The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is thrilled to announce that for the first time, the prestigious Banff Gala Awards and the Rockie Awards International Program Competition will unite in a single, must-attend event—creating an unparalleled celebration of industry excellence. This milestone event will honor both the entertainment industry’s most influential talent and business leaders and the most exceptional content from around the world. The highly anticipated in-person awards show will take place on Monday, June 9th at 5:30pm MT (4:30pm PT/ 7:30pm ET) during the Festival, bringing together industry leaders, talent, and creators for an unforgettable night of recognition and celebration.
The Banff Gala Honours recognize visionary executives, creatives, and changemakers shaping the global media landscape. Gala Honours recipients will be announced at a later date. Meanwhile, the Rockie Awards International Program Competition celebrates the best in television and digital media, with this year’s competition featuring 152 nominees from 22 countries across 30 categories, selected from entries submitted by 45 countries.
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 esteemed Grand Jury includes:
Hojin Kwon Senior Executive Director SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System)
Adam Lewinson Chief Content Officer Tubi
Meghan Lyvers Executive Director, Original Scripted UK & Ireland Sky
Sitarah Pendelton-Eaglin EVP, Head of Unscripted Series SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks
Christian Vesper CEO, Global Drama and Film Fremantle
“For the first time ever, we’re bringing together the prestigious Gala Awards and the Rockies into one incredible event. This will be a spectacular night celebrating the industry’s most influential leaders alongside the world’s top creative talent — all in one room, under one roof. With so many groundbreaking creators and executives in attendance, this year’s show promises to be an unforgettable, must-see celebration of excellence in global entertainment,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director.
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 Prix Francophone for the top French language production will also be awarded as well as other special awards including the Carrie Hunter Emerging Talent Prize. In total, 30 awards will be bestowed in the category streams of Documentary & Factual, Arts & Entertainment, Children & Youth, Scripted, and Podcast. This year’s lineup also introduces two new categories – Best Performance in a Drama and Best Performance in a Comedy – which recognize outstanding recurring performances in a scripted comedic and dramatic series.
Leading nominations by company are: ● BBC – 28 nominations ● National Geographic – 7 nominations ● Hulu – 7 nominations ● Disney Television Studios – 5 nominations ● Audible – 5 nominations
Leading nominations by country are: ● USA – 54 nominations ● UK – 52 nominations ● CANADA – 35 nominations ● AUSTRALIA – 7 nominations ● BELGIUM – 5 nominations ● FRANCE – 5 nominations ● SOUTH KOREA – 5 nominations
Additional countries represented in the nominations are: ● CHINA ● FINLAND ● GERMANY ● INDIA ● IRELAND ● ISRAEL ● ITALY ● JAPAN ● MEXICO ● NEW ZEALAND ● NORWAY ● SINGAPORE ● SPAIN ● SWEDEN ● TAIWAN
See all the nominees here, including one for Allegiance‘s Supinder Wraich (pictured above).
Recognizing the talent behind the most engaging and powerful Canadian-made series, films, and shorts, the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) is pleased to announce the nominations for the 29th annual WGC Screenwriting Awards. The Awards will take place at Koerner Hall in Toronto on Monday, April 28, co-hosted by Andrew Phung and Jonathan Langdon, and written by Anthony Q. Farrell.
In contention for the 2025 awards are scripts from Late Bloomer (Lakna Edirisinghe, Jagjiwan Sohal, Shebli Zarghami), Allegiance (Anar Ali, Sarah Dodd, Mark Ellis, Penny Gummerson, Stephanie Morgenstern), Open Season: Call of Nature (Mike Girard, Joel Buxton, Tom Berger), Popularity Papers (Kyah Green, JP Larocque, Vivian Lin), Wilfred Buck (Lisa Jackson), Sharp Corner (Jason Buxton), and many others.
Please see the complete list of categories and nominees below.
In addition to the 10 featured screenwriting categories, one WGC member will be awarded the prestigious Showrunner Award, a special prize honouring a recognized showrunner who has demonstrated great writing and leadership skills. Other special prizes will be awarded, including the Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize, and the Sondra Kelly Award, which is generously supported by AFBS.
New this year, the Margaret Collier Award will be presented as part of the WGC Screenwriting Awards, with supporting partner, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (the Canadian Academy). Started in 1986 by the Canadian Academy at the annual Gemini Awards, and then as part of the Canadian Screen Awards in 2013, the Margaret Collier Award honours a Canadian writer or team of writers for their outstanding body of work in film or television. This distinguished award is named after Margaret Collier, who began her career at ACTRA in 1964, and played a pivotal role in establishing the Writers Guild of Canada, serving as its first Executive Director from 1991 to 1994.
CHILDREN’S
Camp Snoopy, “Sally’s Tooth” | Written by Carly DeNure
Hamsters of Hamsterdale, “The Potato King” | Written by Madeleine Patton
Open Season: Call of Nature, “Cash Camp Pt 1 & 2” | Written by Mike Girard
Open Season: Call of Nature, “Squirrel Down” | Written by Joel Buxton
Open Season: Call of Nature, “What a Chinook” | Written by Tom Berger
Zokie of Planet Ruby, “Los Muchos Amores de Earl” | Written by Dan Dillabough
COMEDY SERIES
Children Ruin Everything, “Bedtime” | Written by Andrew De Angelis
Don’t Even, “Skidmark, My Heart” | Written by Eva Thomas
Late Bloomer, “Heat Check” | Written by Lakna Edirisinghe
Late Bloomer, “The Turban” | Written by Jagjiwan Sohal
Late Bloomer, “Turn Down for What” | Written by Shebli Zarghami
Sort of, “Sort of Hospital Again” | Written by Tricia Fish
DRAMA SERIES
Allegiance, “8 x 6” | Written by Mark Ellis & Stephanie Morgenstern
Allegiance, “The Legacy” | Written by Penny Gummerson
Allegiance, “Pilot” | Written by Anar Ali
Allegiance, “Safe Harbours” | Written by Anar Ali & Sarah Dodd
Murdoch Mysteries, “Rhapsody in Blood” | Written by Christina Ray
Wild Cards, “The Infinity Thief” | Written by Michael Konyves
DOCUMENTARY
Altona | Written by Heath Affolter, Nathan Affolter, Thomas Affolter, and Jon Affolter
Botanical Jungle, “Peony Extravaganza” | Written by Thomas Conway & Michael Sykora
Wilfred Buck | Written by Lisa Jackson
FEATURE FILM
The Invisibles | Story by Andrew Currie/Screenplay by Andrew Currie & Colin Aussant
Out Come the Wolves | Story by Joris Jarsky, Adam MacDonald, and Enuka Okuma/Screenplay by Enuka Okuma
Sharp Corner | Written by Jason Buxton
We Forgot to Break Up | Story by Pat Mills & Zoe Whittall/Screenplay by Noel Baker
MOW & MINISERIES
Gilded Newport Mysteries: Murder at the Breakers | Written by Keri Ferencz
Guess Who | Written by Matt Wells, Ian Carpenter, and Aaron Martin
Legend of the Lost Locket | Written by Michelle Ricci
PRESCHOOL
Dylan’s Playtime Adventures, “Dylan the Firefighter” | Written by Emer Connon
Go Togo, “Arctic Chill” | Written by Celeste Koon
Let’s Go, Bananas!, “Yelloween” | Written by Brandon Hackett
Let’s Go, Bananas!, “Papa the Daddy” | Written By Aaron Eves
Luna, Chip & Inkie Adventure Rangers Go, “Lights, Camera, Save Eagle Creek!” | Written by Shelley Hoffman & Robert Pincombe
Luna, Chip & Inkie Adventure Rangers Go, “Who’s Your Mama?” | Written by Tony Tran
Vida the Vet, “Kipp’s Dizzy Mystery” | Written by Gillian Pike
SHORT FILMS (UNDER 60 MINUTES)
Jim Henson’s The Storyteller – The Seven Ravens | Written by Simon Racioppa
Let Me In | Written by Joel Buxton
Memento Mori | Written by Emily Hurson & Andrew Moodie
SHORT SERIES (EPISODES UNDER 15 MINUTES)
Get Up Aisha, “Exercise” | Written by Nisha Khan, Rabiya Mansoor, and Marushka Almeida
Near or Far, “The Phone Call” | Written by Duana Taha
Nesting, “Money” | Written by Rosa Laborde
Space Janitors, “Clones War” | Written by Brendan Halloran
Stories from my Gay Grandparents, “Dodging Balls” | Written by Perrie Voss & Scott Farley
TWEEN & TEENS
Davey & Jonesie’s Locker, “Orange is the New Snack” | Written by Evany Rosen
Media Stamped, “What’s in a Frame?” | Written by Nicole Stamp
Popularity Papers, “Let’s Sick Together” | Written by JP Larocque & Vivian Lin
Popularity Papers, “Odds Squads” | Written by Kyah Green & Vivian Lin
Popularity Papers, “The Wonderful Wizard of Mapleview Part 2” | Written by Vivian Lin
CBC today announced streaming and broadcast premiere dates for its winter 2025 slate of new and returning programming on CBC Gem and CBC TV, including more than 30 original series from Canadian creators, producers, and storytellers reflecting people, places and perspectives from across the country. The first episode of all series will be available to stream on CBC Gem starting at 9 a.m. ET on their premiere dates noted below, with a new episode available weekly at the same time unless otherwise specified. CBC TV local broadcast times are noted in parentheses (for Newfoundland and Labrador, please add half an hour to all times). CBC’s special holiday programming will be announced separately in December.
New Canadian Original Series
SAINT-PIERRENew Drama Series (10×60) – Premieres Monday January 6 (9 p.m.)
Fitz (Allan Hawco, Republic of Doyle, Jack Ryan) and Arch (Joséphine Jobert, Death in Paradise) – two seasoned officers with very different policing skills and approaches – are forced to work together to solve unique crimes in Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, the French territory just off the coast of Newfoundland.
NORTH OF NORTHNew Comedy Series (8×30) – Premieres Tuesday, January 7 (9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., before continuing at 9 p.m. as of January 14)
Filmed in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Inuk actor Anna Lambe (True Detective, Trickster, The Grizzlies) stars as Siaja, a young Inuk woman who dreams of reinventing herself in her tiny Arctic community of Ice Cove, a town where everybody knows your business. After a spontaneous — and extremely public — exit from her marriage, Siaja finds herself navigating the unpredictable, and often hilarious, highs and lows that come with relationships, motherhood, a new job, and finding your way.
SMALL ACHIEVABLE GOALSNew Comedy Series (8×30) – Premieres Tuesday, February 25 (9 p.m.)
Baroness von Sketch Show’s Jennifer Whalen and Meredith MacNeill star as two wildly different women in the throes of menopause, thrust together to produce a podcast. The pair embark on an unpredictable journey of transformation, helping each other through workplace challenges and office politics, dating disasters and relationship drama, and some serious health concerns. This comedy follows them on a hormonal adventure where their friendship is the key to finding solace, strength, and a new way forward.
Allegiance
Returning Series
CORONATION STREET ongoing (weekdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays at 7:30 p.m.)
FAMILY FEUD CANADASeason 6 (64×30) – Premieres Monday, December 30, airs Mondays – Thursdays (7:30 p.m.)
THE NATURE OF THINGSSeason 64 (11×60) – Premieres Thursday, January 2 (9 p.m.) The new season tears down stereotypes of TEENAGERS (Jan. 2) across the species, breaks into a SWEAT! (Jan. 9) exploring the complex cooling system of humans, and investigates the FOODSPIRACY (Jan. 16) behind ultra processed foods.
SKYMEDSeason 3 (9×60) – Premieres Sunday, January 5 (9 p.m.)
WINNIPEG COMEDY FESTIVALSeason 22 and 23 (5×60) – Premieres Sunday, March 9 (9 p.m.)
YOU’RE MY HEROSeason 2 (6×15) – All episodes available to stream on CBC Gem beginning Friday, March 14
BOLLYWEDSeason 3 (8×30) – Premieres Thursday, March 20 (9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.)
GHOSTING WITH LUKE HUTCHIE AND MATTHEW FINLANSeason 2 (8×30) – All episodes available to stream on CBC Gem beginning Friday, March 21
Ghosting with Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finlan
CBC News
ABOUT THAT WITH ANDREW CHANG (15×30) – Continues Friday, January 10 at 8:30 p.m. on CBC TV (Weekday mornings on the CBC News streaming channel and available now on CBC Gem)
MARKETPLACESeason 52 (14×30) – Continues Friday, January 24 (8 p.m.)
THE FIFTH ESTATE Season 50 (14×60) – Continues Friday, January 24 (9 p.m.)
THE NATIONAL – ongoing (live at 10 p.m. weekdays and Sundays on CBC TV and CBC Gem)
CBC’s flagship national newscast with Chief Correspondent Adrienne Arsenault (Monday – Thursday) and Ian Hanomansing (Friday and Sunday)
CBC MORNING LIVE WITH HEATHER HISCOX (Weekday mornings on CBC TV and CBC News Network)
CANADA TONIGHT WITH TRAVIS DHANRAJ (Weeknights on CBC News Network)
POWER & POLITICS WITH DAVID COCHRANE (Weeknights on CBC News Network)
ROSEMARY BARTON LIVE (Sundays on CBC TV and CBC News Network)
CBC Sports
CBC SPORTS PRESENTS – ongoing (live on Saturday and Sunday afternoons on CBC TV and CBC Gem)
With the Olympic Winter Games Milano-Cortina 2026 on the horizon, CBC SPORTS brings audiences all the action from the world of high-performance sport with key competitions including: FIS Alpine Skiing Men’s Downhill (Jan. 25 in iconic Kitzbuhel, Austria); FIS Alpine World Ski Championships (Feb. 4 – 16, Saalbach, Austria); FIL Luge World Championship (Feb. 8, Whistler, Canada); IBSF Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Championships (Mar. 6 – 16, Lake Placid, USA); ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships (Mar. 14 – 16, Beijing, China); ISU World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships (Mar. 13 – 16, Hamar, Norway); FIS Snowboard & Freestyle Skiing World Championships (Mar. 17 – 30, Engadin, Switzerland); and ISU World Figure Skating Championships (Mar 26 – 30, Boston, USA). Canada will also host international competitors at the following World Cup events: ISU World Cup Speed Skating (Jan. 24 – 26, Calgary); FIS World Cup Freestyle Skiing (Jan. 25 – 26, Lac-Beauport, Que.); FIS World Cup Freestyle Skiing Moguls (Jan. 31 – Feb. 1, Val Saint-Côme, Que.); FIS Snowboarding World Cup (Feb. 15 – 16, Val Saint-Côme, Que.); FIS World Cup Freestyle Skiing Slopestyle (Feb. 20 – 22, Stoneham, Que.); FIS Snowboarding World Cup (Feb 21 – 22, Calgary); and FIS World Cup Freestyle Ski Cross (Mar. 12 – 15, Craigleith, Ont.). Visit cbcsports.ca for the full schedule.
CBC Kids
THE BRAVEST KNIGHTSeason 2 (13×11) – Premieres Friday, December 13 on CBC Gem and Sunday, January 12 on CBC TV
Sir Cedric – a former pumpkin farmer turned knight, now grown up and married to the prince of his dreams – shares the story of his transformative journey with his 10-year-old adopted daughter, Nia. Through his stories, Nia, who is herself training to become a knight, learns important chivalric values such as honour, justice and compassion. Alan Cumming and Jane Lynch joining returning voice actors TR Knight, Christine Baranski, Wilson Cruz, Steven Weber and Bobby Moynihan.
LANA LONGBEARDNew Animated Series (52×11) – Premieres Friday, December 20 on CBC Gem, with weekly episodes continuing to roll out on CBC Gem as of Friday, January 3
Twelve-year-old Lana Longbeard yearns to join her father Captain Andar on his heroic adventures at sea and leave her home island behind. When Andar decides he’s ready to hang up the hammer and retire Lana takes matters into her own hands, hijacking her father’s ship. After catching up with her Andar is inspired to continue to quest, now together with Lana on a father-daughter voyage of adventure. Set sail with LANA LONGBEARD as she sails across the ten realms with the ragtag crew of the Mighty Windbreaker ship in pursuit of glorious quests, fabulous treasure and delicious pancakes!
GANGNAM PROJECTSeason 2 (10×30) – All episodes available to stream on CBC Gem beginning Monday, March 3
Season 2 follows the young K-pop performers as they transition from One Mile Entertainment trainees through the excitement and make-or-break journey of becoming professional K-pop idols. But while the highs are high, the lows can be even lower – it’s not easy suddenly being in the spotlight. With pressure from OME, expectations from the fans, and dealing with creative differences as a group, friendship and commitment are tested like never before.
Lark Productions and CBC today announced that Season 2 of police drama ALLEGIANCE (10×60) is currently shooting across BC’s Lower Mainland through December 5, 2024.
Premiering in winter 2024, ALLEGIANCE was CBC’s most-watched new series of the 2023-24 season.* The high-octane police drama uniquely set in Surrey, BC, is a CBC Original series from Lark Productions in association with Universal International Studios, starring Supinder Wraich (Sort Of) as Sabrina Sohal and Enrico Colantoni (English Teacher) as Vince Brambilla. Season 2 welcomes Samer Salem (The Expanse, The Boys) to the ensemble cast as a series regular, portraying Detective Corporal Zak Kalaini. Plus, showrunners Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern (Flashpoint, X Company) are back at the helm of ALLEGIANCE, a series created by Anar Ali (Transplant).
The series focuses on identity and belonging, policing and politics, and finding truth within the heart of a flawed justice system. Season 2 will be rooted in a powerful set of engaging and topical storylines including online gambling, tech janitors and international schools. Lead character Sabrina Sohal (Wraich) joins the Serious Crimes Unit of the CFPC and has six months to prove she’s got what it takes to be a detective. She’s paired with a newly transferred partner who has a decade more of experience compared to her and a very different approach to the job. While navigating a complex love life and an equally complicated family life, Sabrina is determined to take down the man responsible for framing her father.
“Audiences embraced Allegiance, and we are excited for viewers to see the next instalment on CBC this winter. Our creative team continues to raise the bar this season and we are grateful for the opportunity to continue to explore the lives of our characters and tell these important stories,” said Erin Haskett, President, Lark Productions.
Returning series regulars include Stephen Lobo, Adolyn H. Dar, David Cubitt, Crystal Balint, Toby Levins, Melanie Papalia, and Andres Joseph.
A CBC Original series, ALLEGIANCE is produced by Lark Productions in association with Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, with NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution handling global sales. Stephanie Morgenstern, Mark Ellis and Anar Ali serve as Executive Producers alongside Lark Productions’ Erin Haskett, Nicole Mandes, David Valleau, Tex Antonucci and Season 2 director, Nimisha Mukerji.
Link: New police drama ‘Allegiance’ explores how injustice can make you rethink your identity On its surface, Allegiance, which premiered on Feb. 7, is a gripping, fast-paced crime drama. As the show progresses, Allegiance delves into the Sikh Punjabi community in the heart of Surrey, portraying the experiences of a South Asian woman and her family as they navigate issues of identity, belonging and the complexities of the justice system. Continue reading.
