TV/FILM/VIDEO:
Space series Orphan Black and Montreal director Xavier Dolan’s French-language drama It’s Only the End of the World were the big winners at this year’s Canadian Screen Awards. Orphan Black took home nine trophies, including Best Dramatic Series and the Best Lead Actress in a Dramatic Role honour for star Tatiana Maslany. Maslany also won best actress for her role in The Other Half. Crave TV original series Letterkenny won Best Comedy Series while The Tragically Hip took home the award for Best Performance in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program for The Tragically Hip – A National Celebration. You can read a complete list of winners here.
Manitoba’s film and television industry has seen a 20 per cent increase in revenue year over year. On Screen Manitoba says revenues exceeded projections, rising to $120 million with less than a month left in the fiscal year. The growth is being attributed to a favourable Canadian dollar for American productions, generous provincial tax credits and a supportive local arts community.
Canadian rock icon Bryan Adams and comedian Russell Peters will co-host CTV’s broadcast of the 2017 JUNO Awards April 2. Previously announced host Michael Buble stepped down to focus on his family. The show airs live from the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on CTV and CTV GO.
Canadian actress Karine Vanasse has been named an ambassador of The Talent Fund, a private donation fund that supports Canada’s emerging film talent. Vanasse, who stars in the CTV crime series Cardinal, will help with the Talent Fund’s fundraising initiatives by raising the profile of Canada’s next generation of directors, writers, producers and actors. The Talent Fund draws on the financial support of private companies such as Bell Media and Corus Entertainment, as well as individual donors.
TVA Sports will be the official French-language broadcaster of the International Ski Federation’s Cross-Country World Cup Finals in Quebec City. The culmination of the 2016-2017 season will be held March 17-19 on the Plains of Abraham.
A new feature documentary exploring how Star Trek has affected science and space exploration debuts on The Movie Network March 19. Commissioned by Bell Media and hosted by William Shatner, the doc includes interviews with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, David Suzuki, Whoopi Goldberg and theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, among others. The film will be available on demand and on TMN GO, following its television premiere.
Apple is set to premiere its first reality TV series Planet of the Apps which will see a pool of app developers compete for up to $10 million U.S. in venture capital and featured placement in the Apple App Store. Described as Shark Tank meets The Voice, the show’s mentor-judges include Jessica Alba, Gwyneth Paltrow, will.i.am, and Gary Vaynerchuk. The show will be distributed through Apple Music.
