On Screen Manitoba

Reel Horse Wranglers has a new demo video showcasing a carriage driving in Birds Hill Provincial Park.

OSM member Adam Smoluk is currently featured in a national interview for Notable.ca. This publication is the leading source and lifestyle guide for young professionals (YPs) across Canada.

SXSW ScreenBurn is excited to announce a cross-collaboration with SXSW Film featuring Indie Game: the Movie. Filmmakers, and OSM members, James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot, along with Phil Fish (creator of "Fez"), will be at SXSW ScreenBurn Arcade 2012, where they will discuss their film, the behind the scenes of what it really takes to create an independent game and more!

The Winnipeg premiere of OSM member Shelagh Carter's feature film debut, Passionflower, on November 23 at the Winnipeg Art Gallery was a smashing success. The screening followed Telefilm Canada's Annual Public Meeting.

The Merit Motion Pictures' documentary, Conspiracy Rising, will be airing on CBC Doc Zone on Thursday, March 8, 2012 9:00 PM on CBC-TV.

The following article about the cast of HBO Canada's Less Than Kind (co-produced by OSM member Buffalo Gal Pictures) was written by Rob Salem and originally published on thestar.com website. Less than Kind's third season airs on HBO Canada beginning Jan. 15. A free preview of the first two episodes of the new season will be on the HBO Canada website from Dec. 22 through Jan. 25.

The following article was written by James Swirsky and published on the Indie Game: The Movie website on December 8, 2011. Indie Game: The Movie was recently selected for the Sundance festival.

Congratulations to Guy Maddin and Buffalo Gal Pictures whose film, Keyhole, was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's best of the year list. This article was published on the CTV.ca website on December 7, 2011.

The following interview with OSM member Marjorie Roden about her film The Epic Adventures of Lake Girl was originally published on the WormholeRiders website.

KEYHOLE, directed by OSM members Guy Maddin and produced by Buffalo Gal Pictures, has won the $15,000 Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature Film, which was presented by the Directors Guild of Canada, BC and supported by Telefilm Canada at the eleventh annual Whistler Film Festival.

Named after the legendary Canadian filmmaker Phillip Borsos, the Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature Film recognizes creativity and passion in independent filmmakers.

KEYHOLE, which had its Western Canadian premiere at the festival, stars Jason Patric, Isabella Rossellini and Udo Kier. It is a rousing 1930s gangster picture set in a haunted house in which dream and waking life are seamlessly blended to isolate and expose universal feelings. The Jury says “Yahtzee!” and awarded KEYHOLE the Borsos award “for its inventiveness, audacity and humour.”

The following article about the Winnipeg Film Group Member Premieres event, written by Kenton Smith, was originally published in Uptown on December 2, 2011 and features interviews with OSM members Mike Maryniuk and OSM staff member Michael Kluthe.

Congratulations and good luck to OSM members John B. Lowe and Jean Du Toit for their project, Small Balls, being shortlisted for the NSI Features First program!

Congratulations to director and OSM member John Barnard of Farpoint Films whose documentary, Sierra's Song, is set to play at the Indianer Inuit Film Festival in Stuttgart, Germany.

The following article about OSM member Guy Maddin's film Keyhole (co-produced by OSM member Buffalo Gal Pictures) screening at the Whistler Film Festival was written by John Mackie and originally published in the Vancouver Sun on November 28, 2011.

HBO Canada, a multiplex channel of Corus Entertainment's Movie Central (Western Canada) and Astral's The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) is going back into the heart of Winterpeg for the third season of the quirky, half-hour original comedy series, Less Than Kind.

The following excellent news was posted on the Indie Game: The Movie (produced by OSM members Blinkworks Media) website on November 30, 2011. Congratulations to Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky! The film will have its Winnipeg premiere on Friday, February 3.

Acclaimed local filmmaker Danishka Esterhazy has gone from Black Field's 19th Century rural Canada to the 1980's school hallways for her latest project, Bullies: Not Cool!

The webseries is from The Academy of Broadcasting Corporation's Faculty of Acting, and features a strong collection of local talent and is set for its online debut on Tuesday December 6 at www.BulliesNotCool.com.

The following great review is of Prairie Theatre Exchange's The Secret Mask, which stars OSM member John B. Lowe as George. The Secret Mask is playing at PTE until December 4, 2011.

The following article about Guy Maddin's Tales From The The Gimli Hospital was originally published on Indiewire.com in anticipation of Performa 11 last weekend.

Comedy web series BULLIES: NOT COOL!, directed by OSM member Danishka Esterhazy, will premiere on the internet this December 6th, 2011.

Set in 1986, the six-part series focuses on a group of teenagers who bully and are bullied, get revenge, forgive each other, call each other out, and suffer in silence – all the while trying to figure out the right thing to do. The series was created by the Academy of Broadcasting Corporation’s Faculty of Acting.

WINNIPEG ABORIGINAL FILM FESTIVAL MASTER CLASS WITH DIRECTOR JEREMY TORRIE

November 19 - 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The following article was originally posted on the Indie Game: The Movie website, from OSM members Blinkworks Media.

OSM member John B. Lowe is starring in the Prairie Theatre Exchange's latest production, The Secret Mask, which runs from November 17 to December 4.

The following article about the documentary Happily Dysfunctional: The Story of Transistor 66 Records (produced and filmed by OSM member Charles Konowal) was written by Rob Williams and was originally published in the Winnipeg Free Press on November 12, 2011. The film will be available on MTS Winnipeg On Demand beginning November 18, 2011.

(version française ci-dessous)

Manitoba filmmaker Guy Maddin has been labeled the third best film director of the 21st Century by the esteemed film site Metacritic (www.metacritic.com).

In a poll that evaluated directors based on reviews of their films made since 2000, Maddin achieved an 81% approval rating, ranking him third out of 15 directors. This critical acclaim allowed him to outrank such high profile directors as Mike Leigh (Secrets and Lies) and David Fincher (Fight Club).

In order to be eligible for the poll, directors had to have released at least four films since 2000, and each of these films had to have been reviewed at least seven times. Since 2000 Maddin has released five films including the Saddest Music in the World, Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary, My Winnipeg, Brand Upon the Brain and Cowards Bend the Knee or The Blue Hands. His latest film Keyhole premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this year and has not yet been released theatrically.

Congratulations to Kyle Bornais and Farpoint Films who service-produced the locally-lensed film, Mother's Day, which was recently acquired by Anchor Bay Films.

Congratulations to OSM members vonnie VON HELMOLT and Merit Motion Pictures for recently winning Best Feature Doc at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival!

Congratulations to Guy Maddin and producers Buffalo Gal Pictures whose film Keyhole was recently acquired by monterey media.

Congratulations to OSM members Guy Maddin and Buffalo Gal Pictures who were recently nominated for Best Canadian Feature Film at the Whistler Film Festival.

Congratulations to OSM member Ernesto Griffith whose film, Billy, won Best Feature Film Award this past weekend at the Hollywood Black Film Festival.

Winnipeg's Konofilms (OSM member Charles Konowal) is proud to announce the release of a film by Steve Ward about local indie label Transistor 66 Records.

Ameba, an IPTV company based in Winnipeg, has announced their official launch on the LG Smart TV platform in the USA and Canada. Families with a LG Smart TV device now have on demand access to thousands of hours of award winning kids TV.

“We are excited by the growth of Ameba over the past year and energized by the growing list of smart TV providers that support our content library,” says Ameba CEO Tony Havelka. “We have become a multi-platform service giving children access to great kids TV content no matter where they are.”

Merit Motion Pictures is delighted to announce that One Ocean Interactive has won the Best Interactive/New Media Program award at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival. One Ocean Interactive is a co-production of Merit Motion Pictures and Tactica Interactive in association with CBC-TV's The Nature of Things hosted by David Suzuki.

Chump Change film premiere

Date: November 6 - 7 to 9 p.m. - Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the evening starts at 7 p.m.
Location: The Park Theatre - 698 Osborne Street

Paula Kelly's feature film debut, Euphoria, is about a journey from and back to a fictional town in Manitoba called Euphoria. While there is no actual town Euphoria, after a visit to the set on the last day of filming you would have thought the cast and crew had already found euphoria.

Loins Girded? Blood Mop Ready? Just Launched: First Ever TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL Online Game: “Descent into Crowley Heights”

Heidi Phillips: Mysteries of Light
dir. Heidi Phillips, Canada, 2005-2011, 120 minutes
Pay-what-you-can Admission
28 October · 19:30 - 21:30
Club SAW
67 Nicholas St.
Ottawa, Ontario

The Original Pictures produced Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings, shot in Winnipeg this past winter, had its L.A. Premiere as part of this month's Screamfest. Winnipeg actors who starred in the production - Sean Skene (Vincent & Three Finger), Daniel Skene (One-Eye), Scotty Johnson (Saw-Tooth) and Jenny Pudavick (Kenia) attended the premiere.

Congratulations to OSM member Adam Smoluk who has been shortlisted for a Notable Award for Sports and Entertainment. The Notable awards recognize Canada’s up-and-coming young professionals. The Sports and Entertainment award will recognize an individual who showcases grace, philanthropy, and respect for their craft in the everyday.

Good luck and congratulations to OSM member Norma Bailey who will have a busy next couple of weeks.

The prolific director will be attending the Directors Guild of Canada Awards this Saturday, October 29. Bailey is nominated for a Lifetime movie she shot in Toronto, The Devil's Teardrop. The film was produced by Chesler/Perlmutter Productions and Tom Patricia and stars Tom Everett Scott and Natasha Hentstridge. It's nominated in two categories: Best Direction and Best Team.

Congratulations to Adam Smoluk who has been awarded a scholarship to attend the Leadership Winnipeg program 2011/2012. The scholarship and program have been made possible by The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, Volunteer Manitoba and many generous sponsors.

This unique program selects participants from a wide variety of sectors and provides experiences that will inspire and help develop their skills, knowledge and understanding of themselves, their community and their role in it. Leadership Winnipeg is about connecting young leaders, with those who are already guiding THE city's future.

Passionflower actor, Kristen Harris, was acknowledged for her outstanding performance in a drama at the Vancouver International Film Festival closing night gala and awards presentation Friday, Oct. 14.

Congratulations to the Buffalo Gal Pictures co-produced Less Than Kind that recently won two Canadian Comedy Awards.

Farpoint Films is in production on a rock-doc feature film that chronicles the band The Sheepdogs after their Rolling Stone magazine cover story. Directing the film is Farpoint Films' own John Barnard.

Enigmatico Films and Buffalo Gal Pictures are pleased to announce that production is underway on the feature film Mad Ship.

The 18-day shooting schedule takes place in various locations in Winnipeg and rural Manitoba, including the towns of Selkirk and Holland. Prior to filming in Manitoba, two days of shooting took place in northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle, on an island called Senja. Production wraps in Winnipeg on October 27.

The following article about Phantasmagoria, and featuring Danishka Esterhazy, was written by Kenton Smith and originally published in Uptown on October 13, 2011.

CANADIAN INDIE GEM FOODLAND WILL HAVE YOU ROLLING IN THE AISLES

The hilarious Canadian caper comedy Foodland follows a naive grocery clerk who finds himself an unwilling accomplice in a robbery. This indie film was shot and produced in wintry Winnipeg earned local screenwriter and director Adam Smoluk, critical acclaim and the top prize of the National Screen Institute of Canada's Features First Program. Super Channel, Canada’s only national English pay television network, premieres this comedic gem on Oct. 12 at 9 p.m. ET in vivid HD.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES DOCUMENTARY ON THE LOSS AND RETURN OF THE WINNIPEG JETS AIRS OCT. 7, AT 8 P.M. (8:30 NT), ON CBC-TV

Euphoria, an indie road movie showcasing Manitoba began production in Winnipeg and various locations throughout the province today, Wednesday, October 5, 2011.

A new video that OSM member Steve Langston (Dirty T-Shirt Productions) produced and directed about Dauphin's Countryfest is now available for viewing.

The My Winnipeg art exhibit just wrapped up a successful run in Paris, France on September 25. OSM members Andrew Wall and Guy Maddin both had their works featured in the exhibit. This article was written by Ron Telpner and originally published in the Winnipeg Free Press on September 24, 2011.

Astral's Harold Greenberg Fund's English-Language Program (Fund) is pleased to announce its latest round of funding for 29 new and ongoing projects through its Script Development Program, including scripts from Buffalo Gal Pictures and Farpoint Films.

Why do people believe in conspiracy theories? What's really at the root of society's skepticism of the “official story”? What type of person is it that believes a sinister and secret society is manipulating the government?

These are the questions explored in this fascinating and thought-provoking documentary produced by Merit Motion Pictures and directed by Andy Blicq (Are We Digital Dummies, The Secret World of Shoplifting, The Truth About Liars).

Set against the global socio-political landscape, Conspiracy Rising (Oct. 20 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT), on CBC-TV’s Doc Zone) is a one-hour documentary exploring the trajectory of conspiracy theories, the people who promote them and the reasons why so many people believe. Combining remarkable archival footage, stunning visuals and extraordinary experts, we take the viewer inside the murky world of the modern conspiracy as well as look back at where they originated. This timely and current documentary will introduce the audience to fascinating material, outlandish claims and may even reveal truths that have been hidden for decades.

The following article was written by John Scoles about his time at TIFF and was originally published in Uptown on September 22, 2011.

Cineflix Rights has closed an unprecedented number of sales to broadcasters across the Nordic region in the run up to MIPCOM. The distributor has signed volume deals for 39 shows with TV4 and Kanal 5 Sweden, TV Norge and TLC Norway, Nelonen Finland, Viasat Denmark, and the BBC and TLC for pan-Scandinavian broadcast. In total, nearly 450 hours of product have now been sold to the region’s top broadcasters over the past year, including Princess, produced by Frantic Films.

DIRECTV, one of the world’s leading video providers, has acquired all three seasons of the critically acclaimed, award-winning Canadian comedy series Less Than Kind, from OSM member Buffalo Gal Pictures. Produced and distributed by Toronto-based Breakthrough Entertainment, the series will make its exclusive U.S. debut this fall on DIRECTV’s AUDIENCE Network™, joining fellow Canadian hit Call Me Fitz as part of the network’s stable of comedy programming. UTA, on behalf of Breakthrough Entertainment, brokered the deal with DIRECTV.

Jeremy Torrie says this is a difficult time for feature filmmakers, but that hasn’t stopped the Ojibway filmmaker from nearing completion of shooting his latest feature, Path of Souls.

The following excerpted review about Andrew Wall's comedy short, The Table, which recently screened at the Gangrene Film Festival, was originally published on the Big Shiny Robot website on September 11, 2011.

The following article was written by OSM member John Scoles and was originally published in Uptown Magazine on September 15, 2011.

The following article about director Shelagh Carter was written by Joy Loewen and originally appeared on the Exposure Film website.

The following article was written by Randall King and was originall published in the Winnipeg Free Press on September 12, 2011.

The APTN drama Cashing In exposes the high-stakes, winner-takes-all world of First Nations gaming. This half-hour drama is set on the fictional Stonewalker First Nation in southern Manitoba. And houses some very familiar faces.

Congratulations to Frantic Films who won a Gemini Award for Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil during an award ceremony on Industry Night #2.

Astral's Harold Greenberg Fund's English-Language Program (Fund) is pleased to announce its latest round of funding for projects through its Equity Investment Program.

Congratulations to Shelagh Carter and the cast and crew of Passionflower which will have its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

GUY MADDIN’S EXCITING NEW MULTI SCREEN INSTALLATION TO OPEN SEPT 2:
Collaboration Between WNDX & PLATFORM

OSM members Jeremy Torrie and Juliette Hagopian started filming their new movies this week.

Congratulations to Frantic Films for winning two Gemini's on August 30 during the first night of the Industry Awards gala.

Best Host in a Lifestyle/Practical Information, or Performing Arts Program or Series

The following article was written by Kenton Smith and originally published in Uptown on August 25 and is about the program  Short Shots, which is airing on CBC on August 27 and features some OSM member's projects.

Happily Dysfunctional: The Story of Transistor 66 Records is a documentary film shot by OSM member Charles Konowal about upstart Winnipeg music label Transistor 66 and it's rockin' owner Art MacIntyre.

Animiki See Digital Productions, Kistikan Pictures and Buffalo Gal Pictures are pleased to announce that the third season of APTN original drama Cashing In is scheduled to premiere on Wednesday nights this fall:

Andrew Wall says one of the best things about being a filmmaker is the ability to explore the worlds of comedy and tragedy, often one after another.

One Ocean Interactive, a co-production of OSM member Merit Motion Pictures and Tactica Interactive, has been nominated for a Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival Award in the category of Best Interactive/New Media Program. The festival is to be held October 3-7, 2011.

“We’re very pleased by this nomination,” said Producer Alexa Rosentreter. “It’s rewarding to have our project be recognized by one of the premiere nature and environmental festivals in the world.”

Farpoint Films and Bottle Rocket World Entertainment are pleased to announce that The Paper Nazis has won a 2011 Accolade Award of Excellence. The Accolade is an International award that honours exceptional achievement in craft in creativity in television production.

The National Film Board of Canada announced on August 11, 2011 that OSM board member Brendon Sawatzky will assume the role of Producer at the NFB’s North West Centre Winnipeg office during Alicia Smith’s maternity leave. Sawatzky will act as an NFB Producer for 14 months, beginning on August 15; Smith’s leave begins in late September. The NFB Producer in Winnipeg works with directors, producers and digital media makers in Manitoba to produce documentary and animation, as well as interactive projects.

Through the generosity of Investors Group, The Banff Centre has awarded Manitoba filmmaker Adam Smoluk a substantial scholarship to attend the Leadership Development program. Only six scholarships are awarded to Manitobans annually.

FRANTIC FILMS has been nominated for 14 Gemini Awards.

The Gemini Awards honour the best in Canadian television as determined by members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television and other industry professionals.

Congratulations to all the OSM members whose projects will air as part of the CBC's SHORT SHOTS at 7 p.m. Saturday, August 27 on CBC Manitoba. The following blog entry orignially appeared on Exposure Film - Published by Joy Loewen on July 13, 2011.

OSM member Jon Ted Wynne is in London this week where he will personally be meeting and filming HRH Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace as part of his MTS On Demand series Standing On Guard.

Director Brendon Sawatzky's North American Perspective will be screened at the Gimli Film Festival on Friday, July 22 at 1:00 p.m. at the at the Scotiabank Short Film Centre (Aspire Theatre).

Director Hersh Seth's The Lost Dreams of Narcissus and Echo will be screened at the Gimli Film Festival on Sunday, July 24 at 3:30 p.m. at the at the Scotiabank Short Film Centre (Aspire Theatre).

Director Shelagh Carter's One Night will be playing at the Gimli Film Festival on Sunday, July 24 at the Scotiabank Short Film Centre (Aspire Theatre) at 1 p.m.

Paula Kelly's short documentary about the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Art and Stone, will be screened at the Gimli Film Festival.

Feature documentary TuTuMUCH is scheduled to screen at the 11th annual Gimli Film Festival. Producers Merit Jensen Carr of Merit Motion Pictures and Vonnie von Helmolt of vonnie VON HELMOLT film look forward to bringing their Manitoba-made and internationally touring production to an audience of this province’s young people, families and dance fans alike.

"It's so rewarding to receive this opportunity for our film," said Von Helmolt. "TuTuMUCH was five years in the making, but with the assistance of Cineplex Odeon, Telefilm Canada, Manitoba Film and Music, Superchannel and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet we finally did it.”

Farpoint Films' John Barnard was recently featured in the Lac du Bonnet Leader in an article about his latest film, The Book of Vaudeville.

This article about OSM members Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky of Blinkworks Media and their film, Indie Game: The Movie, was originally published online on the Ars Technica website.

The following article reviews the recent collaboration between OSM member Guy Maddin & rock band Sparks and their live production of The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman. It was originally published on the L.A. Weekly online blog.

Frantic Films will begin production on a new web series thanks to an investment from the Independent Production Fund (IPF) and MANITOBA FILM & MUSIC. Verdict, which will consist of fifteen 5-minute episodes, is being written by Manitobans Tammy Marlowe Johnson and Mike McIntyre and produced by the Winnipeg-based Frantic Films.

According to the IPF, this year’s web series competition received 160 applications, while only 15 recipients were chosen from across Canada. Verdict was the only Manitoba project selected.

The IPF created the web series competition in 2010 to support the exploration and potential for high-quality, story-driven drama for web audiences. Their guidelines stress the need for consistent original content and interaction with fan communities.

(English version below)

ITWÉ est un des sept récipiendaires du Fonds TV5 2011 pour la création numérique. Sélectionnée parmi 95 autres projets soumis de partout au pays, leur série Web « Où tu vas, toi? » sera le seul projet francophone tourné à l’extérieur du Québec.

The latest interactive project from OSM member Kevin Lee Burton entitled God's Lake Narrows is now available for viewing on the National Film Board of Canada website.

(English version below)

Une grande aventure, trois nominations, il va sans dire que LA RUÉE VERS L’OR a fait sa marque. Durant trois mois, de Skagway à Dawson City, 10 prospecteurs revivent la grande histoire de la ruée vers l’or du Klondike de 1898. Et tout ce travail d’équipe fut reconnu le 15 juin lorsque l’Académie canadienne du cinéma et de la télévision dévoilaient la liste des finalistes des prix Gémeaux 2011, avec 3 mises en nomination pour LA RUÉE VERS L’OR :

Mid Canada Production Services has released their latest newsletter. Included are pieces on an Irish rock band that recently visited the city, the NHL's return to Winnipeg, the latest Work Safe campaign, new gear and much more.

The Frantic Films co-produced Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil is among the productions that recently received a production grant from the Bell Broadcast & New Media Fund for the 13 episodes currently being filmed in Winnipeg for Season Two.

Voting is now open for the Canadian Comedy Awards where the Buffalo Gal Pictures co-produced Less Than Kind is nominated in the category of Best TV Show.

Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky of Blinkworks Media released the official trailer for their feature documentary Indie Game: The Movie earlier this week. To help finish the film, they have started a new Kickstarter campaign.

Local filmmaker and OSM member Heidi Phillips is the recipient of the 2011 Manitoba Film Hothouse Award for Creative Development.

Guy Maddin will be directing and recording a live cast on stage of The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman during the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival, with music from the band Sparks.

Congratulations to Frantic Films and the cast & crew of Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil for winning a Leo Award.

The Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of British Columbia is a not-for- profit organization whose mission is to celebrate and promote the achievements of the British Columbia film and television industry through the presentation of an annual awards program – the Leo Awards.

5 for Fighting, Pier 21 Films, Entertainment One (eOne) and Frantic Films in association with CBC Television are pleased to announce that principal photography is underway on the continuing story about the life of the legendary Don Cherry.

Kevin Lee Burton is a director, programmer and freelance editor. His film Nikamowin (Song) received ImagineNATIVE's Best Experimental and Best Indigenous Language Production awards in 2007 and had its U.S. premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Burton, a Swampy Cree, calls Winnipeg home these days. Kevin took time from his residency to reflect on what he hopes to get out of his time spent in Riding Mountain National Park.

Century Street Distribution is proud to present, for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray, writer/director Danishka Esterhazy’s award-winning historical drama BLACK FIELD.

Congratulations to OSM members Jamie Brown of Frantic Films and Kim Todd of Original Pictures for being elected to the Canadian Media Production Association's Board of Directors.

The feature film Billy will be presented at Cinematheque at 100 Arthur Street on June 17,18, 19, 22 & 23, 2011, at 7:00 p.m. Tickets available at the door.

Congratulations to Merit Motion Pictures and vonnie VON HELMOLT films for winning Best Children’s Documentary at 11th China International Children’s Film Festival.

This article, written by Kenton Smith is about Tara Johns, director of the Buffalo Gal Pictures co-produced The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom, and was originally published in Uptown on June 9, 2011.

Aircraft Pictures, Corvid Pictures, and Frantic Films in association with SPACE, announced today that production has begun for Season 2 of Todd & The Book of Pure Evil. The deadly cast and crew headed back to Winnipeg to shoot 13 new killer episodes. It is expected to wrap late this summer.

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Less Than Kind and Men With Brooms for their nominations in this year's Canadian Comedy Awards.

Merit Motion Pictures and Tactica Interactive are pleased to announce that their production One Ocean Interactive is nominated for an Interactive Rockie Award for Best Cross-Platform Project at the 2011 Banff World Media Festival, to be held June 12 to 15 in Banff, AB.

“A Rockie is an exciting nomination,” said Producer Alexa Rosentreter. “It’s very competitive, and it feels great to have our work recognized among the many fabulous international projects that applied.”

Three days spent at the Cannes International Film Festival were more education than vacation for Winnipeg filmmaker Hersh Seth.

The following article about two new films produced by OSM members Julijette Inc. and Original Pictures and shot locally was written by Randall King and originally published in the Winnipeg Free Press on June 7, 2011.

The following article, featuring OSM members Kyle Bornais, Brendon Sawatzky and Liz Jarvis, was written by Kenton Smith and originally published in Uptown on June 2 in anticipation of the Winnipeg Film Group's panel series: The Independent Producer that takes place Friday June 3.

Winnipeg Talking Radio Orchestra presents

Tony Warlock - Sleuth & Sorcery, Episodes 1 and 2

Congratulations to OSM members Danishka Esterhazy and Caroline Monnet for their nominations in the upcoming 2011 Winnipeg Arts Council Awards.

Merit Motion Pictures and vonnie VON HELMOLT film are pleased to announce that their feature documentary TuTuMUCH has been named an official selection of the Zlîn International Film Festival for Children and Youth, to be held May 29 to June 5, 2011, in Zlîn, Czech Republic.

“We’re thrilled that TuTu is screening at Zlîn,” said Executive Producer Merit Jensen Carr. “It’s a great venue for the film and an opportunity to expand the audience for Canadian documentaries.”

TuTuMUCH follows nine young ballet dancers as they plié, pirouette and compete for highly coveted spots in an intensive four-week professional ballet summer program at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Leaving behind their families and friends, often for the first time, each girl confronts the painstaking and sometimes rewarding realities of actually living her dream.

No two filmmakers could be more closely associated with the cities where they were born and grew up in than John Waters and Guy Maddin.

Art and Stone Premiere

Thursday, June 2 from 7:30pm to 8pm
Winnipeg Art Gallery

The following article, featuring OSM member Eagle Vision, originally appeared on the Nation Talk website on May 11, 2011.

The following excellent article, written by Kenton Smith, features OSM members and originally appeared in Uptown Magazine on May 19, 2011.

Congratulations to the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network who recently won a Signature Award.

This article originally appeared in the Jewish Tribune on May 17, 2011.

Mother and daughter duo Sylvia Bock and Leila Bock-Freeman, who have been co-managing Blue Moon Furniture for five years, have their sights set on global expansion and a TV show.

The pair have formed an agreement with the local Merit Motion Pictures to develop a docu-soap show based on the struggles and dreams of the women behind the business and will reflect their efforts to expand their furniture empire into the international market – to Las Vegas, Asia, Mexico and beyond.

MERIT MOTION PICTURES is pleased to announce that One Ocean Interactive has won the award for Best Website at this year’s Signature Awards. The awards gala, held May 12 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre, celebrated outstanding projects produced by the Manitoba creative communications industry.

“We are thrilled with the industry recognition One Ocean Interactive continues to receive,” said Alexa Rosentreter, General Manager & Interactive Media Producer. “Many people worked extremely hard to make this project the best it could be, and it’s extremely satisfying to see those efforts rewarded.”

The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom, co-produced by Liz Jarvis and Buffalo Gal Pictures, is a feature film shot in Manitoba and Quebec last summer, now showing in select cities across Canada.

Congratulations to OSM Board Member Brendon Sawatzky who was chosen to participate in the Trans Atlantic Partners program this year.

Congratulations to Chris Charney and Farpoint Films for winning a Manitoba Day Award earlier this week for the film Musical Ghosts.

The following article was originally published in Canstar Community News on May 11, 2011 and features OSM Board Member Chuck Clement.

Congratulations to the Frantic Films co-produced Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil for its two nominations in the upcoming Leo Awards.

Merit Motion Pictures is pleased to announce that its documentary production One Ocean: The Changing Sea has won the award for Best Marine Conservation Message and an acknowledgement of Merit for Scientific Content at the 34th International Wildlife Film Festival (IWFF), held May 7-14, 2011 in Missoula, MT.

“This is a great honour,” said Executive Producer Merit Jensen Carr. “The IWFF has a long history of promoting great environmental and wildlife films, and it’s a terrific venue from which to share One Ocean’s message about the amazing diversity of the ocean and how we impact it.”

Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil, co-produced by Frantic Films, was recently picked up to air in the United States on FEARnet, the cable network owned by Sony, Lionsgate and Comcast.

RoseAnna Schick of RAS Creative was honoured at the YMCA-YWCA Women of Distinction Awards last night in Winnipeg.

Congratulations to Shelagh Carter for recently winning an award at the 44th WordFest-Houston Independent International Film Festival.

Congratulations to the Frantic Films co-produced Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil for recently winning two awards at the 44th WordFest-Houston Independent International Film Festival.

Congratulations to the Manitoba-filmed productions that have been nominated for Canadian Cinema Editors awards.

Emerging local filmmaker Hersh Seth will be traveling to Cannes, France in the next few days to partake in the upcoming 64th annual Festival de Cannes, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious film festivals.

The 29-year-old Seth, who is a relative novice to Manitoba’s film industry, will be presenting his film The Lost Dreams of Narcissus and Echo, which stars local actress Kristen Harris, at the event’s Short Film Corner.

If a gun has been fired on the set of a Manitoba-filmed project, chances are that Dave Brown had his hand on the trigger at some point.

(La version en français suit)

Media RendezVous have just wrapped up after an intensive shoot in St-Boniface for the second season of PLANET ECHO.

This article about OSM member Guy Maddin and the screening of his Tales From The Gimli Hospital at Prairie Scene this weekend originally appeared on the Ottawa Xpress website.

OSM members James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot of Blinkworks Media were recently featured in a Globe & Mail article about the new era of video games. Blinkwork's documentary Indie Game: The Movie is currently in post production.

Farpoint Films' Andrew Wall was recently featured on Global Winnipeg TV about his new documentary Champion City.

Prairie Scene in Ottawa and the Winnipeg Film Group are thrilled to present the world premiere of an innovative new project from celebrated filmmaker and OSM member Guy Maddin.

Congratulations to OSM member Merit Motion Pictures who, in association with Tactica Interactive, recently received a nomination for the upcoming Banff World Media Festival Non-fiction and Interactive Rockies awards.

Congratulations to Scott Leary of Scotfree Productions & Farpoint Films who recently won an Award of Excellence from the Accolade Film, Television, New Media & Videography Awards for his documentary Drop the Nickel.

Farpoint Films’ John Barnard admits his latest project, The Book of Vaudeville, is a story that has been almost a century in the making.

Chris Sheasgreen won the best comedy competition for his Less Than Kind, produced by Buffalo Gal Pictures, episode Coming Home at the Writers Guild of Canada Awards Monday night, and promptly paid tribute to the series’ late lead actor Maury Chaykin.

The juries for the 2011 Hugo Television Awards have announced the award winners for this year’s competition. The 2011 Hugo Television Awards has granted the following awards to the Frantic Films produced Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil:

Todd and the Book of Pure Evil - 'Cockfight' - Gold Plaque - Special Achievement: Editing

Frantic Films is thrilled to announce that Princess has been nominated for a 2011 Factual Entertainment Award in the Lifestyle-Home category. These awards receive hundreds of entries from around the world and narrow them down to 38 programs in 12 categories.

Phyllis Laing, President and Producer of Buffalo Gal Pictures (OSM member and board chair), has been selected to participate in the MIFF 37° South Market from July 21 - 24.

OSM member Danielle Sturk's film ciel(s) will be part of a screening series at Centre culturel franco-manitobain. Her film will screen along with a trilogy of films by acclaimed filmmaker Denys Arcand.

Paul Bronfman, Chairman and CEO of Comweb Corp. and William F. White International Inc. (WFW), have announced the appointments of Rick Perotto to the position of Vice President, Business Development and David Hardy to the position of Vice President, Client Services.

Filmmaker Shawn Linden has been chomping at the bit to get back in the director’s chair after an almost four year hiatus.

SPACE continues to reign supreme when it comes to original genre programming, announcing today the return of the Frantic Films co-produced TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL for Season 2. Principal photography on Season 2 of TODD & THE BOOK OF PURE EVIL is set to start this Spring in Winnipeg.

Congratulations to OSM member Frantic Films who won seven Telly Awards. The Telly Awards honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and work created for the Web.

Congratulations to OSM members Farpoint Films, Frantic Films and Merit Motion Pictures for their recent nominations for the Yorkton Film Festival's Golden Sheaf Awards.

Farpoint Films is puttin' on a show. What kinda show you ask? A Vaudeville show for their documentary entitled The Book Of Vaudeville!

This article written by Simon Fuller features OSM member Merit Motion Pictures and originally appeared in Canstar Community News papers on March 30.

This article about the film The Divide, which was co-produced by Juliette Hagopian, of Julijette Inc., originally appeared on the Northernstars.ca website.

Actor, writer, singer/songwriter Ernesto Griffith grew up in some what of a fairy tale setting, full of castles and rolling hillsides in Surrey, England. At the age of 11, he found himself living in the drastically different prairie landscape of Brandon, Manitoba.

APTN has unveiled a new content initiative called It's Your Town, designed to promote the diversity of Canada's various communities.

DACAPO wraps production on TAYO the Little Bus for Korean broadcaster.

DACAPO Productions has completed voice casting, recording, and mixing for the first season of TAYO the Little Bus. TAYO is a 26 X 11 animated series for young children produced with Korea’s ICONIX Entertainment. The series is currently airing in Korea.

This review about OSM member Alf Kollinger's documentary The Glory Days of Modeling in Winnipeg appeared in the The Uniter on March 17.

Congratulations to OSM member Juliette Hagopian, of Julijette Inc., who co-produced the locally lensed film The Divide, which premiered to great acclaim at the recent SXSW film festival and has now been sold internationally to Content Media Corp!

Manitoba Film & Music supported the film through the Jump Start Equity Investment Fund – a generous film industry incentive provided by the Government of Manitoba. The film was co-produced by Manitoban Nathaniel Rollo and features local actress Abbey Thickson.

The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network is gearing up to launch its fifth annual Aboriginal Day Live Flag contest.

Congratulations to OSM member Merit Motion Pictures and partner Tactica Interactive Communications for winning a 2010 Interactive Award in the Educational / Reference category from Applied Arts Mag for the CBC series One Ocean.

This transmedia project challenges people to understand and conserve the world’s oceans. Users create virtual marine reserves, play games, and explore realistic underwater environments. Online pledges compel them to learn how they can influence the health of Earth’s most important resource and to share these actions with friends. Leveraging interactive technologies including Google Ocean, Unity 3D, Flash, streaming video, and Facebook integration, the site is enhanced by user participation creating a constantly evolving social experience.

Blue Moon Furniture and Merit Motion Pictures have formed an agreement to develop a television series based on the struggles and dreams of the ladies behind the landmark Corydon design business. The docu-soap will follow owner Sylvia Bock and daughter Leila Bock-Freeman, who have co-managed the company for five years, as they strive to grow their business, work together as family and share their passion for beautiful design.

You could say that filmmaker Alf Kollinger did more than ten years of research for his latest documentary.

OSM member RoseAnna Schick of RAS Creative is passionate about promoting her clients, and gets great pleasure from putting others in the spotlight. Now, she is being recognized herself with nomination for a 2011 Women of Distinction Award in the category of Public Awareness & Communications. The awards will be handed out May 4 at a gala dinner at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.

The following article is about the gore that went into the Original Pictures-produced Wrong Turn 4, which recently wrapped. It originally appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press on March 12, 2011.

The current issue of Macleans magazine features a great article on the Buffalo Gal Pictures co-produced The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom. In it, director Tara Johns talks about how she came up with the idea and how she got Dolly Parton involved.

OSM member Aaron Floresco's new film The Oldest Profession in Winnipeg: The “Red Light” District of 1909-1912 can now be seen on MTS TV Winnipeg on Demand.

There is a simple beauty in this city that we often take for granted because of its abundance. Winnipeg's urban forest is one of the largest and most impressive in North America, but Dutch Elm Disease and Emerald Ash Borer pose an ever increasing threat to this precious resource. In the past decade alone Winnipeg has lost over 40,000 Elms to Dutch Elm Disease.

Congratulations to OSM member Danishka Esterhazy whose film Black Field was name Best Feature Drama at the Vancouver Women in Film Festival.

Congratulations to OSM member Ernesto Griffith, and his production partner Winston Moxam, who won the Best Narrative Feature Film category for their film Billy at the Winnipeg Real to Reel Film Festival on March 6, 2011.

Congratulations to OSM member Frantic Films for winning the Medium Business award at the annual Spirit of Winnipeg Awards last friday.

Community Supported Agriculture & Farm Tour

If you're interested in learning more about FortWhyte Farms and sharing in our harvest this coming season, please attend this information session and tour. The session will be preceded and followed by a viewing of the documentary And This Is My Garden, which was produced in association with Buffalo Gal Pictures, about an innovative school gardening program in a northern Manitoba community.

Indie Games - The Weblog recently conducted an interview with OSM members Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky from Blinkworks. Pajot and Swirsky are currently in San Fransisco attending the Game Developers Conference where they will be speaking about their project, Indie Game: The Movie, which is creating quite a buzz ahead of its release. This article goes a bit more in depth on the structure of the film.

Guy Maddin may be one of Canada's best-known unknown filmmakers. From his early, improbable success with Tales From the Gimli Hospital, the director has relied on near-extinct film techniques to convey both a heavy dose of melodrama and a sly sense of humour. Maddin now works with international stars, but his humble origins are with the Winnipeg Film Group — a filmmakers' co-op that, over 30 years, has brought global acclaim to many Manitoba moviemakers.

The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom is a feature film shot in Quebec and Manitoba last summer, and co-produced by Buffalo Gal Pictures, now gearing up for a March debut in select cities across Canada. But before it hits the big screen, its music is hitting the airwaves.

Late actors Maury Chaykin and Tracy Wright were among the winners at Friday night's ACTRA Awards in Toronto.

Congratulations to OSM members Caroline Monnet and Kevin Lee Burton of the ITWE Collective for being awarded the NFB/imagineNATIVE Digital Media Project initiative.

OSM member Andrew Wall, of Farpoint Films, was recently featured in The Uniter where he talked about the genesis of his new film The Paper Nazis, which is now playing on MTS Winnipeg on Demand.

Congratulations to the crew and cast of the Buffalo Gal Pictures co-produced Less Than Kind that received three Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Award nominations earlier this week.

Fresh off his stint as juror at the Berlin Film Festival, Winnipeg filmmaker, and OSM member, Guy Maddin is currently creating a new ballet based on Svengali.

Les productions dieselle sont aussi fiers d’annoncer que le documentaire de la cinéaste manitobaine, et membre d'OSM, Danielle Sturk, ciel(s), a été sélectionné pour la programmation aux 29e édition des Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois et que la cinéaste sera présente lors de sa projection à la Grande Bibliothèque de Montréal le 19 février.

Frantic Films announces their award-winning food series Pitchin’ In (13 x 30’), hosted by renowned Chef Lynn Crawford, has been renewed for a third season on Food Network Canada. Season two of the series premiered on Food Network Canada on January 3 this year and currently airs Mondays at 10pm ET/11pm PT.

OSM member Juliette Hagopian’s Winnipeg-made feature film, The Divide, directed by Xavier Gens (The Hitman), is an official selection of the 2011 SXSW Film Festival.

OSM member, and vice-president of IATSE Local 856, Dave Brown was recently featured on the LA filmmaker website Film Courage.

DSLR film making has changed the landscape of movie production. Rapid technological improvements have brought us cameras like the Canon 7d and Canon T2i which allow filmmakers to create stunning images with a small camera at a low price.

OSM member Ernesto Griffith and Winston Moxam's latest film, Billy, will be having two Black History Month presentations of their film on February 26.

Ameba, the Winnipeg-based digital distributor of kids' content, is now available thru connected devices like the ROKU set-top box.

This article written by Randall King originally appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press.

Season 3 of the Winnipeg-set comedy series Less Than Kind, co-produced by OSM member Buffalo Gal Pictures, wrapped production on Saturday. While shooting publicity stills, some actors assembled at the Manitoba Production Centre to affirm the coming season will be as funny, sad and caustic as it ever was, despite the absence of star Maury Chaykin, who died on his 61st birthday on July 27.

Anita Lebeau’s animated short Big Drive, which will soon open across festivals in Canada, revisits some of these same “road trip of doom” themes, but in the charming context of the Canadian prairies of the 1970s.

This article appears online on the Canstar Community Newspaper website.

Documentary explores Winnipeg’s extremist past
The Paper Nazis traces the rise and fall of Nazism and fascism in the 1930s

High Life, which was co-produced by Buffalo Gal Pictures, received 5 Genie nominations earlier this week.

Telefilm is pleased to announce its support of 30 Canadian companies attending the 2011 Game Developers Conference and Game Connection America in San Francisco, including OSM member Noah Decter-Jackson of Complex Games. Taking place February 28 – March 4, GDC is the world’s largest industry-only event dedicated to the advancement of interactive entertainment. Game Connection America, which runs concurrently to GDC (March 1 -3), is an international marketplace for game developers, service providers and publishers looking to expand their network and find business partners.

CALLING ALL YOUNG FILMMAKERS AGED 18 AND YOUNGER DEADLINE APPROACHING: FREEZE FRAME YOUTH VIDEO CONTEST

Lank/Beach Productions was awarded an Audio Visual Production Services Supply Arrangement with Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC).

Lank/Beach tied for 1st Place with a perfect score along with three other Canadian production companies and is part of the “Primary List” of Suppliers.

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has put out a call to all digital producers and interactive creators to submit a proposal for a new app for smartphones or portable media devices, as part of its participation in MIPTV's Content 360 Competition.

As news of environmental problems continue to dominate headlines around the world, a new Winnipeg-produced television series explores how age-old Aboriginal wisdom and modern scientific knowledge are working hand in hand to protect Mother Earth.

Media RendezVous Inc. and Les Productions Rivard (OSM members) have partnered to create a new series called One with Nature. The weekly series premiered January 3rd, 2011 on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) and will also air later in 2011 on the Saskatchewan Communications Network (SCN). The series will also be airing in Europe on the VIASAT television network.

Originally published on The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom blog on January 18. The film was co-produced by OSM member Buffalo Gal Pictures.

Winnipeg Companies Bridge Gap Between Television and Web to Entertain and Educate Children about the Environment

On Screen Manitoba member Danishka Esterhazy's film Black Field has been chosen to open the 6th annual Vancouver Women in Film Festival on March 4th.

The Prairie Theatre Exchange has been getting requests from students to continue offering the Advanced Acting On Camera class for adults, so we have added an eight week session starting February 03. The instructor is On Screen Manitoba member John B. Lowe. There will be a cut off at 12 students.

This article about OSM Member Frantic Films originally appeared in the Edmonton Sun on January 6, 2011.

Shaw Media has has handed out $203,000 in grants and non-interest loans to eight promising indie documentary projects, including the latest work by OSM member Jeremy Torrie.

The following article about Foodland originally appeared in Uptown. It was executive produced by On Screen Manitoba member Juliette Hagopian.

The following article originally appeared in the Globe and Mail Blog on Monday, December 27, 2010