The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) has announced the winners of the 23rd Annual DGC Awards, presented online Monday. The Queen of My Dreams led the film categories with director Fawzia Mirza tying with We Forgot to Break Up director Karen Knox for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film. The Queen of My Dreams also tied for the win in the Best Production Design (Limited Budget) category, alongside the drama Kipkemboi. Series capturing multiple awards included What We Do in the Shadows, Fellow Travelers, Halo, and Bones of Crows, which picked up two honours apiece. Kaniehtiio Horn, who wrote, directed and starred in thriller Seeds, was recognized wtih the Jean–Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award. Nicole Close won this year’s DGC Impact Award, presented in recognition of outstanding service and leadership to the production community at large. Find the full list of winners here.
The Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA) has handed out the 2024 Rosie Awards. Multiple award winners included Julian Black Antelope, who was named Best Host and Best Screenwriter, Documentary under 30 Minutes for Secret History: Women Warriors “Ladies First”; and Patrick McLaughlin, who picked up both Best Cinematographer, Scripted Over 30 Minutes and Best Cinematographer, Documentary, Under 30 Minutes. Cody Lightning comedy Hey Viktor!, short film Crow, and documentaries Magic Hours and Legends of the Pony Express also secured multiple wins. Find the full list of winners here.
ACTRA Manitoba will host its 7th annual awards on Nov. 23. Productions garnering multiple performance nominations include CTV’s Acting Good; Sony Pictures’ Sniper: Rogue Mission; and indie film Melaleuca. Find the full list of nominees here.
The Weather Network says it has seen a 94% average increase in measured audience in the last 12 months amongst those aged 25-54, following its adoption of Numeris’ Enhanced TV Audience Measurement (TAM) solution. Announced this spring, Numeris’ Hybrid Linear TV measurement incorporates Return Path Data (Big Data) from Set-Top-Boxes (STBs) to TAM data (Panel data). With a full year of data now available, Numeris says the solution offers more granular and stable measurement, expanding the effective sample size, 2+, by over 25,000. The Weather Network says the enhanced methodology has substantiated significantly greater reach of its content. Read more here.
Prime Video has unveiled the trailers for two new Canadian Original docuseries set for release this November. In Cold Water: The Shelter Bay Mystery is a three-part series that recounts the investigation into the drowning of school teacher Laura Letts-Beckett while on a fishing vacation in the Canadian Rockies, set to premiere on Nov. 12. Hard North streams Nov. 29, following a diverse group of young Canadians as they embark on a challenging mission to build a life in the vast and unforgiving Canadian wilderness. Created by Paul Kilback (Tornado Hunters, Mysteries from Above, Life Below Zero Canada), the eight-episode series following aspiring homesteaders Matty Clarke in Lake St. John, NL; Margot Bossus in Plata Trap-Line, Rogue Range, Yukon; Billy Rioux in Gaspé Peninsula, Que.; and couple Emily Veilleux and Gilbert Chookomoolin in Peawanuck, ON.
MEDIAPRO Studio U.S. & Canada unveiled the first projects born of its recent North American expansion during a special panel at MIPCOM Cannes 2024. The studio’s upcoming slate includes the series Witness 36, a spy thriller created by Daniel Burman and featuring Evan Katz as showrunner; the remake as an English-language series of Juan José Campanella film Son of the Bride; Screaming Ball of Chaos, a bank robber comedy created by Juliet McDaniel, and I Love the Prime Minister, a half-hour comedy set in Canada with Matt Hastings as showrunner. Films include Mother Wolf, a family drama starring Melissa Leo, and the feature film adaptation of Is There No Place on Earth for Me?, written and directed by John Turturro. In non-fiction content, the docuseries Hollywood Homicide: Robert Blake stands out, a true crime series produced by the late actor’s son; and the U.S. adaptation of the studio’s hit game show format Catch Me If You Can, with Antony Carbone as showrunner.
Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released a new report exploring co-viewing in detail. It finds half of online Canadians (50%) co-view multiple times a week and three quarters (76%) say they do it at least once a month. Those aged 35-49 are most likely to co-view (73%). While co-viewing is more common in multi-person households, MTM also finds that three in 10 of those who live alone (30%) still do it weekly. The TV set is by far the most common screen on which people co-view content – more than four-fifths of co-viewers (82%). Over half (53%) said it was the only screen they use.
