First Look @ Universal's "Scott Pilgrim"

Take a look at some new images from Universal's upcoming Toronto-shot comic book adaptation "Scott Pilgrim".

"Scott Pilgrim" lensed numerous sequences at Pinewood Toronto Studios (formerly Filmport), noted as the largest indoor, sound stage studio in North America.

Premise of the original comic book series, created by Bryan Lee O'Malley, first published by Portland indie Oni Press in 2004, follows the romantic (mis) adventures of teenager 'Scott Pilgrim' , a slacker and wanna-be rock star, who lives in Toronto .

Pilgrim plays with the band "Sex Bob-Omb", falling in love with American beauty 'Ramona V. Flowers'. But Flowers insists that Pilgrim defeat her 7 'evil' ex-boyfriends in order to receive her mutual affections.

Universal optioned the property in 2005 for Edgar "Shaun Of The Dead" Wright to direct from a screenplay by Michael Bacall, starring Canadian actor Michael "Juno" Cera and Mary Elizabeth "Grindhouse" Winstead.

"Scott Pilgrim Vs The World" is produced by Eric Gitter, Nira Park, Marc E. Platt and Wright.

Sneak Peek "Scott Pilgrim"...

Willis Sees "Red" In Toronto

The comic book adaptation "Red", starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman has been scheduled to shoot at Toronto's Showline Studios, January 11 to March 8.

The film is based on the 3-issue DC/WildStorm comic book series written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Cully Hamner, following a former 'black-ops' CIA agent called out of retirement to pursue a hi-tech assassin.

The film will be directed by Robert "The Time Traveler's Wife" Schwentke from a screenplay by Erich and Jon "Whiteout" Hoeber...

IMAX Reaches $100 Million Milestone

Toronto/Los Angeles-based IMAX Corporation reports that in the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2009, gross box office worldwide reached the $100 million milestone, a first for the Company.

Results include the approximate $54 million generated from Twentieth Century Fox's "Avatar: An IMAX 3D Experience".

"Our strong 2009 box office results reflect the compelling film slate put together, our aggressive network expansion and increased productivity in many of our existing theatres," said Richard L. Gelfond, CEO of IMAX Corporation.

"We consistently delivered approximately 10% of the box office, on average, of any major title in our network this year on less than 3 percent of the screens. We look forward to our 2010 film slate with great anticipation and pleased to kick off the year with the juggernaut, 'Avatar", which opens in China this week."

"The combination of many of the best titles Hollywood has to offer and audience enthusiasm for the IMAX brand is a great one-two punch that has driven ticket sales at existing and new IMAX locations," said Greg Foster, Chairman, President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment.

"We appreciate those that have contributed to our significant growth, look forward to announcing more titles for 2010 and beyond in the weeks and months ahead and working closely with both new and long time partners as we bring 'The IMAX Experience' to more moviegoers around the globe."

The Company's announced 2010 film slate includes "Avatar: An IMAX 3D Experience" (Twentieth Century Fox), "Alice in Wonderland: An IMAX 3D Experience" (Walt Disney Studios), "Hubble 3D" (IMAX Corp.\Warner Bros.), "How to Train Your Dragon: An IMAX 3D Experience" (Dreamworks Animation), "Shrek Forever After: An IMAX 3D Experience" (Dreamworks Animation), "Toy Story 3: An IMAX 3D Experience" (Walt Disney Studios) , "Twilight Saga: Eclipse: The IMAX Experience" (Summit Entertainment), "Inception: The IMAX Experience" (Warner Bros.), and "Tron Legacy: An IMAX 3D Experience" (Walt Disney Studios )...

Toronto Preps For The Next Big Thing

A prequel to director John Carpenter's 1981 horror feature "The Thing" is prepping for a production start in Toronto.

Shooting on the Universal monster feature begins in March through to June, set on the Norweigan Antarctic base that first encounters a shape-shifting 'thing' from another world.

Director is Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., from a screenplay by Eric "A Nightmare On Elm Street" Heisserer and Ronald D. "Battlestar Galactica" Moore.

Carpenter's "The Thing" adapted the 1938 "Astounding Magazine" 'novella' "Who Goes There", by author John W. Campbell Jr.

The short story was also the basis of the 1951 film "The Thing From Another World" from producer Howard Hawks.

Premise of the original story follows a group of scientific researchers, isolated in Antarctica, that discover an alien spaceship buried in the ice. The men unwittingly recover the alien pilot that can assume the shape, memories and personality of any living creature.

Strike Entertainment's Eric Newman and Marc Abraham will produce "The Thing" prequel, with David Foster executive producing.

Sneak Peek "The Thing...

Happy New Year 2010

Happy Holidays From Achilles Media

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Happy Holidays 2009 from Canwest Publicity

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"Afterlife" Producer See "3D Musketeers"

Producer Jeremy Bolt, currently in Toronto shooting the 3D "Resident Evil 4: Afterlife" has confirmed he is planning to use the same 3D camera system director James Cameron utelized in the Fox feature "Avatar", for a fresh take on the classic public domain novel "The Three Musketeers", by author Alexandre Dumas.

"Yes, it will be "Three" in 3D," said Bolt about "Three Musketeers".

"We've learned so much from this film ("Afterlife"), it would be a pity not to build on that...We have a script ready to go...we'll probably be shooting ("Three Musketeers" in late summer..."

"The Three Musketeers" recounts the adventures of 'd'Artagnan' after he leaves home to become a guard of the king's 'musketeers'.

The 'three' musketeers' of the title are 'Athos', 'Porthos' and 'Aramis', inseparable friends who live by the motto "all for one, one for all".

The book was first published in serial form in the magazine "Le Siècle" between March and July 1844.

With "Afterlife", Bolt has now lensed several "Resident Evi" features in Toronto and enjoys working in Canada.

With the new Ontario 'enhanced' film tax credits, allowing 25% of refundable credits, Bolt confirmed, "We are definitely considering shooting here," re "Three Musketeers".

"We'll run a budget and look at locations...the fact is, we haven't shot in Los Angeles for 10 years..."

Cinespace Opening Up More Space

Toronto's east-end located Cinespace Film Studios, currently working on "Resident Evil: Afterlife" and "Saw 7' will open a new 30-acre studio complex in Toronto's west-end Etobicoke, with over 1,000,000 square feet of working space.

A 10-minute drive midway between Pearson Airport and downtown Toronto, the new studio currently has 50,000 square feet of production office space available, with 'cinespace' soundstages to be ready by early 2010.

Cinespace president Steve Mirkopoulous made the announcement, coinciding with the Ontario Liberal government, voting into law, the 'enhanced' Ontario film tax credit, refunding 25% of eligible spending, effective as of June 30.

Film equipment supplier William F. White and post-production facility Deluxe are currently set up in the new facility...

"High Life" : The Perfect Crime

Set in 1983, just after the implementation of 'Automated Teller Machines', "High Life" is a new Canadian feature, lensed in Winnpeg, written/directed by Gary Yates, starring Timothy Olyphant, Rossif Sutherland, Joe Anderson and Stephen McIntyre.

In "High Life", a visit from his former cellmate 'Bug' (McIntyre) gets 'Dick' (Olyphant) fired from his job as a hospital janitor.

Unemployed and in need of fast cash Dick gets the dumb idea to rob a brand new ATM machine.

Enter 'Donnie' (Anderson) and 'Billy' (Sutherland) to help put the pieces into place.

But things don't go quite according to plan...

"...Alternately tragic and hysterical, the 'High Life’ perfect plan ends up anything but when one of the bank’s employees double-crosses them all. Set against the nostalgic back-beat of 'Three Dog Night', 'Creedence Clearwater Revival' and a raft of 'April Wine', the 'High Life’ highwire tension unfolds with calamitous results..."

Union Pictures will release "High Life" across Canada, Jan 15 in Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Calgary and Jan. 22 in Montreal , Ottawa , Edmonton and Halifax.

Sneak Peek "High Life"...

Canadian Television Fund Update...

During the 2008-2009 fiscal year, over 250 global sales were announced for CTF (Canadian Television Fund), financially-assisted film productions.

CTF-funded cop drama, "Flashpoint", aired simultaneously over CTV and CBS, winning critical acclaim , averaging over 1.2 million Canadian viewers per episode and 7.7 million viewers per episode in the US during its first season. The show was renewed and sold to over 25 countries, including Israel, Poland, and Spain.

"Mayerthorpe", another police drama, attracted 1.3 million viewers and was the most watched Canadian movie of the week in 2008, "The Air Farce Live NYE" special attracted 1.5 million viewers, the "Rick Mercer Report" averaged over one million viewers per episode and for the eighth consecutive year, "Degrassi: The Next Generation" was the US-based "N" network’s most watched program.

CTF-funded documentaries in 2008-2009 also included the futuristic "Aftermath",premiering to the highest- ratings for any show on "History Television Canada".

During the mid 1990's, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) proposed establishing a funding initiative that would focus on facilitating the production/broadcast of Canadian television programs in under-represented categories during peak viewing periods, with revenues to come from contributions by broadcasting distribution undertakings (i.e., cable and direct-to-home satellite providers) at a certain percentage of their revenues.

According to the CTF, over its 12-year history, the fund has paid a staggering $2.7 billion to support over 5,400 productions, resulting in the creation of more than 27,000 hours of television, triggering over $9 billion in production volume across Canada...

Toronto Hosting International Indian Film Academy Awards

Toronto has been selected as the host city for the 2011 International Indian Film Academy Awards, the first North American city to host the event.

"We have the know-how, we’ve got the experience and we’ve got the infrastructure", said Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty from Mumbai, India, referring to Toronto's international status as host of the Toronto International Film Festival.

The Indian Awards ceremony will close the Festival after four days of screenings, receptions, parties and industry forums, running June 16-19, 2011.

The first Festival, held in 2000 in London England, now has a worldwide TV audience of 350 million viewers.

Oscar-winning 'Bollywood'-like film "Slum Dog Millionaire" made the transition from the Indian community to a mainstream audience, gathering interest for Indian films in North America...

NFB Goes To Sundance With Three Shorts

Canada's National Film Board of Canada (NFB) returns to the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, January 21 to 31 with three selected animated film shorts.

The films screening are Cordell Baker’s "Runaway", Bruce Alcock’s "Vive la Rose" and David Coquard-Dassault’s "Rains".

"Runaway" is Barker's third short film with the NFB. His previous films "The Cat Came Back" (1988) and "Strange Invaders" (2001) won 30 international awards and Academy Award nominations. "Runaway" was produced in Winnipeg by Derek Mazur for the NFB.

Bruce Alcock’s "Vive la Rose", puts into images the words of a plaintive song about lost love. Co-produced by the NFB and Global Mechanic, Alcock’s film is based on an 18th-century song by Newfoundland musician Émile Benoit, in a film that pays homage to the land, sea and the harsh lives of local fishermen, produced by Global Mechanic’s Tina Ouellette and the NFB’s Annette Clarke and Michael Fukushima.

"Rains" is a meditation on everyday life and man's relationship with nature, as seen by illustrator David Coquard-Dassault, produced by Folimage’s Pascal Le Nôtre and the NFB’s Julie Roy...

CFC Offers $10,000 For "The Reel Challenge"

The Canadian Film Centre have launched 'The Reel Challenge Contest', an initiative of the Canadian Film Centre, supported by the Copyright Collective of Canada.

The Reel Challenge is a contest for aspiring filmmakers to make a short compelling film about the importance of creators' rights and copyright protection for their work.

"...For contemporary artists, including filmmakers, the digital age brings extraordinary opportunities, yet at the same time, unprecedented challenges with respect to an artist's ability to control the distribution, use and reproduction of his or her work. The Reel Challenge Contest is an opportunity for artists to speak out on the importance of preserving and protecting copyrighted creative works..."

Eligible submissions should be approximately sixty (60) seconds in length and must not exceed three (3) minutes.

The contest runs December 7, 2009 to April 26, 2010.

Three prizes will be awarded:

first CDN$10,000
second CDN$2,500
third CDN$2,500.

"...All categories and genres of short film are accepted, including drama, comedy, animation, horror, sci-fi, documentary, experimental and music videos. Prizes will be awarded by the adjudicating committee to the creators whose submissions promote creators' rights and address the importance of content protection, from a creator's perspective, in the most compelling way, provoke the most thought and feeling in the viewer, and are considered the most engaging, imaginative and the most innovative in content and delivery..."

Telefilm And Rogers Announce Feature Doc Funding...

Telefilm Canada and the Rogers Group of Funds have announced the names of the feature-length documentary projects that will receive funding support under the 'Theatrical Documentary Program' in 2009-2010.

Participating filmmakers will receive funding support for the production or post-production stage of their project, as the goal of the Program is to broaden both the slate and audiences for Canadian feature-length documentaries produced for commercial screening in Canada, while jointly financing a number of French- and English-language projects likely to be successful in Canada and abroad.

"Through this program, we are looking to attract new audiences in theatres for Canadian documentaries by providing support at crucial stages so projects can be commercially viable," said Michel Pradier, Director of Project Financing, Telefilm Canada.

"The feature films selected this year testify once again to Canadian documentary filmmakers' spirit of innovation and creativity."

Launched in 2005-2006 as a one-year pilot project, the public-private partnership was recently renewed until 2011. The program has a total budget of $4.5 million and provides funding, during production and post-production stages, for feature-length documentary projects with production budgets of $500,000 or more in French and $600,000 or more in English as well as financing for projects at the post-production stage.

English-language projects are "The David Suzuki Project"- Sturla Gunnarsson, "Genius Within: The Inner Life Of Glenn Gould"- Michele Hozer, "The Guantanamo Trap"- Thomas Wallner, "I Will Survive (Again)"- Jamie Kastner and "TuTu Much"- Elise Swerhone...

Toronto-Lensed "Splice" Screening @ Sundance...

The North American premiere of "Splice", a France-Canadian co-production, directed by Vincenzo Natali, will screen at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in the PARK CITY AT MIDNIGHT program.

Filmed in Toronto at Black Creek Pioneer Village, Cinespace Film Studios and York University, "Splice" follows 'Elsa' and 'Clive', two young scientists, who defy legal and ethical boundaries by conducting a dangerous experiment, splicing together human and animal DNA to create a new organism.

Named 'Dren', the creature develops from a deformed female into a beautiful winged chimera, forging a bond with both creators. Cast also includes Adrien "The Pianist" Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chaneac and David Hewlett.

Other Canadian features screening at the Sundance MIDNIGHT program include the horror spoof "Tucker and Dale vs. Evil", directed by Eli Craig, written by Craig & Morgan Jurgenson and "7 Days", directed by Daniel Grou, written by Patrick Senecal.

"7 Days" focuses on a doctor who takes revenge by kidnapping the man who previously kidnapped his young daughter. The film stars Remy Girard, Claude Legault, Fanny Mallette, Martin Dubreuil and Rose-Marie Coallier.

"Tucker and Dale vs. Evil", follows two West Virginian hillbillies as they encounter trouble on a vacation at their mountain cabin. Cast includes Tyler "Reaper" Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden and Jesse Moss.

Sneak Peek "Splice"...