The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television wrapped up Canadian Screen Week on Friday evening, marking the end of four days celebrating Canadian film, television, and digital media. Crave/APTN’s Little Bird led television honours, winning 13 awards including: Best Drama Series, Best Direction, Drama Series, Best Supporting Performer, Drama for Braeden Clarke, and Best Lead Performer, Drama Series for Darla Contois. CTV’s Children Ruin Everything claimed Best Lead Performer, Comedy for Meaghan Rath and Best Supporting Performer, Comedy for Ennis Esmer, while Crave’s Letterkenny and the final season of CBC’s Sort Of received Best Ensemble Performance, Comedy and Best Direction, Comedy for Fab Filippo. The first season of Crave’s Bria Mack Gets A Life took home Best Comedy Series, while Best Reality/Competition Program or Series went to Crave’s Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. The World. Matt Johnson’s BlackBerry led the film categories capturing a record 14 Canadian Screen Awards. Read more here.
The Guild of Music Supervisors, Canada (GMSC) and Canadian Music Week (CMW) have revealed the winners for the 2024 Canadian Sync Awards which took place Monday at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto. Celebrating the craft of music supervision in filmed media in Canada, Everton Lewis, Jr. of Wracket Music won a leading four awards. Find the full list of winners here.
The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) has announced that the 2024 Indiescreen Awards, recognizing excellence in Canadian independent feature film production, will be handed out as part of the Atlantic International Film Festival (AIFF) in Halifax this September. The CMPA has also opened applications for the Established Producer award, which includes a $20,000 prize, and the Kevin Tierney Emerging Producer award, which includes a $10,000 prize. The lead producer (or production team) of a Canadian feature film that has or will premiere in the 2024 calendar year is eligible to apply for nomination. The deadline to apply is July 19.
Just for Laughs (JFL) and ComediHa! have reached an agreement for ComediHa! to acquire select JFL assets under ongoing restructuring proceedings. The agreement is subject to approval from the Québec Superior Court. Founded in 1997, ComediHa! stages the annual ComediHa! Fest-Québec, the largest French-language comedy festival in the world, and also produces live shows, television programs and films.
Sportsnet and the Calgary Flames have announced a new agreement that sees the sports network continue as the team’s exclusive regional broadcast partner for 11 more seasons through to 2035. Since Sportsnet’s inception in 1998, the network has been the home of the Flames’ regional broadcasts. A radio rights agreement was also reached with Sportsnet 960 The Fan (CFAC-AM), but terms of that deal have not been disclosed.
Jonas Brothers are headed to the 111th Grey Cup at BC Place in Vancouver on Sunday, Nov. 17. As headliners of the Twisted Tea Grey Cup Halftime Show, the band’s latest effort, in collaboration with country rocker Bailey Zimmerman, Strong Enough, was released last November. Jonas Brothers’ headlining performance adds another chapter to the CFL’s ongoing partnership with Universal Music Canada, which has included in-game broadcast music, the stadium concert series and collaborations with the league’s nine member clubs. The Halftime Show will be broadcast live on TSN and RDS.
KPMG has released a report commissioned by the Motion Picture Association – Canada, indicating global studios and streamers now account for more than half of total film, television and streaming production investment across Canada. Global production fueled employment at a rate three times higher than that of domestic production over the 2012-22 period, with 97% of cast, crew and production personnel working on global productions from Canada. In 2021-22 alone, global studios and streamers invested in Canadian television and film productions to the tune of $874 million.
Global has unveiled its 2024-25 broadcast slate, delivering 18.5 hours of simulcast programming in primetime this fall. New is a modern take on the iconic procedural drama Matlock, starring Oscar-winner Kathy Bates in the titular role, alongside Skye P. Marshall, Jason Ritter and recurring star Beau Bridges. The latest installment in the NCIS franchise, NCIS: Origins, also joins the lineup, in addition to Canadian-produced Murder in a Small Town, a psychological crime drama based on the Karl Alberg book series by novelist L. R. Wright, and shot in B.C. New series Poppa’s House, starring Damon Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. joins the network’s comedy lineup. Corus Entertainment has also announced new and returning series joining its specialty networks and streaming platforms.
