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National Entertainment

“Anne with an E,” “Cardinal” lead Canadian Screen Awards with 7 nods apiece

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TORONTO — TV dramas and debut features by women scored big at Sunday’s Canadian Screen Awards as the hostless show moved along at a brisk pace with comedy bits from some of the country’s biggest stars.

The CBC series “Anne with an E” and CTV detective drama “Cardinal: Blackfly Season” won two awards each during the CBC broadcast from Toronto’s Sony Centre of Performing Arts, putting them atop the TV pack with a total of seven trophies apiece after a week of galas.

“Anne with an E,” which is inspired by Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic novel “Anne of Green Gables,” won best drama series and an acting nod for lead actress Amybeth McNulty. That added to five trophies acquired on Wednesday for a season that expanded upon the source material to include more diverse characters.

McNulty, 17, used her acceptance speech to encourage “every young person out there who doubts their voice, their mind, their power.”

“We are strong, capable and willing to fight for our world,” she said.

Meanwhile, “Cardinal” took top acting nods for stars Billy Campbell and Karine Vanasse during the show, adding to its five trophies from Wednesday.

In a tearful speech, Virginia-born Campbell thanked Vanasse and the local cast and crew of northern Ontario, where the show is filmed.

“I’m a Yank and I’m particularly grateful for Canada being Canada these days,” he said.

Best comedy series went to “Schitt’s Creek,” resulting in a total of four awards for the week, including an acting nod for Catherine O’Hara’s portrayal of eccentric matriarch Moira.

“In ‘Schitt’s Creek’ we are writing a world that examines the transformational effects of love when the threat of hate and intolerance has been removed from the equation,” said co-creator and showrunner Daniel Levy.

“And while that’s not a reality for many, our goal is to shine a light out there that asks the question, ‘What if it was? Wouldn’t we all be happier if we were able to love out loud?'”

The CBC riches-to-rags show, which recently announced its next season will be its last, had tied with “Anne with an E” with a leading 15 Canadian Screen Award nominations going into this year’s ceremonies.

On the film side, best picture went to Geneviève Dulude-De Celles’ debut feature, the Quebec coming-of-age drama “A Colony.” It got three awards in total, including best first feature and best actress for Émilie Bierre’s portrayal of an insecure high school student who bonds with an Indigenous boy. 

“This is a dream, guys,” said Bierre, 14, noting she’s been acting since she was five.

Barrie, Ont.-raised Jasmin Mozaffari won best director for her critically acclaimed debut feature, “Firecrackers,” about two young women longing to escape their small town. The Ontario-shot drama also won an editing award earlier in the day.

“Really did not expect to win this, honest to God,” Mozaffari said onstage, noting it was “a micro-budget” feature that she made “especially for women about living in a patriarchal world.

“I think I’m one of the few women to win this award. I don’t think I’ll be the last.”

Overall, the leading film winner was Maxime Giroux’s allegorical drama “The Great Darkened Days” with five awards, including best cinematography for Sara Mishara and best supporting actress for Sarah Gadon. Martin Dubreuil stars in the surreal wartime story as a Quebecois draft dodger and Charlie Chaplin impersonator in the American West.

It was also a big night for Crave’s small-town sitcom “Letterkenny,” which walked away with a nod for writing and one for acting for creator Jared Keeso, bringing its grand award total to five for the week.

Other top acting nods went to Kim Coates for the City mafia series “Bad Blood” and Théodore Pellerin for the crime drama film “Family First.”

The Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award went to actress Dominique Provost-Chalkley of the supernatural Western horror series “Wynonna Earp.”

The show on CBC and its Gem streaming service capped off a week of ceremonies in which the bulk of the trophies were handed out.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television administers the awards, which honour Canadian talent in film, television and digital media in 135 categories.

Organizers chose not to have a host this year in a bid to experiment with the awards-show format.

The broadcast kicked off in quippy Canuck style, with a skit on homegrown celebrities involving the cast of “Baroness von Sketch Show,” singer Jann Arden and actor Jerry O’Connell.

Comedy star Mary Walsh received the Earle Grey Award for her body of work, while Deepa Mehta got the Lifetime Achievement Award.

“Will & Grace” star Eric McCormack presented the Kids in the Hall comedy troupe with the Academy Icon Award, and actor Stephan James received the inaugural Radius Award, which goes to a Canadian making waves globally.

“When I was coming up in Scarborough with my brother, we hadn’t seen too many black actors who were doing incredible things abroad … people who had come from Toronto and Canada,” James said backstage.

“We’ve always wanted that, we’ve always yearned for that, and to look around and realize that you may be that person for some young girl or some young boy, it’s an incredible feeling.”

Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press


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Alberta

Province adds $335 million over three years to attract more investment from Hollywood

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Action! for Alberta’s film and television industry

Alberta’s screen-based sector has momentum, and Alberta’s government is helping to make the province a magnet for the job-creating film and television industry.

In 2020, Alberta’s government launched the Film and Television Tax Credit, causing the province’s film and television industry to grow in size and reputation. Since then, Alberta has attracted 129 productions with a total production value of $1.7 billion. This growth has resulted in approximately 9,000 direct and indirect jobs for Albertans.

To keep this momentum going, Alberta’s government continues to make changes to the program and increase investment in it. One year after the tax credit was launched, the cap was raised, resulting in a doubling of the province’s film and television sector. Now, Alberta’s government is increasing its investment to a total of $335 million over three years to continue attracting the attention and investment dollars of Hollywood.

“Alberta is experiencing exponential growth in our film and television sector, and we are well on our way to becoming a top Canadian jurisdiction for producers from around the world. Since the introduction of the Film and Television Tax Credit, the film and television sector in Alberta has doubled. Productions reach every part of Alberta – big cities, small towns and rural locations – and use local resources, businesses, accommodations and contractors, supporting thousands of jobs.”

Brian Jean, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development

As the province’s film and television industry grows, so does the quality and number of Alberta-made productions. To help grow and promote local talent and productions, Alberta’s government is also doubling the funding to the Alberta Made Screen Industries Program. This funding will support local producers and attract productions from around the world to set up shop in Alberta.

“Alberta-made film and television productions showcase Alberta’s unique culture, breathtaking landscapes and stories to audiences across the globe. We are increasing our support to smaller productions because they provide a unique Alberta-made training ground for emerging talent and create local, highly skilled workers in the sector.”

Jason Luan, Minister of Culture

The Film and Television Tax Credit and Alberta Made Screen Industries Program work together to showcase the beauty and diversity of Alberta, create jobs, diversify the economy and support hospitality, service and tourism in the province. These targeted incentives to the film and television industries are helping to ensure Alberta remains the economic engine of Canada for years to come and the next film and television hub.

“The tax credit is central to the success of the industry. This is a competitive industry globally, and here in Alberta we’re fortunate we had the cap removed. Now we can see productions with budgets from $100,000 to well over $100 million. Now that we have a robust production environment, there are more opportunities for people to have well-paying creative jobs.”

Damian Petti, president, I.A.T.S.E. Local 212 Calgary

“The Alberta government has provided supports for the film and television industry that provide certainty. It gives us more flexibility in how we’re moving forward in our film and television work and the way that we’re running our businesses.”

Janet Morhart, COO/co-executive producer, Prairie Dog Film and Television

“Seeing the increase to the Alberta Made Production Grant in the last budget has been fantastic. It will help grow the local industry, which means so much to local performers because that’s where they build their resumés. It allows them to be a working performer, and not take side jobs or a day job somewhere else, and really focus on their craft.”

Tina Alford, branch representative, Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Arts (ACTRA) Alberta

Quick facts

  • According to Statistics Canada data:
    • Every $1 million of production activity in the screen-based production sector creates about 13 Alberta jobs.
    • Every $1 million of government investment under the Film and Television Tax Credit program is expected to support about 85 Alberta jobs.
  • The film and television industry is experiencing significant growth nationally and globally.
  • Every year, Alberta graduates more than 3,000 creative industry professionals from its post-secondary institutions.
  • The production workforce has grown 71 per cent from 2017, or by about 4,000 workers across all positions.
  • Alberta’s Film and Television Tax Credit supports medium- and large-scale productions with costs over $499,999 through a refundable tax credit on eligible Alberta production and labour costs to corporations that produce films, television series and other eligible screen-based productions.
  • The Alberta Made Production Grant supports productions with a budget of up to $499,999.
  • The Alberta Made Screen Industries Program, through the Alberta Made Production Grant, supports smaller productions that do not qualify for the tax credit, covering 25 per cent of eligible Alberta production costs to a maximum of $125,000.
  • Every $1 investment in the Alberta Made Production Grant program generates an additional $4 in economic return.

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Alberta

Edmonton to host “Road to the JUNOS Concert Series” leading up to Juno Awards week

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From Explore Edmonton 

Road to The JUNOS Concert Series Builds Excitement to JUNO Week.

Access and Diversity Key for Fans and Artists.

The JUNOS 2023 Host Committee is excited to announce an Edmonton-based concert series, titled Road to The JUNOS, as a lead-up to The 52nd Annual JUNO Awards Broadcast and JUNO Week from March 9-13.

The concert series will be set in small, intimate venues around Edmonton and feature local and regional artists who one day may end up on the JUNOS stage. Road to The JUNOS is a collaboration between the JUNOS 2023 Edmonton Host Committee, CBC Music and Explore Edmonton. It aims to provide excitement and create momentum leading into Canada’s biggest celebration of music.

The 10-show concert series will run from Monday, February 6 through Tuesday, February 28 at local venues in Edmonton. Of note, the artists playing these events come from a wide variety of backgrounds and genres and offer an opportunity to see some of Canada’s newest and most exciting talent. Fans can be a part of an intimate JUNOS concert with an affordable advance ticket price of only $10.

Road to The JUNOS is possible thanks in part to federal funding through PrairiesCan’s Tourism Relief Fund. This Fund is positioning Canada as a destination of choice for domestic and international travel. PrairiesCan administers the Fund in Alberta.

“Edmonton is a vibrant and dynamic cultural hub and our government’s support for Road to The JUNOS will bring that experience to visitors from across Canada and around the globe. Through the Tourism Relief Fund and our partnership with organizations such as Explore Edmonton, communities across Canada will capitalize on the jobs and economic activity generated through Edmonton’s growing tourism industry.”

– The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan

“Road to The JUNOS is an important step in positioning Edmonton as an all-season destination and celebrating our community’s business and arts districts. I’m proud to see our government supporting Edmonton to build on its leadership in arts and culture while strengthening local tourism activity that benefits businesses in our city.”

– The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance

“Road to The JUNOS is an exciting opportunity to grow Alberta’s music industry, showcasing local talent to visitors from all parts of Canada. The Alberta government is proud to support this series of concerts that features Alberta’s talent on stage as well as the venues, promoters and other music professionals.”

– The Honourable Jason Luan, Alberta Minister of Culture

“Canada has a long history of producing exceptionally talented musicians. The Road to The JUNOS concert series hopes to help give a platform to some of our up-and-coming artists and audiences a chance to say ‘we saw them when’.”

– Aimée Hill, co-chair, 2023 Host Committee

“Explore Edmonton is proud to support The JUNO Awards in March and we are delighted to be a part of this grassroots concert series. Promoting our local music venues, supporting talented Canadian musicians, and giving Edmontonians quality music experiences at an affordable price is such an important piece to the whole JUNOS experience. And we get to show off a little for the rest of Canada!”

– Traci Bednard, CEO of Explore Edmonton

The JUNOS Experience starts here. For more information and to buy tickets, visit: https://edmonton.junoawards.ca/

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