Tag Archives: The Lake

Awards, Featured

2024 WGC Screenwriting Awards finalists announced

From a media release:

The WGC Screenwriting Awards are now in their 28th year of celebrating the very best Canadian screenwriters—the all-important talent behind the most engaging and powerful Canadian-made series, films, and shorts.

In contention for the 2024 awards are scripts from Children Ruin Everything (Kurt Smeaton, Jessica Meya, Kathleen Phillips, Anita Kapila), Pinecone and Pony (Tally Yong Knoll, Lienne Sawatsky, Corey Liu), Murdoch Mysteries (Simon McNabb), Bones of Crows (Marie Clements), Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory (Desmond Sargeant, Sonya Ballantyne), Little Bird (Zoe Hopkins), Suze (Linsey Stewart & Dane Clark), and many others.

Please see the complete list of categories and finalists below.

The 2024 WGC Screenwriting Awards will recognize Canadian screenwriters and their scripts at a ceremony on Monday, May 13 at Koerner Hall in Toronto. The ceremony will be hosted by Jessica Holmes.

In addition to the eight categories featured, one WGC member will be awarded the prestigious Showrunner Award, a special prize previously won by Susin Neilsen (Family Law, Robson Arms), Anthony Q. Farrell (Shelved, Run the Burbs), Morwyn Brebner (Coroner, Saving Hope) and others. Other special prizes will be awarded, including the Alex Barris Mentorship Award, and the Sondra Kelly Award which is generously supported by AFBS.

CHILDREN’S
Interstellar Ella, “Big Little Problems” | Written by Emer Connon

Interstellar Ella, “A Star is Born” | Written by Anne-Marie Perrotta Jane, “Ursus maritimus” | Written by J.J. Johnson

Pinecone and Pony, “Once in a Violetmoon” | Written by Tally Yong Knoll

Pinecone and Pony, “Hero Soup” | Written by Lienne Sawatsky

Pinecone and Pony, “Pinecone and Horse” | Written by Corey Liu

COMEDY SERIES
The Lake, “Death on Denial” | Written by Julian Doucet & Lori-Ann Russell

Children Ruin Everything, “Arguments” | Written by Kurt Smeaton

Children Ruin Everything, “Therapy” | Written by Kurt Smeaton & Jessica Meya

Children Ruin Everything, “Clothes” | Written by Kathleen Phillips

Children Ruin Everything, “Babysitters” | Written by Anita Kapila

Shelved, “Jane Eyre FICTION BRO” | Written by Anthony Q. Farrell

Workin’ Moms, “It’s Five O’ Clock Somewhere” | Written by Enuka Okuma

DRAMA SERIES
Family Law, “Under the Influence” | Written by Sarah Dodd

Transplant, “Crete” | Written by Joseph Kay & Rachel Langer

Pretty Hard Cases, “Always a Bridesmaid” | Written by Tassie Cameron & Sherry White

Moonshine, “Get My Baby Back” | Written by Sheri Elwood & Alexander Nunez

Murdoch Mysteries, “The Porcelain Maiden” | Written by Simon McNabb

Little Bird, “Bineshi Kwe” | Written by Zoe Hopkins

FEATURE FILM
Butterfly Tale | Story by Heidi Foss and Michael Solomon/Screenplay by Heidi Foss and Lienne Sawatsky

Irena’s Vow | Written by Dan Gordon

Suze | Written by Linsey Stewart & Dane Clark

The Burning Season | Written by Jonas Chernick and Diana Frances

MOW & MINISERIES
Bad Romance: The Vicky White Story | Written by Gregory Small & Richard Blaney

The Amityville Curse | Written by Dennis Heaton

Bones of Crows, “To Be Here” | Written by Marie Clements

PRESCHOOL
Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory, “Groom-Ba” | Written by Desmond Sargeant

Builder Brothers’ Dream Factory, “Orange Shirt Day” | Written by Sonya Ballantyne

Mittens and Pants, “Bunny Family Wedding” | Written by Katherine Sandford

Dino Ranch, “Luna Sees The Light” | Written by Naomi Jardine

Superbuns, “The Sweet Sound of Christmas” | Written by Suzanne Bolch & John May

SHORTS (includes web series, drama and comedy series episodes under 15 minutes)
I Will Bury You, “Depression” | Written by Ravi Steve Khajuria

Armadillo Avalanche, “Clem” | Written by Celeste Koon

Armadillo Avalanche, “Raven” | Written by Alix Markman

TWEENS & TEENS
Popularity Papers, “Pain in the Bat Mitzvah” | Written by Jeff Detsky

Popularity Papers, “Ghost Mortem” | Written by Evan Thaler Hickey

The Hardy Boys, “The Crash” | Written by Ramona Barckert

The Hardy Boys, “At the Old House” | Written by Chris Pozzebon

ABOUT THE WGC
The Writers Guild of Canada represents 2,500 professional English-language screenwriters across Canada, the creators of Canadian entertainment enjoyed on all screens. wgc.ca

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The Lake

Links: The Lake, Season 2

From Heather M. of TV Goodness:

Link: Julian Doucet talks The Lake Season 2
Hey there, campers. Cottage season starts this Friday when Prime Video’s ridiculously silly, in the best possible way, summer series The Lake returns for Season 2. Continue reading.

From David Friend of the Canadian Press:

Link: Arson and marriage: Actor Jordan Gavaris takes risks in new season of ‘The Lake’
Jordan Gavaris says he knew returning to “The Lake” for a second season of summertime madness could’ve meant his character got tangled in the same conflicts as the first time around. Continue reading.

From Bill Brioux of Brioux.tv:

Link: Jumping into The Lake with Jordan Gavaris
With summer just over a week away, it’s time to jump back into The Lake. The Prime Video series has just returned for a second season. Continue reading.

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The Lake

Links: The Lake, Season 1

From Marc Malkin of Variety:

Link: ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Reunion Wanted on New Amazon Series ‘The Lake’
“He overshoots all the time because he’s trying to be cool. It’s a little bit like he’s bringing the energy of Amy Poehler in ‘Mean Girls.’ He’s also not great with boundaries.” Continue reading.

From Heather M of TV Goodness:

Link: Julian Doucet Talks Prime Video’s The Lake
The Lake, which drops its whole first season this Friday on Prime Video, was created and produced by Killjoys writer/producer Julian Doucet, who brought fellow alumni Andrew DeAngelis and Vivian Lin along for the ride. Continue reading.

From Heather M of TV Goodness:

Link: Vivian Lin Talks Prime Video’s The Lake
If you’re looking for a snarky fun binge watch for what ails you, set your reminder for Prime Video’s The Lake, which drops its whole first season this Friday. Continue reading.

From Dhriti Gupta of Macleans:

Link: Anatomy of a Scene: Cottage-country comedy ‘The Lake’
Set in northeastern Ontario, Amazon Prime Video’s new eight-episode series The Lake is a cottage-country comedy loosely based on writer Julian Doucet’s life. Continue reading.

From Murtz Jaffer of the Toronto Star:

Link: Jordan Gavaris and Julia Stiles tackle reconciliation and betrayal in TV comedy ‘The Lake’
“The story just centres on the two of them trying to connect over a summer at the lake while contending with the family drama that comes with Maisy-May.” Continue reading.

From Sadaf Ahsan of the Toronto Star:

Link: In Prime Video’s “The Lake,” Ontario actor Jordan Gavaris takes centre stage
“I had never seen that type of character — who is usually relegated to the rear-view mirror — at the centre of the universe before, and in a story that is not about his queerness or his journey to self-acceptance.” Continue reading.

From Bill Brioux of Brioux.tv:

Link: Prime Video’s Canadian original The Lake is breezy summer fare
The Lake is where many Canadians head each summer, desperate to find relief from the heat. This series, which starts streaming Friday, also offers comedy — even more of a relief these days. Continue reading.

From Heather M of TV Goodness:

Link: Terry Chen talks Prime Video’s The Lake
“I’m terrified of comedy. So much of it is timing. It’s much harder than anything dramatic or action-based. I love comedy, but it was very daunting and thankfully they let me have the role.” Continue reading.

From Manuel Betancourt of the AV Club:

Link: The Lake is a breezy binge that strays into sitcom territory
There’s plenty to mine in the rivalry between wayward Justin and Type-A Maisy-May. For starters, both Gavaris and (especially) Stiles seem to be having a great time playing these adults who find themselves reduced to warring teenagers all over again. Continue reading.

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Featured, The Lake

The Lake’s Julian Doucet: “I love production, putting together that world, anything that’s creating the sandbox”

They say, “Write what you know.” That’s exactly what Julian Doucet did.

The writer and producer for shows like Killjoys and Hudson & Rex turned to his own life for The Lake, available now on Prime Video. Starring Jordan Gavaris (Orphan Black), Madison Shamoun and Julia Stiles, The Lake tells the story of Justin (Gavaris) a man who has returned from living overseas after breaking up with his long-term partner. Hoping to reconnect with the biological daughter he gave up for adoption in his teens, he and Billie (Shamoun) head to cottage country for time on the lake from Justin’s youth.

We spoke to Julian Doucet, while he was attending the Banff World Media Festival, about bringing the story to life.

There’s the saying, ‘Write what you know.’ And in this case, that truly was the case for you with The Lake. Was it easy to write down these ideas and create these characters?
Julian Doucet:  Yeah, weirdly, it was. What was not easy is the 22 years prior to doing it. When people heard about my situation, they are always like, ‘You should write about it, you should write about it.’ But I didn’t 100 per cent feel that it was my story to tell because there’s also my daughter, her birth mother and her parents. It took a long time to get to a place where I thought, ‘Yes, write what you know, but also maybe not exploit it or pimp it out.’

I don’t know why this felt like the time, it sort of felt right. We had been taking vacations together since she was 16 and it was just something about that dynamic, which I had never seen before on television. And, somehow, when I started to write them, it was so easy once it was on the page, I couldn’t put the genie back in the bottle.

It was so easy to like these characters and the dialogue is so natural. Is it difficult to write dialogue? Is it partly the writing, and the performers that are making it so natural and relatable?
JD: I think it’s a combination of all. I started as an actor, so very much dialogue for me is rhythm, it’s music. I do feel like every character has their own rhythm, and then every actor has their own rhythm. When you get one actor that lines up with the rhythm of your character or how they’re going to transform it, that is gold. And with both Madison and Jordan and really our whole cast just kind of seamlessly fused with the flavour, the rhythms of each of the characters.

[Writing dialogue] is my favourite thing because it’s like a catchy tune and I do feel like we always try to find the words that get us there the most efficiently. I do think it’s probably not easy, but for me, it is the thing that I love.

Jordan did have funny moments on Orphan Black, but he’s so good with his physical comedy and body movement. What’s it been like working with him on The Lake?
JD: Amazing. Jordan just killed it, and we share weird chemistry. We kind of wonder, are we the same person, just separated by 12 years? We have most of the same anxieties. We both order the same coffee. We both collect weird plaid blankets without knowing. It’s just bananas, and we feel like we can’t spend too much time in the same place because the universe might collapse as we could be from the same person from different dimensions. He just knows the character and understands not only the huge need that Justin has but also the anxiety, the heart and the resilience that Justin has.

You are the showrunner, creator, writer and executive producer of The Lake. What’s your favourite hat to wear? What’s it been like show running your own program?
JD: I loved the writing. The writer’s room as always, that’s my happy place. Just creating, problem-solving, how imaginative and resilient writers are. They just astonish me every time. But I loved putting together the music. I loved the costumes, the look. I love production, putting together that world, anything that’s creating the sandbox.

The Lake is available for streaming on Prime Video now.

Images courtesy of Prime Video.

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Industry News, Orphan Black, The Lake

Amazon Prime Video begins production on the first scripted Canadian Amazon original comedy series – The Lake

From a media release:

Amazon Prime Video today announced the start of production of the first scripted Canadian Amazon Original series, The Lake. Set in cottage country, the 30-minute episodic comedy will film in northern Ontario from August to September. The Lake stars Jordan Gavaris (Orphan Black), Julia Stiles (Hustlers, The Bourne Identity) and Madison Shamoun (#blackAF, Black-ish). The series will launch in 2022 and be available exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

The Lake centres on the quintessential Canadian cottage experience, and one man’s attempt to recreate his childhood memories in an effort to re-connect with his biological daughter. Produced by AMAZE and filmed in northern Ontario, the series taps into the family bonding, relaxing in nature and the peacefulness of cottage country then turns it on its head, with petty rivalry, strained relationships, day drinking, and mosquito-ravaged sunburns.

In The Lake, Justin (Jordan Gavaris) returns from living abroad after a break-up with his long-term partner, in the hope of reconnecting with the biological daughter that he gave up for adoption in his teens. His plans to create new memories with his city-loving daughter Billie (Madison Shamoun) at the idyllic lake from his childhood go awry when he finds out his father left the family cottage to his “picture-perfect” stepsister, Maisy-May (Julia Stiles). Additional cast include Jon Dore (Funny As Hell, Humour Resources), Carolyn Scott (Pushing Tin, Goosebumps), Natalie Lisinka (Orphan Black, The Expanse), Travis Nelson (Tucker and Dale vs Evil) and Declan Whaley (Criminal Minds).

The Lake is produced by AMAZE, with Michael Souther and Teza Lawrence serving as executive producers for AMAZE (Carter, Call Me Fitz), and is written and executive produced by Julian Doucet (Killjoys, St Nickel). The Lake comes from Amazon Studios and is part of Prime Video’s continued investment in Canada. The Lake is the fourth announced Canadian Amazon Original series following the revival of the sketch comedy The Kids in the Hall, docu-series All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs, and comedy-variety series LOL: Last One Laughing Canada. Since 2015, Amazon Studios has filmed 24 Amazon Original series and films in Canada, including The Man in the High Castle and Upload in Vancouver, The Boys and The Expanse in Toronto, Tales from the Loop in Winnipeg, as well as parts of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and The Voyeurs in Montreal.

The Lake will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and worldwide in the Prime Video catalog including award-winning and critically acclaimed Amazon Originals like The Tomorrow War, The Underground Railroad, Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm, The Boys, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, and Emmy and Golden Globe award winners Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, all on Prime Video, which is available at no extra cost for Amazon Prime members.

Prime members will be able to watch all episodes of The Lake anywhere and anytime on the Prime Video app for smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV and stream online.

Image courtesy of Peter Stranks.

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