX.

Her comedy has been featured at the WIFT-T showcase, Atlantic Film Festival, and the National Screen Institute’s Film Festival.

Rakhee Morzaria is a writer and star in CBC’s original Comedy Run the Burbs, which will return to CBC and CBC Gem for season 2 in 2023.

Image courtesy of CBC.

Bellevue, Bomb Girls, Coroner, Industry News

Cineflix Media partners with Adrienne Mitchell’s BentFrame Film & TV

April 12, 2022 Greg David

From a media release:

Cineflix Media Inc. has announced it is partnering with celebrated showrunner, director, and producer Adrienne Mitchell and her newly launched production company BentFrame Film & TV.

The partnership gives Cineflix Media the first option to co-produce original content developed by Mitchell, while providing BentFrame with access to development support from Cineflix Studios. In addition, Cineflix Rights will retain exclusive first-look rights to distribute the shingle’s content internationally.

Based in Toronto, BentFrame will develop and produce ambitious, provocative, female-driven dramatic series and feature films for global audiences. The company already has several projects in development with broadcasters and international co-producers. Zach Marcovici, also previously of Back Alley Films, joins BentFrame as Director of Development and Production. The announcement follows Cineflix Media’s recent acquisition of Back Alley Film Productions Ltd.—co-founded by Adrienne Mitchell—along with its library of content IP.

“Adrienne has a powerful vision that aligns with Cineflix Media’s content strategy. We’re delighted to continue our support for Adrienne and Zach through a development and distribution agreement with Adrienne’s new company BentFrame,” said Peter Emerson, President, Cineflix Media.

“I’m thrilled to be working with Cineflix Media to tap into today’s exciting and thought-provoking story landscape. I’m inspired to tell stories with diverse and unique perspectives that shine a light on untold narratives. I look forward to a fruitful collaboration with Cineflix Media in creating landmark television and film that will resonate with Canadian and global audiences,” said Adrienne Mitchell, BentFrame Film &TV.

Adrienne Mitchell is an award-winning film and television director and showrunner who has been creating auteur-driven drama series, and helming them as lead director, for more than three decades. Mitchell’s many achievements include the critically acclaimed series Durham County; the mystery-thriller series Bellevue, starring Oscar®-winner Anna Paquin; and, the WWII-era series Bomb Girls, and the MOW Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy. Mitchell is currently the Executive Producer and a Director on the fourth season of global hit series Coroner. In 2017, she was honoured with the Nell Shipman Award for directorial achievement and for advancing gender equity in the entertainment industry. Mitchell is also the recipient of the prestigious Excellence in Production Award from WIFT Toronto.

BentFrame Film & TV joins Cineflix Media’s growing community of talented creative partners including a recently launched joint venture with Morwyn Brebner and Andrew Akman’s Husk Media.

BentFrame Film & TV is represented by Great North Artists Management Inc.