Western Canadian Filmmakers, Industry Professionals Up Their Game at Hot Docs

Naman Ramachandran XYZ Films has unveiled the first clip from Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selection “In Flames,” a Pakistani-Canadian horror film directed by Zarrar Kahn. The film, produced by Anam Abbas and executive produced by Shant Joshi, Todd Brown and Maxime Cottray, is part of XYZ’s New Visions slate. As revealed by Variety, XYZ had boarded the title last year. In the Karachi-set film, after the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart by figures from their past – both real and phantasmal. They must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.

The CW has landed the U.S. rights to eco-thriller drama The Swarm, which comes from Game of Thrones exec producer Frank Doelger.

“Run the Burbs” star Andrew Phung is widely considered to be one of Canada’s biggest sneakerheads. But his former “Kim’s Convenience” co-star Simu Liu is no sneaker slouch either, having famously rocked some ultra-rare Jordans in “Shang-Chi”. So whose kick game reigns supreme?

Terri Clark is proud to be honoured among the greats.

Swish! Kim Kardashian and eldest daughter North West had the time of their lives at the Los Angeles Lakers game on Friday, May 12.

There are so many ways to celebrate Asian Heritage Month and pay homage to this community, no matter your background — and one of our favourite ways is to run up the streams on songs by all our favourite artists of Asian descent. While you might know a number of notable artists from the radio, we’re here to put you on to some names that are up-and-coming, fresh, underground, or simply blooming with their music careers on TikTok.

Seth Rogen truly is one of Canada’s greatest exports.

IATSE will create a commission specifically related to artificial intelligence, they announced on Thursday. The commission will include representatives across IATSE’s jurisdiction, alongside subject matter experts from academia and the tech industry, to engage in a comprehensive study of AI technologies with a particular focus on how they may reshape the landscape of entertainment industry jobs.

Get ready to open your ears to some of the best music Canada has to offer as Canadian Music Week announces its 2023 lineup.

A Canadian comedy from the exec producer of Schitt’s Creek is heading to The CW.

Jennie Punter Hot Docs has wrapped its 30th anniversary edition, handing out its top cash prize and announcing the audience top picks after an 11-day festival, which presented 214 films from 72 countries at 308 live screenings at venues across Toronto. Philippe Falardeau’s “Lac-Mégantic—This Is Not an Accident” topped the overall audience poll to win the 2023 Hot Docs Audience Award. The four-part series from the Oscar-nominated director explores the causes of one of Canada’s worst rail disasters and what’s needed to prevent such accidents in the future. “Someone Lives Here,” by Zack Russell, won the Rogers Audience Awards for Best Canadian Documentary, which comes with Cdn. $50,000 cash, and also claimed the second-highest spot in the overall audience poll. The film also won the inaugural Bill Nemtin Award for Best Social Impact Documentary, a jury-chosen prize, at the main awards ceremony held Saturday.

Famous Canadian journalist Nardwuar finally interviewed Nickelback bandmates Chad Kroeger and Ryan Peake for the first time in an hour-long conversation at Neptoon Records in Vancouver last week.

Joseph Fiennes has nothing but praise for his “The Mother” co-star.

Amber Dowling Location scouting and filming on service productions were already cooling down in Canada over the past few weeks in anticipation of the WGA strike on May 1. And while those projects with completed scripts are trudging forward, one “substantial” unnamed series being shot in Toronto has already shut down, according to the city. It’s just the start of what could be a big financial loss for the Ontario industry, where Ontario Creates reveals 419 productions in 2022 — including TV series like “The Boys” and films like “Women Talking” — contributed a record-breaking $3.15 billion to the economy. In B.C., where many service productions have wrapped for the season and writers’ rooms would typically begin assembling over the next few weeks, people are preparing for unforeseen delays. A prolonged strike will inevitably not only affect those who have been steadily employed for years, but also the provincial economy, which drew $3.6 billion from the film industry last year, according to Creative B.C.

Back in the days before he began asking wrestling fans if they could smell what the Rock was cooking, Dwayne Johnson put together an outfit and posed for a photo that haunts him to this day.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Toronto’s Hot Docs film festival has decided that Canadian media producer Bonnie Thompson will be the recipient of this year’s prestigious Don Haig Award. Thompson is the producer behind Cam Christiansen’s “Echo of Everything,” a feature length documentary exploring the power of music, which will have its world premiere at Hot Docs’ 30th-anniversary festival, on now until May 7. The Don Haig Award is presented to an outstanding Canadian independent producer with a feature-length film at the festival, with the recipient being selected by a jury of independent filmmakers. The award recognizes creative vision and entrepreneurship, as reflected in the recipient’s body of work, as well as a track record of mentoring emerging Canadian filmmakers. Thompson will be presented with a $5,000 cash prize, courtesy of the Don Haig Foundation.

EXCLUSIVE: Canada’s Crave has struck a multi-year licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) for the likes of Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, the DC Universe and HBO content.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement honoring legendary singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who died Monday at the age of 84. In it, he recalls meeting Lightfoot as a child, when Trudeau’s father Pierre was prime minister in the 1970s and ’80s. “I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing yesterday of Gordon Lightfoot, one of Canada’s greatest singer-songwriters.

Gordon Lightfoot, Canada’s legendary folk singer-songwriter known for “If You Could Read My Mind” and “Sundown” and for songs that told tales of Canadian identity, died on Monday. He was 84.Representative Victoria Lord said the musician died at a Toronto hospital.

Gordon Lightfoot passed away this evening in a Toronto hospital at 7:30 p.m. More info to come..Posted by Gordon Lightfoot on Monday, May 1, 2023Lightfoot’s death comes less than a month after he announced the cancellation of his 2023 United States and Canada tour.