Tag Archives: APTN

Uncategorized

Link: Edmonton’s Delmer and Marta premiere their own comedy on APTN

From Fish Griwkowsky of the Edmonton Journal:

Edmonton’s Delmer and Marta premiere their own comedy on APTN
It’s wisely said indigenous people’s issues are everyone’s issues, especially when it comes to taking care of our planet.

OK, but what about struggling to buy a bra — can that be anyone’s problem, too? According to the brand-new sitcom Delmer & Marta, it sure can. Especially if you’re a hoser named Delmer, exploring the uncharted land of cup sizes and straps in a hot panic. The comedy about a small-town TV station, shot in and around Edmonton, premieres at 10 p.m. Wednesday on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN 119). Continue reading. 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Uncategorized

Link: Is TV Becoming A Drag?

From Jim Bawden:

Is TV Becoming A Drag?
Is it just me or has TV become a drag? No, I’m perfectly serious about this after sampling the new series Delmer & Marta.

I mean every week I’m watching Mrs. Brown’s Boys (starring Brendan O’Connor) on BBC Canada. And there’s Dame Edna from times back who keeps making farewell tours.

And now it’s APTN’s Delmer & Marta which premieres Wednesday night at 10 p.m. Continue reading. 

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Mohawk Girls

Link: Women Behind Canadian TV: Cynthia Knight and Tracey Deer

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Women Behind Canadian TV: Cynthia Knight and Tracey Deer
The importance of telling diverse stories about underrepresented communities is nothing new to the women behind APTN’s Mohawk Girls. Cynthia Knight and Tracey Deer are going into their fourth season on the comedy series that features four twenty-something Mohawk women trying to find their place in the world. Deer, who was named one of Playback Magazine’s rising stars in Canadian Entertainment in 2008, was born and raised in the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory near Montreal where the show is set, and the documentary filmmaker directs all of the show’s episodes. Knight is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s TV Writers’ Program and serves as principal writer and showrunner. Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) Announces U.S. Sister Network

2 Comments

From a media release:

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), a Canadian based cable channel dedicated exclusively to indigenous content, has committed to launching All Nations Network (ANN) in the U.S. ANN will be the first network to bring both native and non-native audiences in the U.S. a 24-hour network providing native news, sports, scripted, lifestyle, feature-length movies and children’s programming written, produced, and directed by Native Americans, among others. Network distribution in the U.S. is being represented by Castalia Communications.

In the midst of the discourse over the lack of diversity in Hollywood, some of entertainment’s top stars and creators have joined to endorse ANN’s U.S. entrance. From Robert Redford to Oscar nominated actor Graham Greene (Dances With Wolves), Robbie Robertson (The Band) and acclaimed director Jim Jarmusch they have joined in endorsing the network. Their voices echo the Golden Globes speech by actor Leonardo Dicaprio who thanked the First Nations people in his acceptance speech for his award for “The Revenant.”

For more than 15 years, APTN’s award-winning programming in Canada has reached a staggering 92% of Canadian households and commercial establishments, and has strong traction with both First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples and non-Aboriginal communities. Over 80% of Aboriginal men and women in Canada find content on APTN a source of pride. ANN will provide an opportunity to bring reflective, contemporary, compelling, and original content to consumers of all cultures in the U.S.

The network will be headquartered in New Mexico. Native American filmmaker Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals and NBC’s “Friday Night Lights”), is a Sundance Film Festival and Director’s Guild of America award-winner who will be working closely with All Nations Network to launch in the United States.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Featured, Hard Rock Medical

Hard Rock Medical moves to North Bay for Season 3

Hard Rock Medical is back, and with a new backdrop. Season 3 was officially announced on Thursday via press conference from Canadore College’s Studio 1 in North Bay, Ont., where filming will take place. The first two seasons of the medical drama were shot in Sudbury, Ont., but an educational partnership with the support of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) meant a shift in cities.

“I am here to announce an NOHFC investment of $825,000 to TVO and its production partners for their production of Season 3 of Hard Rock Medical,” said Michael Gravelle, Minister of Northern Development and Mines, and chair of the NOHFC. “We’re really excited about it, and that will support the production of nine half-hour episodes.”

“I feel honoured that so many institutions are squarely behind Hard Rock Medical,” said co-creator/director Derek Diorio. “Thank you to the city of North Bay, that has been so welcoming to our production. Without all of you here, there is no Hard Rock Medical.” Diorio explained over 50 per cent of Season 3 will be shot at Canadore College. Seventy-five students from the Digital Cinema Program, Television Program and Theatre Arts Program, are currently working on pre-production and will be an integral part of the six-week shoot. A local warehouse and medical centre location will also be used for filming. Post-production will take place at Canadore as well.

“I want to thank Derek,” George Burton, President and CEO of Candore College said. “You have provided an incredible opportunity for learning to our students, which means so much to them. I want to thank everyone on Hard Rock Medical for being such wonderful role models to our students. You bring a level of professionalism to our campus which will hold them in good stead long after graduation.”

All local crew and musicians will be used and over 30 local actors will have lead roles this season, including North Bay native Jamie Spilchuk, who plays Cameron Cahill on the series. Hard Rock Medical follows a group of medical students training in Northern Ontario and is loosely based on the curriculum of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Shooting begins next week and continues until the middle of March.

Co-created by Smith Antonio Corindia and Diorio, Hard Rock Medical stars Patrick McKenna, Angela Asher, Danielle Bourgon, Rachelle Casseus, Tamara Duarte, Kyra Harper, Christian Laurin, Andrea Menard and Stephane Paquette.

Season 3 of Hard Rock Medical will be broadcast on TVO and APTN.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail