TV & Film News – Dune: Part Two design team among Canadian Oscar nominees

Julian Brave NoiseCat is among the Canadians up for Oscars heading into the 97th Academy Awards. NoiseCat, a writer, filmmaker, and activist from B.C.’s Canim Lake Band Tsq’secen of the Secwepemc Nation, and New York-based producer and journalist Emily Kassie, received a Best Documentary Feature nod for their film Sugarcane. Co-directed by NoiseCat and Kassie, it follows the search for unmarked graves at St. Joseph’s Mission, a former Indian residential school in Williams Lake, B.C. Among other Canadian nominees are the team attached to Dune: Part Two, directed by Quebec-born filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. The sequel to 2021’s Dune is a contender in the Best Picture category, while the film’s production design team – Patrice Vermette and Shane Vieau – received a nomination for Best Production Design. Toronto costume designer Linda Muir also received a nod for Best Costume Design for her work on Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu. Read more here.

The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) has announced the nominees for the 2025 WGC Screenwriting Awards. Productions generating multiple nominations include Allegiance, Popularity Papers, Open Season: Call of Nature, and Late Bloomer. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on April 28 at Koerner Hall in Toronto. 

Export Development Canada (EDC) has announced it’s providing more than $250 million in support to Cineflix Media, Sphere Media and Lionsgate Canada. The Crown agency, which helps Canadian businesses make an impact abroad and pursue new markets, has propped up the media and entertainment companies in the way of both direct financing and loan guarantees to help “create liquidity to fuel their international growth plans,” according to an EDC release. Read more here.

Media Technology Monitor (MTM) has released Changing Lanes – Altering Service Subscriptions, diving into whether Canadians are modifying their entertainment services to cut costs. It finds 29% of Canadians have cut back or cancelled a TV streaming subscription or paid TV service in the past six months to save money. The online survey found household income isn’t necessarily a driver in terms of changing or cancelling services, however age seems to play a significant role, with those aged 18-34 most likely to have made changes to their services to cut costs.

Bell Media and PAGEBOY Productions, founded by actor, producer, and advocate Elliot Page, have announced a new partnership to develop “bold, original scripted series” for Crave and CTV. Under the agreement, their collaboration will explore content opportunities, “with a joint dedication to spotlighting untold stories,” according to a Bell Media announcement.

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau’s memoir Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other is getting the docuseries treatment, led by Sphere Media. Sphere is co-producing alongside the former media personality, who separated from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2023 after 18 years of marriage. The six-episode series will feature personalities from culture, sport, politics and business, in conversation with Grégoire Trudeau, speaking candidly about personal struggles and challenges with a focus on mental health.

Blue Ant Media has announced five new greenlights and four renewals, set to roll out on the company’s Canadian specialty TV channels, T+E and Cottage Life, in 2025, followed by its global free streaming channels—HauntTV, Homeful, Love Pets, and Declassified—at a later date. The slate includes Ghost Lands (w/t), an hour-long doc on Indigenous ghost stories. Additional greenlights include You Can’t Deny It, a docuseries exploring the power of corroboration; Vet Detective, which spotlights Vancouver-based veterinarian Dr. Lauren Adelman; Engineering from Above, a spin-off of the Mysteries from Above franchise; and Birthplace of Hallowe’en (w/t), a one-hour documentary filmed in Ireland with B.C. paranormal investigators Kelly Ireland, Corine Carey and Leanne Sallenback, known for History’s Most Haunted and Haunted Gold Rush. Blue Ant has ordered a fourth season of Mysteries from Above, and second seasons of My Haunted Hometown, Holmes on Homes: Building a Legacy and Wild Rose Vets.

Prime Video has announced the premiere date and trailer for 50,000 First Dates: A True Story, a two-part docuseries that challenges the traditional romantic comedy narrative through the true story of Nesh Pillay, a Toronto-based entrepreneur who suddenly loses her memory and forgets her fiancé. Premiering Feb. 11 in 240 countries and territories worldwide, the docuseries showcases the journey of the viral Canadian couple who made headlines around the world as “The Real Life 50 First Dates Couple.”

CHEK Media’s newest addition to its local programming lineup, Now You Know BC, hosted by digital storyteller and B.C. history enthusiast Bob Kronbauer premieres Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. on CHEK and CHEK+. Known to his social media followers as “BC Bob,” the 13-episode series brings Kronbauer’s signature storytelling style from social media to television, with each episode uncovering hidden gems, historical tales, and extraordinary people across B.C.