Cinema Canada (Mar 1983)

Samuels on move in Alberta CALGARY — Maxime Samuels, a veteran producer with a 20year track record (including Forest Rangers, Seaway, CBC dramas, and The Pyx) has moved to Alberta with the commitment of producing a $3 million two-hour movie for pay-television on the life of black cowboy John Ware. “We have fascinating charac ters in Canada. Just because they are Canadian doesn’t mean they can’t be internationally accepted,” Samuels say. John Ware, a black Alberta pioneer known as the Man from High River, the Smoky Black Irishman and the Big Bad Black White Man, was a fascinating historic character who caught Samuels’ eye more than 10 years ago. Since then she has had the rights to the story, but has been waiting for the pieces to fall into place. The project is in development stages now, with an office established in Calgary for Four Nine Productions, and preproduction slated for June 1. Shooting will begin in late August in southern Alberta near Pincher Creek. Les Kimber is associate producer. “One of the most fortunate aspects of my decision to move to Alberta was the opportunity of working with Les Kimber,” says Samuels. “John Ware is a mammoth undertaking physically and needs the kind of expertise he will bring to the project.” (Kimber has extensive credits as a production manager-— the mostrecent being Superman II — in addition to credits as producer). Support for the project has come from the Alberta Motion Picture Development Corp. (AMPDC) (which lends 60 per cent of development money), the Canadian Film Development Corp. and the National Film Board. (Regarding the latter, Samuels acknowledges Daisy de _ Bellefeuille, Bob Verrall, James Domville and Tom Radford.) “These are the bits of Canadiana that will reassure the Canadian community, both filmmakers and viewers, that Hugh Hefner is not taking over Canadian production,” says Samuels wryly. The breakdown and treatment of John Ware were developed and written by James DeFelice, award-winning screenwriter (Why Shoot the Teacher). Samuels has been a groundbreaker in many of her projects. In 1978, she made The Underground Railroad for the NFB, utilizing many black performers. During International Women’s Year, she produced two CBC dramas by women authors with women directors. And she developed the format for the Adventures in History series for the NFB. Meanwhile, she is enormous Canadian Images mid-March TORONTO — Three hundred Canadian shorts, documentaries, and features will be screened at the 6th annual Canadian Images Festival March 17-20 in Peterborough, Ont., reports festival executive director Susan Ditta. The 1983 program will feature some new programs, including Classics, in which programmer Peter Harcourt polled the nation’s critics for a list of the finest past Canadian films, and Creme de la Creme, a selection of Canadian films produced in the last 12 months which have won significant awards. There will be retrospectives on director Denys Arcand, animator Norman McLaren, producer Beryl Fox, and the CBC For The Record series ; a series on films for social change, Struggle and Resistance; and series on comedy, women's films, the performing arts, experimental films, and the Canadian New Wave. A series of hard-to-find films, Lost and Found, plus programs from the regional studios of the National Film Board and from 15 film co-ops across the country, will also be featured. Scratched from this year’s program are a David Cronenberg retrospective (the director is unavailable) and a video series (postponed until next year). Four days of seminars are planned, including panels on the future of film production in Canada and on pay television from a production industry point-of-view. Ditta said most of the Genie Award-nominated films will be at the festival, as well as several premieres of works by young filmmakers. “We have been the first festival to give a venue to a lot of Canadian filmmakers,” she said. A full festival pass including admission to all films, workshops, and seminars, is $20.00. A film pass is $10.00. Passes and information can be obtained from the festival office, 753 George St. N., Peterborough, Ont. (705-748-1400). ——O TORONTO — The Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association (CMPDA) will honor Porky’s, Canada’s all-time boxoffice hit, at the CMPDA’s Golden Reel Award luncheon March 22 in Toronto. If Astral’s membership with the CMPDA had not recently been terminated, it would have been the first time a CMPDA member was so honored. ly impressed with the casting potentials in Alberta. “There’s a look about people out here, the same as Australia. They look as if they belong to the country.” With support from various sectors, and a development deal with First Choice Canadian pay-television, Samuels appears to have pulled the major elements together. This may be, she says, because of the increased sophistication of the con temporary viewing audience and the increased viability of the market for this type of project. “We feel John Ware’s time has come.” Linda Kupecek @® *1,900.00 GRANT! THE DOROTHY AND OSCAR BURRITT MEMORIAL AWARD for 1983 is $1,500.00. This annual Award, established in 1964, encourages the further development of film appreciation in Canada. It is accompanied by a cash grant to assist an individual or a volunteer organization to undertake a project contributing to a greater understanding and enjoyment of film as an art. Application forms for the 1983 Award are available from the Dorothy and Oscar Burritt Memorial Award, P.O. Box 484, Station A, Toronto, Ontario. M5W 1E4. CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF ENTRY FORMS: APRIL 15, 1983 The recipient of the Award will be notified prior to the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Federation of Film Societies, May 21-23, 1983. Dorothy and Oscar Burritt founded the film society movement in Canada, and this Award was established to keep alive the unique spirit and purpose of these two dedicated film pioneers. The. Dorothy and Oscar Burritt Memorial Award is registered as a charity under the Income Tax Act. Donations to the capital fund are solicited, and will receive a receipt for income tax purposes if sent to the above address. ADMINISTERED BY THE CANADIAN FEDERATION OF FILM SOCIETIES SESE March 1983 Cinema Canada/1§