Zoe Hopkins | TV, eh?

From a media release:

Crave announced today that production is underway in Winnipeg on the new eight-episode Crave Original comedy series WINNIPEG FAMOUS (formerly I CAN’T SAVE YOU), from Redcloud Studios and Frantic Films. Filming began October 13 and continues through mid-November.

Created by Jennifer Podemski, Sherry McKay, and Amber-Sekowan Daniels, WINNIPEG FAMOUS is a dark comedy about a down-on-her-luck Indigenous single mother from Winnipeg’s North End, who discovers an unlikely calling in stand-up comedy. The series is written by Tim Fontaine, Meg MacKay, Jennifer Podemski, and Amber-Sekowan Daniels.

Meet Sherry Beaver (McKay), a foul-mouthed single mom, who’s broke, recently lost her apartment, and dealing with a family that is less than cooperative. With nowhere to turn and a seemingly endless parade of bureaucratic headaches, Sherry stumbles into the world of stand-up comedy, where she discovers that turning life’s hardships into punchlines, might just be her way forward.

With no shortage of family drama, community politics and life’s seemingly endless curveballs, WINNIPEG FAMOUS is a sharp, unapologetic dark comedy about finding the funny when life won’t cut you a break.

Sherry McKay stars as Sherry Beaver, a fictionalized character inspired by her own life, alongside Jennifer Podemski (RESERVATION DOGS, DON’T EVEN) as Sherry’s eccentric, sex-positive mother; Callan Potter (HEATED RIVALRY, WE WERE LIARS) as Sherry’s fellow comedian; Meegwun Fairbrother (LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, BURDEN OF TRUTH); and Cody Lightning (THE LOWDOWN, REZ BALL). The series also features an ensemble of local Winnipeg actors and comedians.

WINNIPEG FAMOUS is directed by an acclaimed team of Indigenous filmmakers, including Zoe Hopkins (LITTLE BIRD, NORTH OF NORTH, SMALL ACHIEVABLE GOALS), Cody Lightning (SMUDGE THE BLADES, HEY, VIKTOR!), and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (LITTLE BIRD, ACTING GOOD, THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN).

WINNIPEG FAMOUS is an Indigenous-controlled project from Redcloud Studios and Frantic Films, in association with Bell Media’s Crave. Jennifer Podemski and André Czernohorsky serve as Executive Producers for Redcloud Studios, with Jamie Brown and Sally Karam serving as Executive Producers for Frantic Films. Jennifer Podemski and Amber-Sekowan Daniels are Showrunners.

From a media release:

Crave announced today, in association with Rezolution Pictures, APTN, and OP Little Bird, that production is underway on the Crave Original drama series, LITTLE BIRD. Created by showrunner Jennifer Podemski (UNSETTLED) and head writer Hannah Moscovitch (X COMPANY), the six-part, one-hour limited series follows an Indigenous woman on a journey to find her birth family, and uncover the hidden truth of her past. The series will be available to audiences in English and French, and Fremantle will handle international distribution.

The character-driven drama features an extraordinary cast of Indigenous actors, led by newcomer Darla Contois (Dhaliwal ’15) along with: Ellyn Jade (LETTERKENNY); Osawa Muskwa (World Ends at Camp Z); Joshua Odjick (The Swarm); Imajyn Cardinal (TRIBAL); Mathew Strongeagle (BLACKSTONE); Eric Schweig (BLACKSTONE); and Michelle Thrush (Bones of Crows).

Award-winning filmmakers Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open) and Zoe Hopkins (Run Woman Run) each direct three episodes, while Hopkins writes three of the episodes.

LITTLE BIRD explores themes of resilience in the face of trauma and loss. Removed from her home in Long Pine Reserve in Saskatchewan, Bezhig Little Bird is adopted into a Montréal Jewish family at the age of five, becoming Esther Rosenblum (Contois). Now in her 20s, Bezhig longs for the family she lost and is willing to sacrifice everything to find them. Her quest lands her in the Canadian prairies, worlds apart from everything she knows. As she begins to track down her siblings, she unravels the mystery behind her adoption, and discovers that her apprehension was connected to a racist government policy now known as the Sixties Scoop. Bezhig’s sense of identity shatters and she is forced to reckon with who she is and who she wants to become.

The production of LITTLE BIRD features a training program that includes opportunities for emerging and mid-career level Indigenous creators and crew as well as for entry-level individuals to gain practical on-set experience leading to subsequent employment in the industry. Built with the understanding that training, skill building, and professional development are integral to building capacity and sustainability in the Indigenous screen sector, the program, is made possible via partnerships with the Indigenous Screen Office, Bell Media, REEL Canada, DGC, DGC Manitoba, and IATSE 856.

LITTLE BIRD is a co-production from Bell Media’s Crave and APTN, produced by Rezolution Pictures and OP Little Bird with the participation of the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and Manitoba Film and Music. Fremantle International is the distributor for the series. Led by an Indigenous creative team, LITTLE BIRD is developed by showrunner Jennifer Podemski and Rezolution Pictures, and created by Podemski and head writer Hannah Moscovitch. The series is executive produced by Ernest Webb, Catherine Bainbridge, Christina Fon, Linda Ludwick (Rezolution Pictures), Kim Todd, Nicholas Hirst (Original Pictures), Jeremy Podeswa, Jennifer Podemski, and Hannah Moscovitch, along with Christian Vesper and Dante Di Loreto (Fremantle). Producers are Tanya Brunel and Jessica Dunn (OP Little Bird), Philippe Chabot (Rezolution Pictures) and Ellen Rutter.

Tag Archives: Zoe Hopkins

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