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Awards, Industry News, Schitt's Creek

ACTRA Toronto announces 14th annual winners

From a media release:

ACTRA Toronto is proud to announce the winners of the 14th Annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto.

Outstanding Performance – Female
Catherine O’Hara (Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek, “Wine and Roses” Produced by Not a Real Company)

Outstanding Performance – Male
Christopher Plummer (Zev Guttman in Remember. Produced by Serendipity Point Films)

Outstanding Performance – Voice
Julie Lemieux (Granny Butternut in Numb Chucks, “Tough Love” Produced by 9 Story Media Group)

Tantoo Cardinal presented ACTRA Toronto’s 2016 Award of Excellence to Sarah Gadon.

A special presentation of statuettes was made to ACTRA Toronto’s stunt pioneers: John “Frenchie” Berger, Matt Birman, Shane Cardwell, Shelley Cook, Bobby Hannah, Chris Lamon, Dwayne McLean, Brent Meyer, Branko Racki, Alison Reid, Morris Maurizio Santia, John Stoneham Sr., Anton Tyukodi and Billy E. Williams.

The 14th Annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto were presented at a live show and gala at The Carlu. The show was hosted by comic Martha Chaves with live music by Salsa Norte.

The 14th Annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto was sponsored by: DIAMOND: Actra Fraternal Benefit Society. PLATINUM: ACTRA National, Performers’ Rights Society and Recording Artists’ Collecting Society; Bell Media. GOLD: CBC, CMPA, City of Toronto Film, Television and Digital Media Office, Deluxe, In Your Ear Productions, IATSE 873, Rhombus Media, Shaftesbury Films, United Steelworkers. SILVER: Cavalluzzo, Directors Guild of Canada (Ontario), RBC Royal Bank. BRONZE: Addenda Capital, Creative Arts Savings & Credit Union, Don Carmody Film and Television, eOne, Grant Thornton, HUB International, New Real Films, Rolling Picture Company, Serendipity Point Films, Take 5 Productions, Whizbang Films, Writers Guild of Canada.

ACTRA Toronto is the largest organization within ACTRA, representing more than 15,000 of Canada’s 22,000 professional performers working in recorded media in Canada. As an advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member-driven union that continues to secure rights and respect for the work of professional performers.

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Industry News

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) Announces U.S. Sister Network

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From a media release:

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), a Canadian based cable channel dedicated exclusively to indigenous content, has committed to launching All Nations Network (ANN) in the U.S. ANN will be the first network to bring both native and non-native audiences in the U.S. a 24-hour network providing native news, sports, scripted, lifestyle, feature-length movies and children’s programming written, produced, and directed by Native Americans, among others. Network distribution in the U.S. is being represented by Castalia Communications.

In the midst of the discourse over the lack of diversity in Hollywood, some of entertainment’s top stars and creators have joined to endorse ANN’s U.S. entrance. From Robert Redford to Oscar nominated actor Graham Greene (Dances With Wolves), Robbie Robertson (The Band) and acclaimed director Jim Jarmusch they have joined in endorsing the network. Their voices echo the Golden Globes speech by actor Leonardo Dicaprio who thanked the First Nations people in his acceptance speech for his award for “The Revenant.”

For more than 15 years, APTN’s award-winning programming in Canada has reached a staggering 92% of Canadian households and commercial establishments, and has strong traction with both First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples and non-Aboriginal communities. Over 80% of Aboriginal men and women in Canada find content on APTN a source of pride. ANN will provide an opportunity to bring reflective, contemporary, compelling, and original content to consumers of all cultures in the U.S.

The network will be headquartered in New Mexico. Native American filmmaker Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals and NBC’s “Friday Night Lights”), is a Sundance Film Festival and Director’s Guild of America award-winner who will be working closely with All Nations Network to launch in the United States.

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Industry News, Van Helsing

Link: ‘Van Helsing’ Series Casts Kelly Overton In Title Role Of Hunter’s Daughter, 5 Others

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From Nellie Andreeva of Deadline:

‘Van Helsing’ Series Casts Kelly Overton In Title Role Of Hunter’s Daughter, 5 Others
Kelly Overton has been cast as the lead in Van Helsing, the 13-episode sci-fi series from Nomadic Pictures (Fargo, Hell On Wheels), which is set to air on Syfy in the U.S. Also cast in the show, from Neil LaBute, are Jonathan Scarfe (Hell on Wheels), Christopher Heyerdahl (Hell on Wheels), Paul Johansson (Mad Men), David Cubitt (Ray Donovan) and Tim Guinee (Homeland). Continue reading. 

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Industry News

Link: Melanie Joly, Heritage Minister, Vows CBC Help After Years Of ‘Planned Demolition’

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From Zi-Ann Lum of The Huffington Post Canada:

Melanie Joly, Heritage Minister, Vows CBC Help After Years Of ‘Planned Demolition’
The NDP pressed the federal government over its platform pledge to boost funding to CBC/Radio-Canada, days after the heritage minister hinted Liberals could renege on the marquee campaign promise.

“For 10 years the CBC was attacked and needs some oxygen,” NDP opposition heritage critic Pierre Nantel said in question period Monday. “The government made promises it has to keep them now.” Continue reading.

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Children's Programming, Industry News

Portfolio and Giggle Media developing MooFaLoo for Teletoon

From a media release:

Leading producer and distributor Portfolio Entertainment and U.K-based Giggle Media are pleased to announce a development deal with Corus Entertainment’s TELETOON for a new comedy animation series, Invasion of the MooFaLoo! The kids 6-11 co-production comes hot on the heels of Portfolio-produced Freaktown, an upcoming series commissioned by TELETOON.

Invasion of the MooFaLoo! (26 x 11’), created by Steve Garratt, follows three genetically-modified, rocket-powered sheep – Fluffy, Byron and Telisa – as they fight to protect the world from the MooFaLoo, a race of alien monk cows who conquer planets with their duck-shaped battleships.

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