All posts by Greg David

Prior to becoming a television critic and owner of TV, Eh?, Greg David was a critic for TV Guide Canada, the country's most trusted source for TV news. He has interviewed television actors, actresses and behind-the-scenes folks from hundreds of television series from Canada, the U.S. and internationally. He is a podcaster, public speaker, weekly radio guest and educator, and past member of the Television Critics Association.
Awards, Moonshine

Screen Nova Scotia announces 2022 award winners

From a media release:

Screen Nova Scotia hosted its eighth annual awards gala on Saturday, June 18th, in the Schooner Ballroom at Casino Nova Scotia in front of a sold-out crowd of industry members and supporters. The event was the first in-person awards show since 2019 when the COVID-19 pandemic moved the awards to an online format for two years.

The awards gala celebrates the incredible talent, creativity, and passion that are the trademarks of Nova Scotia’s screen industry. Notable awards include the ACTRA Awards for Outstanding Performances, the Groundbreaking Performance Award, the Film Crew Excellence Award, the Women in Film & Television – Atlantic Award, and the Community Recognition Award, along with the Screen Nova Scotia Awards for best television, film, and animation.

The night’s finale was the Screen Nova Scotia Award for Best Feature Film, which went to Night Blooms from writer/director Stephanie Joline and producers Marc Tetreault and Jason Levangie (Shut Up & Colour Pictures). The film is a coming-of-age drama set in the 1990s about teenage Carly (Jessica Clement) and her affair with her best friend’s dad (Nick Stahl).

Joline also took home the Best Nova Scotia Director Award from Women in Film & Television – Atlantic for her work on Night Blooms, while actor Alexandra McDonald took home an ACTRA Maritimes Award for Outstanding Performances for her role as Laura, Carly’s best friend, in the film. Night Blooms is now available to rent or buy on streaming platforms across Canada.

The first season of the CBC original comedy series Moonshine from showrunner Sheri Elwood and producer Charles Bishop (Six Eleven Media) was crowned the winner of the Best Television Series Award. The show tells the story of the Finley-Cullens, a dysfunctional family of half-siblings battling to take control over the family business – a ramshackle summer resort on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, with a dark family secret at its core. Season 2 will begin production in Nova Scotia this summer, with a Fall 2022 air date.

The Best Documentary Award went to Freedom Swell from Marie and Meaghan Wright (Mirror Image Media). The powerful documentary highlights North Preston Surf, a program designed to empower African Nova Scotian youth to connect with the ocean. The film explores the lack of diversity in the east coast surf scene, stemming from complex, historical barriers such as racism, segregated beaches, and generational fear of water. The film is now available to stream on CBC Gem.

Two new awards were handed out at the show, including the Groundbreaking Performance Award, which celebrates a performer who identifies as diverse and does not meet the eligibility criteria for the ACTRA awards for their work in a film or television/web series. The award recipient was determined by an online voting process, to better involve the wider community outside of the screen industry. This year’s winner was Patrick Cadegan for his performance on the comedy web series Tracy & Martina: Dirty Deeds (Swearnet).

The new award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography went to cinematographer Kevin Fraser, who was nominated for his work on feature films Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor and Bone Cage, as well as on several documentary projects.

Fourteen-year-old Avery Winters-Anthony took home an ACTRA Maritimes Award for Outstanding Performances for his role as Travis in the critically-acclaimed Indigenous drama Wildhood, from Two-Spirit L’nu filmmaker Bretten Hannam. Reid Price also won an Outstanding Performances award for playing Byron in filmmaker Shelley Thompson’s debut feature film, Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor.

Baduk from writer/director Induk Lee and producer Kelsey Power (You First Productions) won the Best Short Film Award, while Beth Amiro won an Outstanding Performance award for her work in the short film Second Wedding (directed by Taylor Olson).

Digital animation was also spotlighted at the awards, with Teen Titans Go! winning Best Animated Series for the Nova Scotian animation studio Copernicus Studios. The series, now in its sixth season, airs on the Cartoon Network.

This year’s Film Crew Excellence Award went to Construction Coordinator Stephan Bernier (Art Department). A member of IATSE Local 849, Stephan has worked in film and television for over 30 years and has been a mentor to many in the industry. Stephan has been an integral part of many large-scale set builds for US service productions but also works on local projects, regardless of their size. His credits include the recent EPIX series From and Chapelwaite, and feature films The Lighthouse, Books of Blood, and Tin Can.

The 2022 Community Recognition Award went to Juanita Currie, Business Rental Area Sales Manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. A long-time industry supporter, Juanita is representative of a business that truly understands the value and economic impact that the film industry brings to the province.

The Screen Nova Scotia Awards were made possible this year due to the generous support of many sponsors, including our Platinum Partners at Support4Culture, the Directors Guild of Canada, the Canadian Media Producers Association, IATSE Local 849, and William F. White International Inc. Special thanks to 902 Post and the Hideout Studios.

List of award winners:

Screen Nova Scotia Awards
Best Feature Film: Night Blooms (Shut Up & Colour Pictures)

Best Television Series: Moonshine S1 (Six Eleven Media)

Best Documentary Film: Freedom Swell (Mirror Image Media)

Best Short Film: Baduk (You First Productions)

Best Animated Series: Teen Titans Go! S6 (Copernicus Studios)

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Kevin Fraser

Groundbreaking Performance: Patrick Cadegan (Tracy & Martina: Dirty Deeds)

ACTRA Maritimes Awards for Outstanding Performances
Beth Amiro (Second Wedding

Alexandra McDonald (Night Blooms)

Reid Price (Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor)

Avery Winters-Anthony (Wildhood)

Additional Awards
WIFT-AT Award for Best Director: Stephanie Joline (Night Blooms)

Film Crew Excellence Award: Stephan Bernier, Construction Coordinator

Community Recognition Award: Juanita Currie, Enterprise Holdings

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
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.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
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.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Industry News

Link: Canadian broadcasters, who are up Schitt’s Creek without streaming regulation, fight back at tense Banff

From Manori Ravindran of Variety:

Link: Canadian broadcasters, who are up Schitt’s Creek without streaming regulation, fight back at tense Banff
The moody mountainscape surrounding the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel may have been tailor-made for the British Columbia-shot thriller “Yellowjackets,” which was honored at this week’s Banff World Media Festival, but the real survival drama was raging between Canadian broadcasters and the streaming giants. Continue reading.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail
Departure

Season 2 of the critically-acclaimed Global original Departure premieres Wednesday, July 13

From a media release:

All aboard! Global is set to launch Season 2 of event thriller Departure on Wednesday, July 13 at 9 p.m. ET, with an encore presentation Friday, July 15 at 8 p.m. ET on Global and Monday, July 18 at 9 p.m. ET on Showcase. Departure stars Emmy Award® winner Archie Panjabi and the late Academy Award® winner Christopher Plummer, in his last onscreen role. The intense conspiracy series follows the ensuing investigation into a mysterious crash of a controversial new high-speed train travelling between Toronto and Chicago. Back for an action-packed all-new six-episode season, Departure was a Top 20 hit with total viewers and the #1 Canadian series across all key demos when it premiered in 2020.

Alongside Panjabi (The Good Wife) and Plummer (Knives Out), Season 2 features an all-star ensemble cast including Kris Holden-Ried (The Umbrella Academy), Jason O’Mara (The Man in the High Castle), Karen LeBlanc (The Kings of Napa), Donal Logue (Gotham), Mark Rendall (Versailles), Etienne Kellici (Murdoch Mysteries), Kelly McCormack (A League of Their Own), Wendy Crewson (Frankie Drake Mysteries), Charlie Carrick (Reign), Dion Johnstone (Sweet Magnolias), David Hewlett (The Shape of Water), Greg Bryk (Mary Kills People) and Florence Ordesh (Dublin Murders). The gripping drama is directed by Canadian Screen Award winner T.J. Scott (Orphan Black, Star Trek: Discovery) and created by Vincent Shiao (Ransom).

Departure Season 2 is a six-part event series that follows the investigation into the derailment of high-speed train The Apollo. Brilliant investigator, Kendra Malley (Archie Panjabi), heads to the U.S. to find the cause of the devastation in rural Michigan. With the eyes of the entire world on her, Kendra and her team unravel a series of interconnected threads, which lead to a number of mysterious motives. Was it the tech mogul inventor of the train’s automation software? Was it a mysterious member of a Mexican drug cartel? Was it a disgruntled employee resisting new technology? Working in conjunction with the FBI, Kendra must race to uncover the truth behind the crash and help to heal the damage caused by the terrible tragedy.

Departure Season 2 is a Canada/Ireland Co-Production from Shaftesbury (Canada) and Deadpan Pictures (Ireland), in Association with Corus Entertainment, Starlings Television and Red Arrow Studios International. Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Malcolm MacRury, Jackie May, T.J. Scott, Paul Donovan, Ailish McElmeel, and Archie Panjabi are Executive Producers. Vincent Shiao and Chris Moreton are Co-Executive Producers. Patrick Cassavetti is Producer.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail