Telefilm Canada has announced investments in ten English-language features, including new projects from Deepa Mehta and Denis Villeneuve, two low-budget pictures and a feature documentary.
Mehta's cultural and political comedy What's Cooking deals with the bewilderment and confusion that results when a first-generation Canadian accepts a diplomatic post in the Indian homeland of her parents. Written by Mehta and her brother Dilip Mehta and produced by Mehta's partner, David Hamilton of Hamilton-Mehta Productions, the project received $2.1m.
Based on actual events, Villeneuve's Polytechnique explores the psychic scar left by a mass shooting at a Montreal college. Written by Villeneuve and Jacques Davidts and produced by Don Carmody, Maxime Remillard and Andre Rouleau, the film will be distributed by Remstar. The production receives $3.1m.
Some of the Telefilm's money has been put into projects are already in production. They include John Smith's Love And Savagery and Terry Gilliam's $30m morality tale The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus starring the late Heath Ledger along with subsequent cast additions, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell.
Rounding out the investment slate are:
* Canada-UK co-production Man On The Run, written and directed by Kari Skogland, tells to true story of an IRA member who became a double agent for the British. The film is produced by Shawn Williamson and Stephen Hegyes of Vancouver's Brightlight Pictures along with Skogland and Peter La Terriere of the UK's Running Man Limited. The film will be distributed in Canada by TVA. Telefilm invested $1.7m.
* You Might As Well Live, a dark comedy about a born loser's quest to be a 'real somebody', is written by Simon Ennis and Josh Peace with Ennis set to direct. Producers are Ari Lantos and Jonas Bell Pasht. Robert Lantos is executive producer.
* The documentary project is entitled A Short History Of Progress, a production of Cinemaginaire, Film Progreso and Big Picture Media Corporation, the company behind the hit documentary The Corporation. Produced by Mark Achbar, Betsy Carson, Denise Robert and Daniel Louis, the film is written and will be directed by Mathieu Roy. It juxtaposes catastrophes of ancient civilizations with our 21st-century, progress-addicted culture.
* Horror title A Flesh Offering, a low-budget offering by writer-director Jeremy Torrie that is being produced by Torrie and Anne-Marie Gelinas for High Definition Pictures;
* and Alison Reid's Making Babies, also low-budget, written by Richard Beattie and produced by James Mou and Paul Zimic.
Mehta's cultural and political comedy What's Cooking deals with the bewilderment and confusion that results when a first-generation Canadian accepts a diplomatic post in the Indian homeland of her parents. Written by Mehta and her brother Dilip Mehta and produced by Mehta's partner, David Hamilton of Hamilton-Mehta Productions, the project received $2.1m.
Based on actual events, Villeneuve's Polytechnique explores the psychic scar left by a mass shooting at a Montreal college. Written by Villeneuve and Jacques Davidts and produced by Don Carmody, Maxime Remillard and Andre Rouleau, the film will be distributed by Remstar. The production receives $3.1m.
Some of the Telefilm's money has been put into projects are already in production. They include John Smith's Love And Savagery and Terry Gilliam's $30m morality tale The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus starring the late Heath Ledger along with subsequent cast additions, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell.
Rounding out the investment slate are:
* Canada-UK co-production Man On The Run, written and directed by Kari Skogland, tells to true story of an IRA member who became a double agent for the British. The film is produced by Shawn Williamson and Stephen Hegyes of Vancouver's Brightlight Pictures along with Skogland and Peter La Terriere of the UK's Running Man Limited. The film will be distributed in Canada by TVA. Telefilm invested $1.7m.
* You Might As Well Live, a dark comedy about a born loser's quest to be a 'real somebody', is written by Simon Ennis and Josh Peace with Ennis set to direct. Producers are Ari Lantos and Jonas Bell Pasht. Robert Lantos is executive producer.
* The documentary project is entitled A Short History Of Progress, a production of Cinemaginaire, Film Progreso and Big Picture Media Corporation, the company behind the hit documentary The Corporation. Produced by Mark Achbar, Betsy Carson, Denise Robert and Daniel Louis, the film is written and will be directed by Mathieu Roy. It juxtaposes catastrophes of ancient civilizations with our 21st-century, progress-addicted culture.
* Horror title A Flesh Offering, a low-budget offering by writer-director Jeremy Torrie that is being produced by Torrie and Anne-Marie Gelinas for High Definition Pictures;
* and Alison Reid's Making Babies, also low-budget, written by Richard Beattie and produced by James Mou and Paul Zimic.
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