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Industry News

CBC announces new programming diversity commitment

From a media release:

At the Banff World Media Festival this morning, CBC announced a new programming diversity commitment to better reflect Canadian audiences and advance equity, inclusion and representation in the Canadian production industry. 

Effective immediately, CBC’s programming diversity commitment will require that at least 30 percent of all key creative roles on new CBC original scripted and unscripted series commissioned from independent producers will be held by those who self-identify as Indigenous, Black and/or People of Colour or persons with disabilities. Each type of series will have a tailored, genre-specific approach to what is considered a key creative role, with details to be posted on cbc.ca/ip. For example, for scripted drama, comedy and kids (live action) series, the 30 percent requirement will apply to all writer, director and principal performer roles. The new commitment will be included in all CBC contracts with independent producers, and will also require that producers of current CBC series set action plans detailing how they will work to increase equity and representation across existing productions. 

“We know we have work to do to better represent the voices and lived experiences of creative talent from Indigenous, Black and all racially diverse communities as well as those with disabilities, all underrepresented groups that are significantly underemployed in the Canadian industry,” said Sally Catto, General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports, CBC. “This new commitment formalizes our ongoing efforts to increase equity and representation across all areas, and is an immediate first step in ensuring that our original series will be led by a more diverse range of creative talent who authentically reflect more communities and perspectives across the country. 

CBC’s new commitment builds on the foundational diversity commitment made by CBC/Radio-Canada at Banff in 2019, with the majority of original series on CBC’s 2021-22 programming slate meeting the first goal, and many already achieving and in some cases exceeding the new 30 percent target including Coroner, Diggstown, The Porter, Pretty Hard Cases, Run the Burbs and Sort Of. CBC will continue to discuss and evolve the new commitment in partnership with the Canadian creative and production industry.

Radio-Canada remains committed to ensuring that at least one of the key creative roles on all of its original French-language scripted and unscripted programming is held by someone from an equity-deserving group by 2025. Beyond that, it is increasing its investments in programs such as Synergies to help build greater capacity for diverse talent within the francophone market. 

CBC/Radio-Canada will also maintain the public broadcaster’s momentum in gender equity, having already surpassed gender parity goals across all commissioned programming. 

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The Porter

CBC and BET+ original series The Porter now in production

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From a media release:

The highly anticipated start of production for Inferno Pictures and Sienna Films, THE PORTER (8×60), a CBC and BET+ original series, is now underway in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Shooting across various locations as well as in studio, THE PORTER continues until mid-September.

Exciting new additions to THE PORTER cast include Olunika Adeliyi (Titans, American Gods) and Loren Lott (American Idol, Tag). They join Aml Ameen (I May Destroy You, Yardie), Ronnie Rowe Jr. (Star Trek: Discovery, Pretty Hard Cases) and Mouna Traore (Self Made, The Umbrella Academy) who were announced earlier this year. Plus, series originators Arnold Pinnock and Bruce Ramsay take on series regular roles of Glenford and Dinger, respectively.

Adeliyi portrays Queenie, the savvy, seductive and sinister crime boss in Chicago whose lavish lifestyle and power appeals to Junior, but at what cost?; while Lott plays headstrong Lucy, a talented performer who yearns for the spotlight as she battles shadeism and an instinct for music that’s out of step with the times.

Set in the roaring 20s, THE PORTER offers a dramatic and compelling look at the Black community in St. Antoine, Montreal, known, at the time, as the Harlem of the North. The story is told through the eyes of two Black train porters taking very different paths to liberation. One pushes to create the first Black union in existence, the other chases power on the wrong side of the law, but both have the same goal: to free themselves and their families from oppression. They’re young, gifted and Black, from Canada, the Caribbean, and the U.S., and they find themselves thrown together north and south of the colour line. In an era that boasts anything is possible, if change isn’t coming for them, they will come for it.

From Montreal to Chicago and at every stop in between, in a time of extraordinary social and political change, THE PORTER tells the story of the people who fought to ignite the civil rights movement in North America.

A CBC and BET+ original series, THE PORTER is originated and created by Arnold Pinnock (Altered Carbon, Travelers) and Bruce Ramsay (19-2, Cardinal), with Annmarie Morais (Killjoys, Ransom, American Soul), Marsha Greene (Ten Days In The Valley, Mary Kills People) and Aubrey Nealon (Snowpiercer, Cardinal), and produced by Winnipeg-based Inferno Pictures Inc. and Sphere Media’s Sienna Films. Morais and Greene are showrunners and executive producers. Charles Officer (Akilla’ Escape, Coroner) and R.T. Thorne (Blindspot, Utopia Falls) will direct the series, and are executive producers. Pinnock also serves as an executive producer, and Ramsay a co-executive producer. The series is written by Morais, Greene, Andrew Burrows-Trotman, Priscilla White, Pinnock and Ramsay, with Thorne participating in the writers’ room. The series is funded with the support of the Canada Media Fund and Manitoba Film & Music and is distributed internationally by Abacus Media Rights (AMR) and Sphere Distribution.

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Awards, Featured

2021 Rockie Awards International Program Competition winners announced

From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2021 Rockie Awards International Program Competition. Hosted by one of Canada’s most popular comedic talents and YouTube personality Jasmeet Raina, the virtual edition of the Rockie Awards was streamed live celebrating excellence in television and digital media content from around the world.

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.

The competition featured 142 nominations from 37 countries including the UK, USA, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, and The Netherlands.

Countries taking home top Rockies honours include:
UK: 11 awards
USA: 10 awards
Canada: 5 awards
Australia & France: 4 awards each

International Program Competition winners include:

Drama Series: English Language
Killing Eve
Sid Gentle Films Limited, BBC America (UK)

Comedy Series: English Language
The Flight Attendant
Berlanti Productions, Yes, Norman Productions, Warner Bros. Television (USA)

Limited Series
I May Destroy You
Various Artists Ltd, FALKNA Ltd, HBO (UK)

Drama Series: Non-English Language
Caliphate (Kalifat)
Filmlance International AB, SVT, Film Capital Stockholm (SWEDEN)

Comedy Series: Non-English Language
El Presidente
Gaumont, Amazon Studios (ARGENTINA, CHILE, USA)

Live Action: Children
First Day
Epic Films, ABC Australia (AUSTRALIA)

Live Action: Youth
War Stories (Oorlog-Stories)
EO Broadcasting, Stepping Stones Productions (THE NETHERLANDS)

Competition Series & Game Shows
Alone
Leftfield Pictures for History (USA)

Docuseries
Filthy Rich & Homeless
Blackfella Films, SBS (AUSTRALIA)

Lifestyle
Love on the Spectrum
Northern Pictures, Netflix (AUSTRALIA)

Podcast: Fiction
Hindsight
Kelly&Kelly, Al Jazeera Podcasts, Audible (CANADA, QATAR, UK)

Podcast: Non-Fiction
Where Is George Gibney?
Second Captains for BBC Sounds (IRELAND, UK, USA)

History & Biography
Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade
Associated Producers Ltd., Cornelia Street Productions, UppiTV, Anonymous Content, EPIX (CANADA, UK)

Science & Technology
Cosmos: Possible Worlds
Possible Worlds, LLC in association with Fox for National Geographic (USA)

Sports Documentary
The Last Dance
Mandalay Sports Media Production, NBAEntertainment, ESPN Films, Netflix (USA)

TV Movie
Roald & Beatrix, the Tail of the Curious Mouse
Hartswood Films, Sky Studios (UK)

Program of the Year
Winner: It’s a Sin, Red Production Company For Channel 4 and HBO Max in association with All3Media International (UK)

Rogers Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content
Winner: Happily Married (C’est comme ça que je t’aime), Cineflix Media, Casablanca Productions, Ici Tou.tv (CANADA)
The $25,000 Rogers Prize is awarded to the highest-scoring Canadian program or property in the Rockies International Program Competition across two rounds of independent jury review.

Francophone Prize
Winner: Brazen (Culottées), Silex Films, France Télévisions (FRANCE)
The Francophone Prize is awarded to the jury’s highest-scoring French-language video submission.

Grand Jury Prize
Winner: I May Destroy You, Various Artists Ltd, FALKNA Ltd, HBO (UK)
The Grand Jury Prize recognizes the “best in show” from all Rockies International Program Competition winning entries.

The full list of Rockie Awards International Program Competition Winners.

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Heartland

Heartland Season 15 begins production in Alberta

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From a media release:

CBC’s original family drama HEARTLAND began filming Season 15 in Alberta yesterday. Produced by Dynamo Films and SEVEN24 Films, Season 15 will premiere on Sunday, October 17 at 7PM (7:30PM NL) on CBC and CBC Gem. HEARTLAND is the longest-running one-hour drama in Canadian television history, and the first episode of Season 15 will celebrate the 225th episode of the series.

Following the dramatic and emotional fourteenth season, the Bartlett-Fleming family learned a hard lesson: life is short and you have to live each day to the fullest. In Season 15 of HEARTLAND, they will put what they learned into practice. Last season, Amy said goodbye to the past. This season, she embraces the future – raising her daughter, working with the horses who continue to heal her, branching out into a new phase of her life and profession. She is moving forward and feels determined to leave a legacy. In fact, Jack, Lisa, Lou and Tim have all decided that now is not the time to pull back, but to ramp up, to create new dreams and fulfill old ones. And, as they always do, the family will pull together to help each other…and will ultimately end up stronger than ever.

HEARTLAND is a multi-generational family drama that is much loved by fans of all ages, not only in Canada, but all around the world. CBC’s HEARTLAND shares homegrown Canadian content portraying everyday family life on an Alberta ranch. HEARTLAND can be viewed on Netflix globally, as well as UPtv Faith & Family and Hulu in the United States. HEARTLAND has made its way into the hearts of families in more than 119 countries.

Filming locations for Season 15 include Calgary, High River, Millarville, and Longview in Alberta, Canada.

HEARTLAND is based on the bestselling series of books by Lauren Brooke. The executive producers are Michael Weinberg, Tom Cox, Jordy Randall, and Heather Conkie who also serves as the showrunner. The series is produced by Dean Bennett. The series writers are Heather Conkie, Mark Haroun, Ken Craw, and Alexandra Clarke. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports ; Trish Williams is Executive Director, Scripted Content; Sarah Adams is Director, Current Production, Drama; and Mehernaz Lentin is Executive in Charge of Production. A CBC original series, HEARTLAND is produced by Dynamo Films and SEVEN24 Films with the financial participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Government of Alberta, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit.

eOne is the international distributor of the series.

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Pretty Hard Cases

Cameras roll on Season 2 of Pretty Hard Cases

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From a media release:

Cameron Pictures, CBC, and NBCUniversal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, confirm that production is underway on the sophomore season of the highly buzzed-about buddy-cop drama PRETTY HARD CASES. Filmed in and around Toronto, this season features 12 one-hour episodes and new faces joining the all-star cast.

Following the series’ critically acclaimed broadcast and streaming debut on CBC and CBC Gem this year, season two of season two of PRETTY HARD CASES is set to premiere in winter 2022.

Starring Meredith MacNeill (Baroness von Sketch Show) as the optimistic, over-achieving Detective Sam Wazowski, and Adrienne C. Moore (Orange Is The New Black) as the tough and unapologetic Detective Kelly Duff, PRETTY HARD CASES is a fun and honest portrayal of two radically different Guns and Gangs detectives in their early 40s. This season finds the pair in brand new territory, both at work and in their personal lives. As official partners for the first time, they have never been better at blending their different skills to get the job done. In the spirit of moving forward, they’re also trying to leave their baggage behind. Sam is now an empty nester with a new love life, while Kelly is forging fresh bonds with her estranged sisters. When they find themselves up against a new age gang that doesn’t operate by the same old rules, Sam and Kelly are forced to put their lives on the line as they attempt the riskiest takedown of their careers.

Joining the cast is award-winning actress Sonja Smits (American Gods/Eleventh Hour) as Judy Wazowski, K.C. Collins (Clarice/The Strain) as Detective Len Grierson, and Ben Bass (Rookie Blue/Burden of Truth) as DS Brad Michaels.

Reprising their roles are Karen Robinson (Schitt’s Creek) as tough, sardonic, Unit Commander Edwina Shanks; Al Mukadam (Miss Sloan) as Detective Taai Nazeer, a paragon of non-toxic masculinity who doesn’t have a problem working with complicated women; Percy Hynes White (The Gifted) as Sam’s charming hustler son Elliot Wazowski; Katie Douglas (Ginny & Georgia) as Elliot’s streetwise girlfriend, Jackie Sullivan; and Daren A. Herbert (Kim’s Convenience) as Detective Nathan Greene, Kelly’s on-again-off-again friend with benefits.

PRETTY HARD CASES is co-created by Tassie Cameron (Mary Kills People, Ten Days in the Valley, Rookie Blue, The Robber Bride) and Sherry White (Little Dog, Frontier, Ten Days in the Valley, Rookie Blue).

A CBC original series, PRETTY HARD CASES is produced by Cameron Pictures in association with CBC and NBCUniversal International Studios. The series is created by Sherry White and Tassie Cameron, who also serve as Co-Showrunners. Sherry White, Tassie Cameron, Amy Cameron and Alex Patrick are Executive Producers. Wanda Chaffey is Producer and Caledonia Brown is Associate Producer. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual & Sports; Trish Williams is Executive Director, Scripted Content; and Sarah Adams is Director of Current Production, Drama. Kelsey Balance is SVP, Scripted Programming for NBCUniversal International Studios. NBCUniversal Global Distribution will distribute the series.

Writers include Sherry White, Jillian Locke, Tassie Cameron, Keavy Lynch, Carina Samuels, Chris Roberts, Seneca Aaron. Directors are Jordan Canning, Sherry White, Samir Rehem, Mars Horodyski, Cory Bowles, Grant Harvey, Madison Thomas, Weyni Mengesha, John Stead, John Fawcett, Gail Harvey, and Winnifred Jong.

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