Paramount+ in Canada, the Pacific Screenwriting Program (PSP) and the Indigenous Screen Office (ISO) have announced a new partnership to support Indigenous writers in the advancement of their careers. The new Indigenous Screenwriters Lab will support six mid-level Indigenous writers from across Canada with a genre focus of futurism and science fiction. Run by PSP, the lab is designed to develop the skills and relationships needed to be hired in the writing room of a genre TV series. In the course of the program, participants will develop their story from pitch to finished pilot. More details will be available in the coming weeks.
OYA Black Arts Coalition (OBAC) is conducting a nationwide research project on Black youth/filmmakers’ personal and professional experiences on set and other professional film environments to identify barriers impeding Black filmmakers in their career goals. At the end of the research project, OBAC will publish a report and data-driven directives to equip production companies, department heads, and key-creatives with the tools to hire and retain Black emerging talent in safe professional spaces where they can thrive. OBAC is seeking Black filmmakers, aged 18-30, to participate in up to two focus groups to talk about their experience working and establishing a career in the film and television industry. Sign up here.
APTN has launched a new slate of winter programming. Among the shows premiering on the network from January to March are docuseries like Treaty Road and Season 4 of Red Earth Uncovered, the French version of acclaimed six-part drama series Little Bird, and Season 2 of comedy series Acting Good. Treaty Road is a documentary series that follows Saxon de Cocq and Erin Goodpipe as they explore sites, history and people connected to the signing of the numbered treaties, which premieres on APTN on March 5 and APTN lumi the following day. Limited series Little Bird makes its premiere in French on Jan. 15, following Bezhig Little Bird on her journey to reconnect with her birth family after being apprehended as a child and adopted into a Jewish family in Montreal. The English version was broadcast in October and both language versions are available for streaming on APTN lumi.
CBC has revealed the nine celebrity guests joining Ghosting with Luke Hutchie and Matthew Finland (8×30) on a quest to discover whether or not Canada’s most haunted places are truly haunted. The new unscripted paranormal comedy from Blue Ant Studios follows Hutchie (EZRA) and Finlan (Orphan: First Kill, EZRA), two actors known exclusively for their work in the horror genre, as they step off script and into their own real-life thriller. Premiering Jan. 26 on CBC Gem, the series stars Katie Douglas (Ginny & Georgia, Level 16), Devyn Nekoda (Scream IV), Kevin Alves (Yellowjackets, Locke & Key), Bukola Ayoka (Robyn Hood), Frankie Grande (Big Brother), Jade Hassouné (Shadow Hunters), Zoe De Grand Maison (Riverdale, Orphan Black), Synthia Kiss (Canada’s Drag Race) and Hale Grande. Romi Shraiter (Ginny & Georgia) also appears as a surprise guest star. Ghosting will air on CBC TV beginning April 28.
