TV & Film News – TIFF pauses screenings of controversial doc ‘Russians at War’

The Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) says it’s profoundly alarmed by a decision by TVO’s Board of Directors to withdraw support for the documentary “Russians at War.” The Canadian-French co-production was developed through a multi-year collaborative effort involving the filmmakers, led by Russian-Canadian Anastasia Trofimova, TVO’s Documentary team, and B.C.’s Knowledge Network. The film also received $340,000 from the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and funding from the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Fund and Rogers Documentary Fund. The first-person doc sees Trofimova join Russian soldiers in Ukraine as they advance toward the front lines, largely exploring a theme of many beginning to doubt their purpose as each day passes. TIFF, where the film was set to make its North American debut, issued a statement Wednesday, saying it would screen as scheduled, but has since paused screenings. Read more here.

IATSE says it’s continuing to meet with animation and VFX workers in Quebec, impacted by changes to the province’s animation and visual effects tax credit. Effective May 31, the base rate of the tax credit was increased from 20 to 25%, but at the same time, a 65% cap was introduced. The union says that cap has resulted in devastating job losses, including at Oscar-winning VFX and animation studio DNEG. IATSE says with the industry still recovering from last year’s actors’ and writers’ strikes, the tax credit reduction “is the equivalent of kicking an industry when it’s down.” The union says with many workers making plans to leave and studios closing their doors or relocating, it’s calling on the Government of Quebec to reverse the cap.

New Metric Media and Encore have struck a partnership to co-develop and co-produce bilingual content across both scripted and unscripted programming. Under the pact, both companies will also explore adapting each other’s content for their respective English and French-speaking markets. The partnership comes on the heels of the announcement of their upcoming untitled, rom-com heist series, which follows a Quebecois family and an Anglo-Ontarian family reluctantly coming together despite their differences for a wedding weekend. The project, based on a concept created by Montefiore, has recently attached new writers including Andrew DeAngelis (Children Ruin Everything, The Lake) and Erika Soucy (Les Perles, Léo).

CBC/Radio-Canada’s broadcast coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games saw more than 11 million Canadians tune in over 12 days. CBC’s Paris 2024 coverage marked the most coverage in Canada of a Paralympic Games to date, with the public broadcaster noting record audience increases across broadcast, digital and streaming, which it says illustrates Canadians’ increased interest in Paralympic competition. Canadians spent an average of 1.2 million hours each day watching CBC’s Paralympic Games broadcast coverage, up 119% from Tokyo 2020. Audiences also consumed a record-breaking 614,000 hours of Paris 2024 content on CBC/Radio-Canada’s digital and streaming platforms, an increase of 153% over Tokyo 2020. Read more here.

TSN is now available on Prime Video Channels in Canada. Linear feeds and on-demand content from TSN can now be added by members to their Prime Video account. TSN joins Bell Media streaming service Crave, which became part of Prime Video Channels in Canada in February, with French-language sports network RDS also set to become available soon.

Paramount’s free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service Pluto TV is debuting a string of FAST channels dedicated to news, including four from Canada’s public broadcaster. FAST channels set to launch next month on Pluto TV in Canada, include CBC News Explore, CBC News Toronto, CBC News British Columbia and Radio-Canada Info. The service has also introduced Reuters FAST channel in Canada, as well as CNN Fast. Read more here.

CTV News’ political affairs programs Question Period and Power Play with Vassy Kapelos return this month for all-new seasons hosted by the network’s Chief Political Correspondent, with Senior Political Correspondent Mike Le Couteur stepping in to host Power Play on Fridays. Question Period returns for its 54th season Sunday, Sept. 15 at 11 a.m. ET on CTV, CTV News Channel, CTVNews.ca, and the CTV News app, with encore presentations airing Sundays at noon ET on CTV2, and a radio broadcast airing on iHeartRadio Canada news/talk stations across the country (check local listings). Power Play airs weekdays at 5 p.m. ET on CTV News Channel, CTVNews.ca, and the CTV News app.

CTV original unscripted competition series The Traitors Canada returns for its second season, Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, CTV.ca, and the CTV app, beginning Sept. 23. Hosted by actress Karine Vanasse, the show sees 22 Canadians compete in a cunning game of cat and mouse with the goal of securing a cash prize of up to $100,000.

The Black Academy, alongside CBC, Insight Productions, and Bay Mills Studios have announced the first two recipients of the 2024 Legacy Awards: Soulpepper Theatre Artistic Director Weyni Mengesha will receive the Trailblazer Award and rap music legend Kardinal Offishall, who’ll receive the Icon Award during the third edition of the awards show. Hosted by Adrian Holmes, the 90-minute special airs live on CBC and CBC Gem on Sunday, Sept. 29. Voting is now open for The Legacy Awards Fan Choice Digital Content Creator Award, allowing fans to choose their favourite Black-identifying Canadian digital content creators. This year’s nominees are: Access By Tay (Toronto); Citron Rose (Montréal); OT The OG (Toronto); Queeny Kuffour (Toronto); Ryan Holtz (Edmonton); and Toni Olaoye (Toronto). 

Paid In Full: The Battle for Black Music is the new three-part documentary series exploring systemic racism faced by Black artists in the music industry from its inception to the digital streaming age. From executive producers Idris and Sabrina Elba, alongside Greg Sanderson of Supercollider and Julie Bristow of Catalyst, for CBC and BBC, the series is narrated in Canada by Jully Black and features interviews with Cadence Weapon, Chaka Khan, George Clinton, Monie Love, Nile Rodgers, Gloria Gaynor, Ice T, Master P, and Smokey Robinson. In Canada, all episodes will be available to stream on CBC Gem, beginning Sept. 21.

CBC has unveiled the latest batch of budding bakers for Season 8 of The Great Canadian Baking Show (8×60), premiering Sunday, Oct. 6. New episodes will be available to stream weekly on Sundays on CBC Gem starting at 9 a.m. ET, followed by their broadcast on CBC TV at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) local time. Comedians, actors, writers and Second City alumni Alan Shane Lewis and Ann Pornel return as hosts, alongside pastry chefs and judges Bruno Feldeisen and Kyla Kennaley.

OUTtv is bringing back Slag Wars for a second season, launching Sept. 17. The 7 x 60’ season sees the return of Season 1 hosts Rebecca More and Matthew Camp, alongside Fantasia Royale Gaga, who joins them in the search for the next international queer sex symbol. Produced by Daddy TV, the series features a cast of adult performers, sideshow and burlesque artists, and exotic dancers. Season 2 will premiere alongside a documentary-style episode exploring the cultural impact of the first Slag Wars, including a dedication to its late co-host Sophie Anderson, who passed away suddenly late last year.

Salazar Film has announced the release of TELUS originals short documentary, I’ll Tell You When I’m Ready. Directed by award-winning nehiyaw filmmaker Hayley Morin (Joe Buffalo, The New Yorker) and featuring Oji-Cree Saulteaux writer jaye simpson, I’ll Tell You When I’m Ready is a love letter to simpson’s mother, who lived on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and died 17 years ago. The film will be available to audiences across Canada starting Sept. 16 on TELUS Optik TV channel 8 (VOD in Alberta and B.C.) and online at watch.telusoriginals.com. The film, which showcases the cinematography of Diana Parry, has been invited to some of the top festivals and saw Morin awarded the 2024 Emerging Canadian Artist award at the Inside Out festival.

The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) has released a new report highlighting significant economic benefits generated by the production of just one season of hit Canadian drama series Sullivan’s Crossing. Production of the show, which took place in Nova Scotia and Ontario, generated $47.55 million in economic activity, contributed $33.83 million to the national GDP, and created 385 full-time equivalent jobs. CMPA says federal and provincial tax credits and incentives used in the making of the show generated a significant return on investment. Each dollar of federal tax credit invested in the show generated $15.44 in economic activity in N.S. and $17.80 in Ontario, while each dollar of provincial incentive or tax credit generated $6.21 in N.S. and $7.49 in Ontario.

Sustainable Production Forum (SPF), the annual global hybrid conference aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the arts and entertainment industry, is back for its 9th year. SPF24 takes place in Toronto on Sept. 23 at the CBC Toronto Broadcast Centre, in Vancouver on Oct. 8 at the Roundhouse, and virtually Oct. 23. The conference features panels and workshops with industry leaders and innovators. Award-winning science journalist, filmmaker, and Daily Planet co-host Ziya Tong will deliver a keynote on the microplastics crisis.

The Montreal International Black Film Festival has unveiled the programming for its 20th year, Sept. 25 – 29. MIBFF is welcoming back Spike Lee for the fourth time, this time as the Honorary President and for an intimate conversation where festival goers get to hear the Academy Award-winning director discuss his journey as a filmmaker/producer as well as his views on today’s political and socio-economic environment. This year’s program features 100 films, among which are six world premieres, five international premieres, 10 North American premieres, 13 Canadian premieres and 39 Quebec premieres.