TV & Film News – Cardinal, Hey Lady! lead 2020 DGC Television nominees

The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) has announced the 2020 DGC Awards nominations for Television Series, Movies for Television and Mini Series. CTV’s Cardinal leads the nominations with five, including an Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies For Television and Mini-Series nod for Nathan Morlando. CBC Gem Original comedy series, Hey Lady!, which stars Jayne Eastwood as a 75-year-old woman who refuses to let herself be put out to pasture, earned four nominations. Netflix supernatural horror series Locke & Key has three nominations. Find the full list of nominees, here.

The Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) has announced its latest round of funding, which will be delivered through two distinct programs serving both Indigenous creators and providing solidarity support for Black creators and People of Colour. The Indigenous Development Grants Program will provide funding for project and professional development for both Indigenous individuals and majority Indigenous-owned companies. The Solidarity Fund will provide development grants for racialized screen creators, including both individuals and companies, with a priority on reaching Black creators. The program was developed in partnership with the Racial Equity Media Collective (REMC) and BIPOC TV & Film.

Rodeo FX has acquired Montreal creative studio BLVD-MTL. BLVD-MTL, which has 50+ employees, delivering mixing, sound design, and content, will join the Rodeo FX group of creative services. That includes its Advertising and Live Action divisions and high-end photography studio, Rodeo Production. Rodeo FX, BLVD-MTL and Rodeo Production will consolidate all of their advertising, content and experiential activities, with a plan to promote its top-tier creative and technological expertise internationally. Recently-nominated for several Emmy Awards, Rodeo FX now has more than 650 employees and contributes to series and films from top Hollywood studios, while its boutique studio, Alchemy24, focuses on Quebec-based films and projects. 

Heartland began filming its fourteenth season in Alberta this week. Produced by Dynamo Films and SEVEN24 Films, Season 14 will premiere in Winter 2021 on CBC and CBC Gem. Filming locations for this season include Calgary, High River, Millarville, and Longview, AB.

Thunderbird Entertainment Group has announced the start of production on the upcoming season of CBC comedy Kim’s Convenience in Toronto. The fifth season is set to premiere on CBC-TV and CBC Gem  in Winter 2021. As previously announced, CBC has also renewed the series for a sixth season.

CBC and NBCUniversal International Studios have announced additional casting for Lady Dicks (10×60, drama, Cameron Pictures), starring Meredith MacNeill (Baroness von Sketch Show) and Adrienne C. Moore (Orange Is The New Black). The irreverent buddy-cop series, featuring two radically different female detectives in their early 40s, is currently shooting in Ontario. Joining the cast are Tara Strong (Teen Titans), Karen Robinson (Schitt’s Creek), Dean McDermott (Slasher), Al Mukadam (Miss Sloane), Percy Hynes White (The Gifted), Katie Douglas (Mary Kills People), and Ronnie Rowe (Star Trek: Discovery).

Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor, the first Telefilm-funded feature film to shoot in Nova Scotia since COVID-19 paused the industry, has wrapped after 18 days of shooting in Windsor, Halifax, Chester, and Antigonish. Written and directed by Shelley Thompson, the film is about a trans woman returning home to her small town and reuniting with her estranged father, played by Trailer Park Boys’ alum Robb Wells. Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor will stream on Crave in 2021.

Sportsnet has acquired exclusive national broadcast rights to the Barclay’s FA Women’s Super League (FA WSL) – the highest league of women’s football in England. Sportsnet will broadcast 50 regular season games, plus the semifinals and finals of the Women’s FA Cup. Several fixtures will be available live each week on SN NOW, with select games also airing on Sportsnet’s TV channels. Comprised of 12 teams, the FA WSL is entering its 10th season, with Chelsea currently holding the league trophy. The broadcast schedule will be updated weekly at sportsnet.ca. 

Bell Media is the exclusive television broadcast partner of the NFL, airing across TSN, CTV, CTV2, RDS and TSN Radio this fall. Extensive multi-platform coverage of the 2020 NFL season kicks off with pre-game action Thursday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. ET on TSN and CTV2 as Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans take on Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Throughout the rest of the 2020 season, Thursday Night Football matchups air on TSN and CTV2, with select matchups on CTV in October, in addition to Sunday Night Football on TSN and CTV2, and Monday Night Football on TSN, among other offerings.

CTV has announced its initial list of fall premiere dates that includes the network’s acquisition of the reboot of rapid-fire quiz show Weakest Link, hosted and executive produced by actress Jane Lynch. Airing Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, beginning Sept. 28, Weakest Link joins new seasons of The Masked Singer (Sept. 13) and JANN (Sept. 21), among other returning shows. JANN’s second season has been extended from six to eight half-hour episodes and features cameos from guest stars like Sarah McLachlan and k.d. Lang, among others.

Global has announced the slate of TV series joining its fall primetime schedule including seven newly-licensed series and 15.5 hours of simulcast. Along with new daytime show The Drew Barrymore Show (Sept. 14), the network adds scripted true crime series Manhunt: Deadly Games (Sept. 21) and comedy One Day at A Time(Oct. 12). In addition, new reality series hosted and executive-produced by comedian and actor Ken Jeong, I Can See Your Voice (Sept. 23), and The Greatest #AtHome Videos (Sept. 25), hosted by The Neighborhood’s Cedric the Entertainer, join the schedule, along with documentary series The FBI Declassified (Oct. 13), and 48 Hours: Suspicion (Sept. 9).

WildBrain Television’s Family Channel fall primetime lineup includes the Canadian premiere of Get Out of My Room, a new, creative reality series featuring siblings who share a bedroom and now get to design and renovate each other’s new spaces; God Friended Me, starring Brandon Michael Hall as an outspoken atheist whose life is turned upside down after he receives a social media friend request from “God”; and Ultimate Tag, hosted by NFL stars JJ, Derek and TJ Watt, pitting amateur athletes against pro Taggers in a high-speed, high-intensity game of arena tag.

TVO turns 50 on Sept. 27. This year marks the 15th season of The Agenda with Steve Paikin, which returned Sept. 8. TVO Original The Life-Sized City also returns for a third season, following urban design expert Mikael Colville-Andersen as he meets citizens driving urban renewal that puts people first. Among the cities featured this season are Hamilton, Barcelona, New Orleans, and Buenos Aires. 

Telefilm is accepting entries from Canadian production and distribution companies interested in joining the Virtual Canada Pavilion for the MIPCOM ONLINE + 2020. This year, MIPCOM is offering a hybrid event: MIPCOM RENDEZVOUS CANNES, in which both MIPCOM and MIPJUNIOR will take place physically in Cannes (France) from Oct. 12-14, and MIPCOM Online+, a digital experience taking place in three phases (Warm-up, MIPCOM Week, Follow up +) from Oct. 5 to Nov. 17. Those who register by Sept. 14 will be able to take advantage of the early bird umbrella rate of 250 euros/participant.

BANFF Virtual Edition industry sessions and master classes are now available free of charge On Demand. New content includes Mrs. America and Avenue 5 master classes, as well as a panel discussing how data is influencing creative, marketing and audience behaviour. Featuring over 25 industry panels and master classes, those not yet registered can sign up free, here.

Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) has announced programming for its 39th edition, showcasing more than 100 feature films and events. The 14-day online-primary festival is available throughout B.C. on the new VIFF Connect streaming platform. It will also feature a select number of in-cinema presentations, including the opening film and world premiere of Loretta Sarah Todd’s Monkey Beach. Starting Sept. 24, a $60 all-access subscription will bring VIFF programming into B.C. homes that will be geo-blocked to the province. Other signature programming, including VIFF Talks, VIFF AMP, Totally Indie Day and VIFF Immersed, will be available across Canada and internationally. Find more, here.

The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) and Netflix have announced the creators and TV series selected for the inaugural TV series portion of the CFC/Netflix Project Development Accelerator. They include: Alter Boys, a half-hour drama from Winnipeg-based creator/writer Jonathan Lawrence and producer Ryan Wilson Cooper; half-hour comedy/drama #RELATIONSHIPGOALS from creators/writers Jennifer Holness (Shoot the Messenger) and Sudz Sutherland (Love, Sex and Eating the Bones). Serialized, sci-fi action/drama The Ageless from screenwriter Faisal Lutchmedial; and hour-long comedy/drama girl from Toronto writer/director Pat Mills.