News

Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund are backing 17 film teams behind first features highlighting the country’s diverse storytelling communities including one with Guy Maddin on board as executive producer.

Maddin, whose Cannes entry Rumours is being positioned in the awards conversation, is on board the English-language dramedy Hue & Cry from director Maziyar Khatam. No further details were available at time of writing.

Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund have committed C$3.45m (approximately Usd $2.5m) after receiving a “high volume” of projects for the fiscal year 2024-2025 representing nearly C$35m (approximately Usd $26m) in funding requests, based...

Telefilm Canada and the Talent Fund are backing 17 film teams behind first features highlighting the country’s storytelling communities including one with Rumours director Guy Maddin on board as executive producer.

The bodies have committed C$3.45m (approximately Usd $2.5m) after receiving a “high volume” of projects for the fiscal year 2024-2025 representing nearly C$35m (approximately Usd $26m) in funding requests, based on recommendations from an advisory committee of external and internal representatives.

Funds are invested in Telefilm Canada’s Talen To Watch career accelerator programme, which Julie Roy, executive director and CEO of Telefilm Canada, said “continues to...

Matthew Rankin’s Universal Language will fly the flag for Canada as the country’s international feature film submission for the 97th Academy Awards in March 2025.

‘Universal Language’: Cannes Review

A pan-Canadian selection committee organised by non-voting chair Telefilm Canada met on Tuesday to select its top choice from 26 submissions.

Produced by Metafilms, the absurdist Winnipeg-set caper premiered in Cannes and will receive its North American premiere at Toronto International Film Festival, before screening in New York Film Festival and Fantastic Fest.

Universal Language transposes Iran to Winnipeg and weaves together several episodes: children discover money frozen in ice...

On the heels of its world premiere at Cannes, Matthew Rankin’s comedy Universal Language has been named as Canada’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.

The film, written by Rankin, Pirouz Nemati and Ila Firouzabadi, will look to become the ninth in Canada’s history to be recognized in the category. Most recently representing the country was Kim Nguyen’s Rebelle in 2013.

As the appointed non-voting chair of the committee, Telefilm Canada organizes the annual pan-Canadian Selection Committee for Canada’s Oscar submission. The vote was determined by a group of industry organizations and guilds, as well as filmmakers and industry professionals appointed to represent organizations.

Related: Best International Feature Film Oscar Winners: Photo Gallery

Produced by Metafilms, Universal Language is set in winter, somewhere between Tehran and Winnipeg, watching as Negin and Nazgol find a large sum of money frozen deep...

Some of the entertainment industry’s leading ladies celebrated The Hollywood Reporter‘s inaugural Women in Entertainment Canada event in Toronto on Thursday.

The all-day gathering at the Park Hyatt Hotel was attended by stars like Nia Vardalos, Lilly Singh, director Kari Skogland, Devery Jacobs and Catherine Reitman. “I’m not sure what the requirements are for being an icon, but I’m 67, and I’m rocking with that,” Kim Cattrall said when accepting the Icon Award at the Wie Canada Tribute Awards.

“Congratulations to all the other honorees. It’s amazing what women can do when we come together,” the Sex in the City star added. The event, which coincided with the publication of the Canadian Women’s Power List, focused on driving efforts to achieve gender equity and career breakthroughs for Canadian women in front and behind the camera.

“Load up your slingshot. Put three rocks in there.

Partygoing in in full swing in Hollywood this week an industry ramping up for Sunday’s Oscars. Here is Deadline’s annual list of goings-on around town, with more events likely to be added as the week goes on as some studios date their events at the last minute. Most events are invite-only. Please send any event or party details to patrickhipes@deadline.com.

All times when available are Pt. (Note: Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday so plan accordingly.)

Monday, March 4

South Asians at the Oscars Pre-Party

6:30 p.m., Paramount Pictures Studios

Prominent South Asian celebrities will join the 2024 South Asian Oscar nominees and shortlisted filmmakers. This event is co-hosted by Kal Penn, Lilly Singh, Hannah Simone, Tan France, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Rupi Kaur, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Anita Chatterjee, Shruti Ganguly, and Archana Misra Jain, with a musical performance by Ankur Tewari.

Wednesday, March 6

Vanities: A Night For Young Hollywood

Bar...

A new study on the impact of gender equality policies on the international film industry shows some improvement in the representation of women in the British, German and Canadian industries, but progress is slow.

The results of the study, “Re-Framing the Picture,” were presented at the Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday. An international and multidisciplinary research team looked at the impact of gender equity policies (Gep) across the film industries of the three countries between 2005 and 2020. The study also examined 12,000 films from 34 countries for evidence of the impact of different policies, such as diversity standards being a requirement to receive state funding.

While the report found some small numerical improvement in women and gender minorities working in the countries’ film sectors, progress the report attributed in part to new Gep policies, the results were nothing to cheer about. The ranks of key creative positions, and that of the “network elite” were still dominated by men.

Rojek, writer-director Zaynê Akyol’s documentary that attempts to trace the beginning, rise and fall of the Islamic State through the personal stories of its members and their wives incarcerated in prison camps, was selected Thursday by Canada to represent the country in the 2024 Oscar Best International Feature Film race.

A total of 28 films were submitted for consideration, with Rojek emerging today in a vote determined by a pan-Canadian committee of industry organizations and guilds, as well as filmmakers and industry professionals appointed to represent organizations. Telefilm Canada organizes the committee.

Rojek, which features a mix of Arabic, English, French, and Kurdish languages, opened in Canadian theatres on January 20 after making the rounds at festivals including winning a special jury prize at Hot Docs. It is produced by Audrey-Ann Dupuis-Pierre, Sylvain Corbeil, and Akyol of Métafilms. Icarus Films distributes the film in the U.S.

“In what may have been...

Doc charts origins, rise and fall of Isis through personal stories.

Canada has named Zaynê Akyol’s Rojek as its submission in the Oscar international feature film category.

Produced by Audrey-Ann Dupuis-Pierre, Sylvain Corbeil, and Akyol of Métafilms, the documentary premiered at Visions du Réel Film Festival in Switzerland in 2022 and attempts to trace the origins, rise and fall of Isis through the stories of incarcerated members around the world.

The documentary is told in a mix of Arabic, English, French, and Kurdish and opened in Canadian theatres in January.

Hailing “what may have been Canada’s most competitive year ever” Julie Roy,...

‘Writers Are Not Keeping Up’ says median screenwriter pay has dropped 14% over last five years in real terms.

Heading into next week’s start of contract talks the US Writers Guild of America (WGA) has issued a report to members highlighting what it says is an imbalance between entertainment company profits and screenwriter pay, driven in part by the transition to streaming.

In Tuesday’s (March 14) report ‘Writers Are Not Keeping Up’, the Guild reiterates that its negotiating team will argue for improved writer compensation after “companies have leveraged the streaming transition to underpay writers, creating more precarious, lower-paid models...

Appointee most recently served as National Film Board of Canada director general and programming chief officer.

The Canadian Media Producers Association (Cmpa) has welcomed the appointment of incoming Telefilm Canada executive director and CEO Julie Roy.

Commencing on April 3 Roy will serve a five-year term and arrives from National Film Board of Canada, where she has served as director general and programming chief officer | creation, distribution and marketing since 2020 and oversaw French- and English-language production sectors across the country.

The executive replaces Christa Dickenson, who stepped down in September, and brings nearly 30 years of expertise in the Canadian film industry...

Telefilm Canada has hired Julie Roy as its new executive director and CEO for a five-year term.

The Canadian government agency is the country’s biggest film financier, and Roy comes to Telefilm from the National Film Board of Canada, where she was most recently director general and programming chief officer.

“I’m honored to be appointed to lead Telefilm Canada. The country’s digital landscape is in a state of change and the challenges ahead are significant and exciting. There are opportunities ahead of us. We must seize them in order to increase the influence of our talent and our industry,” Roy said in a statement on Monday ahead of taking the top post on April 3, based in Montreal.

Roy replaces Christa Dickenson, who left Telefilm in Sept. 2022 after four years in the post. During her tenure, Dickenson invested in the reopening and recovery of Canada’s film production...

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival has announced a dozen projects from young filmmakers from Saudi, and the wider Arab and African region, selected for its development program, the Red Sea Lodge, in collaboration with TorinoFilmLab and sponsored by the Film AlUla film commission.

The Lodge is a 10-month mentorship program that has now opened up to African works along with Saudi and Arab projects.

Winners will take home a portion of the total $200,000 pot in prizes that will be awarded during the fest’s 2023 edition in December.

The selected projects from Saudi Arabia are:

“How To Not Get Married In Saudi Arabia”; Writer/Director Ghadeer Binabbas, Producer Emmanuel Mayer

“Sukun”; Writer/Director Lina Mahmoud, Producer Abdulghani Alsaigh

“Mecca Berlin”; Writer/Director Mujtaba Saeed, Producer Nadia Eliewat, Co-Writer Ghiath Mhithawi

“By Hasnaa’s Side”; Writer/Director Amaal Yousef, Producer Ghaidaa Abuazzah

“Lost Soul”; Writer/Director Sarah Mohammed Almuneef, Producer...

Railway strikes, needy kids, a birthday party to plan, a job in Paris (a long commute away), interviews for another job (which demand sneaking away from work), and a babysitter who is increasingly over it: The deck of Julie Roy’s life is full, and because that life is happening fast, Éric Gravel’s César-nominated Full Time establishes much of this fullness within only 15 minutes.

The movie does not waste time: Julie, played by Laure Calamy (Call My Agent!), doesn’t have any. The railway strikes make it harder and...

Hélène Tanguay, a longtime champion of Oscar-winning Canadian animation who worked at the National Film Board of Canada for 37 years, has died. She was 70.

Tanguay died Jan. 7, according to the Nfb, which did not specify a cause of death. Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis’ award-winning animated short, The Flying Sailor, now shortlisted for the Oscars, has been dedicated to Tanguay, Canada’s public filmmaker added.

“Hélène Tanguay was an outstanding and unwavering ambassador for animated films. Everywhere she went, she left her mark, always with a human touch,” Julie Roy, Nfb director general, creation, distribution and marketing and chief programming officer, said in a statement. “Both professionally and privately, she tirelessly traveled the world presenting and viewing films. She forged relationships and helped build an active community of animation enthusiasts. Her sense of humor, generosity, countless anecdotes, extensive understanding of the field and immense knowledge of animated film made Hélène an extraordinary individual.