02•01 Must readHow Brexit is Boosting Canada’s Film Industry Thanks to lucrative production incentives, co-production treaties and a thriving locations sector, Canada is looking like a safer bet for risk-averse global producers. hollywoodreporter.com
02•01 Must readSpotlightBerlin 2019Telefilm Canada Chief on Country’s Berlin Film Fest Opener: “It’s a Wonderful Moment” Christa Dickenson discusses facilitating international co-productions, investing in local talent and the significance of backing ‘The Kindness of Strangers’: “It’s great for our culture and for the growth and the sustainability of the cinematic industry.” hollywoodreporter.com
01•30 SuccessSundance 2019Sundance: Netflix Nabs Canadian Richie Methta’s ‘Delhi Crime’ Netflix has picked up rights to “Delhi Crime,” a seven part India-set series, directed by Canada’s Richie Mehta. The fact-based police procedural was launched at the Sundance festival this week in the Indie Episodic section. variety.com
01•28 SpotlightVancouver filmmaking pair nominated for Oscar with short animation Animal Behaviour It’s an exciting day for two local Vancouver animators who landed an 2019 Academy Award nomination on Tuesday morning. Alison Snowden and David Fine are in the running for an Oscar with Animal Behaviour, a comedic short animation about five animals who meet to discuss their life problems in group therapy sessions. cbc.ca
01•28 SpotlightSundance 2019Soaking up Sundance: Canadian creators are Utah-bound Montrealers and Sundance regulars Felix and Paul première two creations, including a nighttime virtual-reality ride through Detroit with Eminem. montrealgazette.com
01•25 SpotlightSundance 2019Canada/Ireland coproduction Gaza is among 12 international docs in competition at Sundance Portraying the lives of everyday Gazan citizens, the Canada/Ireland coproduction Gaza emphasizes how families choose to live meaningfully beyond the rubble caused by constant bombardments. hollywoodreporter.com
01•24 SpotlightClermont Ferrand 2019Short and Sweet at Clermont-Ferrand Canada’s short and sweet sides are on display at this year’s Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (which kicks off February 1, 2019 in the French city of the same name, and wraps up February 9), As the Invited Country: O Canada, Quebec and First Nations! Canada’s got a bounty of fantastic shorts! From five films… Read more
01•24 SpotlightBerlin 2019Canada coproduces its way to Berlin! Big news! Opening the Berlin International Film Festival will be: Lone Scherfig’s The Kindness of Strangers: a Canadian coproduction with Denmark-Sweden, Germany, and France. On February 7, 2019, the ensemble drama will make its world premiere by opening the 69th annual Berlinale, which takes place from February 7 to 17, 2019. Directed by renowned Danish… Read more
01•24 SuccessPalm Springs 2019The Grizzlies wins big in Palm Springs Did you know a Canadian film took home the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the prestigious Palm Springs International Film Festival, which took place from January 3 to 14, 2019? Set in the Inuit community of Kugluktuk, Nunavut, a remote town that had high suicide rates, Miranda de Pencier’s The Grizzlies tells the… Read more
01•24 Must readSpotlightCanadian cinema has its eye on the world Telefilm Canada has released its 2017-2018 annual report, and what a stellar year for Canada’s audiovisual industry. Canada had prestigious festival acclaim; completed its first year as a member country of Eurimages; implemented a five-point action plan to achieve gender parity, increased support to Indigenous creators; renewed its focus on emerging talent; was active in… Read more
01•18 Success‘Shoplifters’ Wins Best Foreign Language Film at Palm Springs Film Festival The 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival announced the winners of its juried prizes Saturday, with critical darling “Shoplifters” taking the award for best foreign language film of the year. The audience awards went to “The Grizzlies,” directed by Miranda de Pencier, for narrative feature. variety.com
01•17 Must readSpotlightCharlotte Rampling Joins Timothee Chalamet in ‘Dune’ Charlotte Rampling, the French actress who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the 2015 British pic 45 Years, has joined the cast of Dune, Legendary’s adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel being directed by Denis Villeneuve. hollywoodreporter.com
01•17 SpotlightSXSW 2019Canadian projects nab world-premiere screenings at SXSW Ricky Tollman’s Run This Town, Brent Hodge’s Who Let The Dogs Out and Kari Skogland-directed series NOS4A2 are among those headed to the Texas festival. playbackonline.ca
01•16 SpotlightSundance 2019Eight Indigenous-Made Films to See at the 2019 Festival This year, eight Indigenous-made films from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States will be premiering at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Canada is represented with 2 short Indigenous and female directed short documentaries in Competition: Fast Horse by Alexandra Lazarowich (Alberta) Throat Singing in Kangirsuk by Eva Kaukai (Inuit) and Manon Chamberland (Inuit), produced by Quebec-based Wapikoni sundance.org
01•14 EventsSpotlightSundance 2019Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Regine Chassagne to Perform at Sundance Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and Regine Chassagne, Preservation Hall Jazz Band and photographer Danny Clinch are among the participants in Salesforce’s Make Change, a new series that celebrates music as a platform for change, taking place Jan. 25 – 27 during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT. variety.com
01•07 Must readSpotlightSandra Oh, calls for change and the upsets that made the Golden Globes memorable Oh gave one of the night’s most touching acceptances speeches upon winning best actress in a dramatic series for her lead role in Killing Eve. From her reaction at seeing her father’s standing ovation (“Oh Daddy!”) to thanking her parents in Korean as well as English, the Canadian star surely had countless viewers reaching for a tissue. cbc.ca
01•07 EventsSundance 201955 tips for attending the Sundance Film Festival An annual stalwart of independent film, the Sundance Film Festival, kicks off in a couple of weeks. In order to help those who are attending this year, I reached out to over a thousand past Sundance attendees to build a list of tips for surviving (and thriving) at the Sundance Film Festival. stephenfollows.com
01•03 EventsBerlin 2019Two Canadian features added to Berlin lineup Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn’s The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open and Genevieve Dulude-De Celles’ debut feature Une colonie (“A Colony”) have been added to Berlin International Film Festival’s 2018 Generation program. playbackonline.ca
11•30 EventsMIPCOM 2018MIPCOM 2018 highlights Canada was shining bright at MIPCOM this year. With 579 Canadians in attendance at this important international market dedicated to financing, co-production, acquisitions and sales of audiovisual content on all platforms, let’s revisit some highlights of Canada’s success at the event! MIPCOM 2018 took place last month in Cannes, France, and hosted some 13,800 delegates… Read more
11•29 EventsClermont-Ferrand 2019Honours for Canada at Clermont-Ferrand Canada will take centre stage at the upcoming 41st Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, which takes place in Clermont-Ferrand, France, from February 1 to 9, 2019. We’ll be honoured as the Invited Country: O Canada! at this year’s festival! With competitions, screenings, and its Short Film Market, Clermont-Ferrand is considered to be one of the industry’s most prestigious short film fests. Read more
11•28 SpotlightSuccessHumanitas Prize: ‘Black Panther’, ‘This Is Us’ Among Nominations Canadians Graham Yost and Moira Walley-Beckett have been nominated for an HUMANITAS Prize, which honours screenwriters whose work inspires compassion, hope, and understanding in the human family, for The Grizzlies. The film, which premiered at TIFF 2018, is the inspiring true story based on a group of Inuit students in the small Arctic town of Kugluktuk who find hope through the sport lacrosse. deadline.com
11•20 SpotlightJasmin Mozaffari’s Firecrackers lands U.S. distribution Jasmin Mozaffari’s debut feature Firecrackers has landed U.S. distribution with L.A.-based Good Deed Entertainment. The coming-of-age drama made its world premiere in the Discovery program at TIFF ’18 and will now be released theatrically in the U.S. in 2019. It is produced by Caitlin Grabham of Prowler Films alongside Kristy Neville of Wildling Pictures. playbackonline.ca
11•20 Success‘Firecrackers,’ ‘Skate Kitchen’ Win Top Awards at Female-Centric Stockholm Film Festival Jasmin Mozaffari’s “Firecrackers” and Crystal Moselle’s “Skate Kitchen,” a pair of bold and timely North American features, won best film and best debut at the 29th edition of the Stockholm Film Festival, whose awards were almost entirely scooped by female talents. variety.com
11•16 EventsXYZ Films finds benefit in alternative sales platform at Los Cabos XYZ Films continues to explore Los Cabos International Film Festival as an alternative launch pad for sales and has reported a strong turnout for a private buyers screening of post-apocalyptic thriller Riot Girls. screendaily.com
