CHINO KINO

Lineup includes films from established and emerging directors including Joshua Oppenheimer, Wim Wenders, Patricio Henriquez and Hajooj Kuka

TIFF and Human Rights Watch co-present the 12th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival in Toronto, with a powerful lineup of eight films that recount extraordinary stories of struggle, survival and hope. Showcasing cinema at the forefront of the human rights movement, the festival aims to draw attention to human rights violations worldwide through brave films from countries including Canada, Indonesia, Sudan, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Palestine, Guatemala, the United States and Hungary.

Running from March 24 to April 2 at TIFF Bell Lightbox, the festival kicks off with an opening night fundraising reception followed by the Canadian premiere of The One That Got Away, a documentary chronicling the strength and endurance of the human spirit, and closes with Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story, the inspiring story of an ex-Navy SEAL’s lifelong struggle to find her true identity. Additional highlights include the Toronto premiere of the Academy Award-nominated The Salt of the Earth, a stunning visual odyssey of the world as seen through the eyes of one of the greatest image-makers of the last century, and The Look of Silence, a morally complex, exquisitely crafted work that promises to provoke far-reaching ripples of dialogue. Complete film lineup listed below. All screenings are accompanied by introductions or discussions by filmmakers, Human Rights Watch researchers or film subject experts. Visit tiff.net/humanrightswatch for additional guest information leading up to the festival.

“Cinema is a strikingly powerful medium that touches audiences around the world,” said Helga Stephenson, Chair of the Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival. “These empowering stories of survival, resilience and hope inspire and inform the compassion required for individuals on both sides of the lens to make a difference in the fight for human rights. This festival delivers a vital and compelling demand for social change.”

“The Human Rights Watch Film Festival is a crucial series in our programming,” added Magali Simard, Programmer, TIFF. “We strongly feel that film is a key generator of public dialogue, and the films in this festival are of the utmost relevance — artistically and topically.”

.Opening Night Film.
The One That Got Away
dirs. Sam Lawlor and Lindsay Pollock | United Kingdom/Hungary 2013 | 70 min. | PG | Canadian Premiere
In this moving documentary, Holocaust survivor Thomas Beck tells his incredible tale of escape from a Nazi concentration camp, and relates his wistful memories of the girl he met and fell in love with during his imprisonment — whom he suddenly finds himself face-to-face with 70 years later. Tuesday, March 24 at 8 p.m.

The Look of Silence
dir. Joshua Oppenheimer | Denmark/Indonesia/Norway/Finland/United Kingdom 2014 | 98 min. | 14A
Grand Jury Prize, Venice International Film Festival 2014
Toronto International Film Festival 2014
Director Joshua Oppenheimer's follow-up to his extraordinary documentary The Act of Killing focuses on a village optometrist who confronts the former right-wing paramilitaries who murdered his brother during Indonesia's anti-communist purges of the 1960s. Wednesday, March 25 at 6:30 p.m.

Featuring a special video introduction by the filmmaker.

Uyghurs: Prisoners of the Absurd
dir. Patricio Henriquez | Canada 2014 | 98 min. | 14A
This timely documentary chronicles the incredible odyssey of three refugees from China's persecuted Turkic-speaking Muslim minority, who fled to Afghanistan to seek sanctuary and found themselves rounded up and shipped to Guantanamo Bay as part of the United States’ indiscriminate War on Terror. Thursday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m.

Introduction by Michelle Shephard, national security reporter for the Toronto Star.

Beats of the Antonov
dir. Hajooj Kuka | Sudan/South Africa 2014 | 65 min. | PG
Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award, Toronto International Film Festival 2014
Director Hajooj Kuka immerses audiences in the world of the Sudanese farmers, herders and rebels of the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountain regions, who defiantly continue to tend their lands and celebrate their heritage in the face of a government bombing campaign. Friday, March 27 at 6:45 p.m.

With guest speaker Bill Frelick, Director, Refugee Program, Human Rights Watch.

The Salt of the Earth
dirs. Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado | France/Brazil/Italy 2014 | 110 min. | PG | Toronto Premiere
Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize, Festival de Cannes 2014
Master filmmaker Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado collaborated to create this stunning documentary tribute to Salgado’s father Sebastião, the world-renowned Brazilian photographer whose decades spent chronicling some of the darkest corners of the globe led him to a terrible crisis of faith — and a late-life act of rejuvenation. Saturday, March 28 at 7 p.m.

Burden of Peace
dirs. Joey Boink and Sander Wirken | Netherlands/Guatemala/Spain 2014 | 77 min. | 14A | North American Premiere
This intimate documentary follows Guatemala's first female Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz as she fights against her country's legacy of violence and corruption, and marks a historical first when she successfully prosecutes former dictator Efrain Ríos Montt for genocide. Tuesday, March 31 at 6:30 p.m.

With guest speaker Liesl Gerntholtz, Executive Director, Women’s Rights Division, Human Rights Watch.

The Wanted 18
dirs. Amer Shomali and Paul Cowan | Canada/Palestine/France 2014 | 75 min. | PG
Toronto International Film Festival 2014
Through stop-motion animation, drawings and interviews, this film recreates an astonishing true story from the First Palestinian Intifada: the Israeli army’s pursuit of 18 cows, whose independent milk production on a Palestinian collective farm was declared a threat to the national security of the state of Israel. Wednesday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m.

Closing Night Film.
Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story

dirs. Sandrine Orabona and Mark Herzog | USA 2014 | 90 min. | 14A
This compelling and compassionate documentary chronicles the struggle of decorated ex-Navy SEAL Kristin Beck to live her new life as a transgender woman. Thursday, April 2 at 6:30 p.m.

Introduction and Q&A by Kristin Beck, with guest speaker Graeme Reid, Director, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program, Human Rights Watch.

Tickets for the Human Rights Watch Film Festival are on sale now. Purchase tickets online at tiff.net/humanrightswatch, by phone from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET daily at 416.599.TIFF or 1.888.599.8433, or visit the Steve & Rashmi Gupta Box Office in person from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET daily at TIFF Bell Lightbox, Reitman Square, 350 King Street West. Regular film screening tickets are $13 each. TIFF prefers Visa.

For more information on the opening night fundraising reception or to purchase tickets for it, contact Human Rights Watch at 416.322.8448or thornta@hrw.org. Single tickets are $250, which includes the reception and entrance to the screening.

Social Media:
Facebook.com/TIFF
@TIFF_NET, @hrwfilmfestival
#HRWFF

About Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. By focusing international attention where human rights are violated, we give voice to the oppressed and hold oppressors accountable for their crimes. Our rigorous, objective investigations and strategic, targeted advocacy build intense pressure for action and raise the cost of human rights abuse. For over 30 years, Human Rights Watch has worked tenaciously to lay the legal and moral groundwork for deep-rooted change and has fought to bring greater justice and security to people around the world.

About TIFF
TIFF is a charitable cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September; TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features five cinemas, major exhibitions, and learning and entertainment facilities; and innovative national distribution program Film Circuit. The organization generates an annual economic impact of $189 million CAD. TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including Founding Sponsor Bell, the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.

Tickets go on sale March 10 at canfilmfest.ca

Executive Director of the Canadian Film Fest (CFF), Bern Euler, has announced the lineup for 2015 CFF, which will open and close with the Toronto premieres of two Toronto-shot films – Murray Foster’s THE COCKSURE LADS MOVIE and Matt Sadowski’s PRETEND WE’RE KISSING. This year’s festival will present eight feature films and 16 short films over its four-day run.

“The CFF has expanded from three to four days, and this year’s lineup is a testament to the wealth of diversity present in the Canadian film industry,” said Bern Euler, Executive Director, Canadian Film Fest. “We’re very proud to celebrate the talent that is present and emerging in our own backyard.”

The Canadian Film Fest’s main purpose is to showcase fresh voices in Canadian independent filmmaking to Torontonians. In addition to film screenings over the course of the four days, the CFF has an expanded Industry Series for filmmakers including a VFX Master Class with Alex Boothby (FIGHT CLUB, BLACK SWAN) and Mike Sevigny (THE MASKED SAINT, TV’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST), and industry panels including screenwriting and distribution.

The CFF has also partnered with the Harold Greenberg Fund to create the CFF’s Harold Greenberg Screenwriting Competition – a unique opportunity for Canadian screenwriters to win $10,000 in financial support for their written feature-length screenplays. The deadline for submissions is March 4, 2015.

The CFF will take place at The Royal in Toronto from March 25-28. For more information, complete film synopses, and details about the Harold Greenberg Screenwriting Competition, visit www.canfilmfest.ca.

Opening Night Film
THE COCKSURE LADS MOVIE
This hilarious musical comedy is about an English band on the cusp of stardom that arrives in Toronto for their first-ever North American tour only to break up ten minutes later. Director: Murray Foster. Cast: Alan Doyle, Lyndon Ogbourne, Luke Marty, Edward Hillier, Adam McNab, Chelsea Leaman, Peter Higginson, Sophia Fabilli, Laura Vincent, Laura Tremblay, Marc Hallworth, Brandon James Sim, John Fray, Willard Gillard. (Toronto Premiere)

Closing Night Film
PRETEND WE’RE KISSING
Benny needs to get out his of head and stop over thinking everything. It’s holding him back from growing up and finding love. When, by chance, he meets and falls for Jordan, a somewhat dorky girl obsessed with the notion of fate and hell-bent on finding a magical kind of love, he realizes that he might be able to actually move forward in life…if he can only get out of his own way. Director: Matt Sadowski. Cast: Dov Tiefenbach, Tommie-Amber Pirie, Zoë Kravitz. (Toronto Premiere)

Feature Film Lineup

BARN WEDDING
Fashion blogger Emma is gearing up for her picturesque summer wedding to longtime boyfriend Colin, when she finds out they have to move the wedding up six months so Colin can take a new job out of town. With her best friend, Emma is determined to have her rustic “Pinterest” worthy wedding in the middle of winter. Director: Shaun Benson. Cast: Emily Coutts, Kelly McCormack, Brett Donahue, Shaun Benson, Kate Corbett, Lara Jean Chorostecki, Kaleb Alexander, Christopher Hayes. (World Premiere)

BEN’S AT HOME
Newly 30 and single Ben is heartbroken and cynical. He makes the unusual decision never to leave his house again, which reveals the struggles that follow the extent to which social media shapes our personal lives. Director: Mars Horodyski. Cast: Dan Abramovici, Jess Embro, Jim Annan, Inessa Frantowski, Craig Brown, David Reale, Rob Baker, Kimberly-Sue Murray, Emma Fleury, Ruth Goodwin, Sarah Booth. (Toronto Premiere)

LATE NIGHT DOUBLE FEATURE
During a late night taping of “Dr. Nasty’s Cavalcade of Horror”, bloody chaos takes place during the screening of two features (“Dinner for Monsters” and “Slit”). Samantha/Nurse Nasty is frustrated by how the show is being run by its womanizing director and its drunk and crazy host Dr. Nasty. “Dinner for Monsters” tells the story a down and out chef who is hired to cook a special meal for a rich and powerful couple for a midnight dinner party. In “Slit”, Brad has an underground freelance business of cutting people for relief and profit. Directors: Navin Ramaswaran, Zach Ramelan, Torin Langen. Cast: Jamie Elizabeth Sampson, Nick Smyth, Jeff Sinasac, Colin Price, Caleigh Le Grand, Sandra Da Costa, Brian Carleton. (Canadian Premiere)

NOCTURNE
NOCTURNE is an offbeat urban fairy tale about an insomniac who falls in love with a sleepwalker. Haunted by her past, and dogged by her present, Cindy can’t sleep, and sketches to relieve her growing anxiety. A fellow worker, Armen, constructs origami – but acts oddly. Lost in her own world, Cindy chooses to follow Armen through his, and slowly and improbably, their relationship blossoms. Director: Saul Pincus. Cast: Mary Krohnert, Knickoy Robinson, Ian Downie, Marcia Bennett. (Canadian Premiere)

RELATIVE HAPPINESS
Plus–sized and 30 years old, Lexie Ivy is a feisty Bed & Breakfast owner who desperately needs a date to her sister’s wedding. In small town Nova Scotia, that’s no easy task, especially when the most eligible bachelor is Joss, the rough handyman fixing her roof. But, after a series of hilarious mishaps and reality checks, Lexie opens her heart and eyes to see that love may be a lot closer than she thought. Director: Deanne Foley. Cast: Melissa Bergland, Aaron Poole, Johnathan Sousa, Susan Kent, Joel Hynes, Molly Dunsworth, Rob Wells. (Toronto Premiere)

SHOOTING THE MUSICAL
SHOOTING THE MUSICAL (previously titled AFTER FILM SCHOOL) is a dark, comedic mockumentary about a group of young film school graduates attempting to create the most offensive film of all time: ‘High School Shooting the Musical’. Director: Joel Ashton McCarthy. Cast: Bruce Novakowski, Chris Walters, Rebecca Strom, Lisa Ovies, Rory W. Tucker, Casey Margolis, & Gigi Saul Guerrero. (Toronto Premiere)

Short Film Lineup

ASTRAEA
On a cold ghostly autumn night, a mothers will to save her child’s life is put to test.
Director: Rouzbeh Heydari. Cast: Ann Pirvu, Jen Pogue, Mckenzie Ball, Ted Jefferies.

BURN THE TAPES
Joe records his dreams. He has for as far back as he can remember. When his new wife Naomi listens to the tapes she learns something about her husband that she’d rather not know. Directors: Nick Kewin and Brit Kewin. Cast: Martin Malinski, Jaqueline Vogl, Darleen Degrieck, Shaena Patton.

FINALITAS
Spring is just beginning. Maude suddenly decides to leave her boyfriend. The first thing she does: write to Antonin, a man she has never seen, who has sent her evocative love letters. Director: Sebastien Rioux. Cast: Maryse Deraiche, Pierro Varga, Benoit Malette, Sebastien Rioux.

GAYBASHER
A young man emerges from a violent encounter in the back alleys of the gay ghetto to become an avenging angel. Forged by the cruelty of bigotry, he takes back the name of the aggressors to become an urban vigilante called GAYBASHER! Director: Ron Leach. Cast: Zion Forest Lee, Hardee Lineham, John Tench, Joshua Teixeira, Michael James Regan.

IRIS
Devoted teenage boyfriend Marshall worries that his girlfriend Iris, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, might be losing her grip on reality when she tells him she sees another world. Directors: Simone Stock. Cast: Bea Santos, Atticus Dean Mitchell, Allegra Fulton.

JOB INTERVIEW
A regular job interview turns into a reminder of Dan’s dark past. Directors: Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll and Tim Moore. Cast: Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, Dan Beirne, Gwynne Phillips.

LUNCHBOX LOSER
Aspiring stand-up sensation Natasha Marakova would rather practice her comedy routine alone in the bathroom than try to deal with school politics. When the hall monitor busts her sanctuary hideout, Natasha is forced to eat in the lunchroom for the first time. Director: Virginia Abramovich. Cast: Sarah Davis, Ella Ballentine, Zane Davis, Adrianna Di Lielo, Elijha Hammill, Brian Hooper, Masha Nadtotchii, Arcadia Kendal, Chloe Lederman, Sammy Jo Higgins, Makayla Mantley.

NIGHT LIFE
Somewhere in the shadows of Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal, a young woman spends her nights alone, lurking in Internet chat rooms and meticulously constructing a ‘vision board’ of an ideal future, while her real life crumbles around her. Director: Erica Genereux Smith. Cast: Katherine Folk-Sullivan, Bradley Anderson.

SHE SINGS FOR ME
A modern day fairy tale about Jacob, a self-acclaimed post-modern cobbler, and Holly, his quirky neighbor, reveals that love and relationships are delicate and imperfect. Director: Rebecca Davey. Cast: Marie-Claire Marcotte, Jean-Michel Le Gal, Elsie Alfred.

SIC.
A lifelong friendship is set ablaze when two friends confront their past unveiling a provocative secret. Director: Joshua Hinkson. Cast: Joshua Hinkson, Steven Roberts.

SOME THINGS WON’T SLEEP
A woman does the most horrific thing possible to save her marriage. Unfortunately, some secrets won’t stay buried for very long. Director: Leah Johnston. Cast: Alexis Milligan, David Christoffel, Alyssa Cross, Jordan Poole.

SPEAK NOW
In a visceral exploration of love and the silences that bind us, Mallory and Grayson spend a summer night together in a hotel room where they must choose between reticence and revealing a secret that could change their lives forever. Director: Raj Ramnauth. Cast: Jenna Scott, Roger Doche.

THE DAY SANTA DIDN’T COME
In the final days before Christmas, young Curtis is concerned about his status on Santa’s list. Despite his good intentions, his evil older brother and delinquent father rope him into questionable acts. Director: Ryan Keller. Cast: Gabriel Hogan, Tara Spencer-Nairn, Jack Fulton, Richard Fitzpatrick.

THE TIME TRAVELER
A man suffering from amnesia after a traumatic experience rebuilds his life. His newfound peace is interrupted when fate brings his former student back into the picture. Director: RT! Cast: Huse Madhavji, Emmanuel Kabongo.

THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU HAD PLANNED
While waiting for his movie to start, Hank works up the nerve to speak to Hathaway, the attractive woman seated behind him. In an upscale apartment across town, Jack welcomes Sarah over for a bottle of wine. As these two scenarios unfold, they begin to intertwine with one another, slowly revealing hidden truths and connections. Director: Christopher Warre Smets. Cast: Kristian Bruun, Natalie Lisinska, Elizabeth Whitmere, Jefferson Brown.

WHEN FISH FLY
A young girl grieves the loss of her mother, and is gifted a pet fish in an attempt to brighten her spirits. But when the fish dies, too, the little girl embarks on an adventure in letting go. Director: Lisa Rose Snow. Cast: Alyssa Cross, Josh MacDonald.

http://canfilmfest.ca/

Writer/Director: Taika Waititi & Jemaine Clement
Producer: Taika Waititi, Chelsea Winstanley, Emanuel Michael
Cast: Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Rhys Darby, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stu Rutherford
Mockumentary Comedy Horror film
1 hour, 25 minutes

What's it really like to be a vampire? This insanely funny mockumentary from New Zealand answers that question by hanging out with Viago, Vladislav, Deacon, and Petyr, four bloodsuckers who share a house in Wellington.

After sunset, they rise and three of them prowl the clubs for fresh blood. (The fourth one, Petyr, looks his age which is 8,000 years old so he stays locked inside his closet. The arrogant one, Deacon, has a human servant named Jackie to run errands for him, like wash his blood-soaked garments and invite unwitting old school classmates to the vampires' home for "dinner." The vampires accept another mortal as a friend, a quiet I.T. guy named Stu, who teaches them how to use modern technology. The vampires live in a sort of frat house and, apart from sucking blood out of people, are good lads.

Their idyllic life, however, ends when Nick, a new vampire they bit, boasts about being a vampire to mortal clubgoers. One mortal happens to be a vampire killer who breaks into the house and slays Peytr. The remaining three banish Nick. At the same time, Jackie grows impatient with Deacon for not biting her and making her immortal. To make matters worse, nice-guy Stu attends a vampire ball of the local bloodsuckers and has to fight for his life to get out.

What We Do In The Shadows is one of the funniest mockumentaries ever made. It's clever and fun, and most of the gags work. There's nothing pretentious about it. It's self-deprecating yet not self-conscious. You don't have to be a vampire or horror fan to enjoy it.

Review by Allan Tong

More than 900 Hollywood publicity and marketing executives, producers, studio and network executives, celebrities and press gathered for the International Cinematographers Guild 52nd Annual Publicists Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel today, chaired by Henri Bollinger and co-chaired by Tim Menke.

In his opening remarks Steven Poster, ASC., president of the International Cinematographers Guild, in noting the theme of this year’s luncheon, said, “We live in the age of social media and there’s no turning back. That’s why we appreciate social media today and celebrate the talented publicists who are making it work for the dynamic entertainment industry we’re proud to be part of. We have a lot of very impressive people here today, all thanks to our talented publicists.”

Henri Bollinger added, “We sing the praises of those who have excelled in an art form that dates back to the earliest days of circuses and vaudeville. When these awards were first handed out 52 years ago, self-promotion by publicists was reason for getting fired. It’s clear that we’ve progressed considerably since then.”

Bob and Harvey Weinstein, co-chairmen of The Weinstein Company, were presented the Motion Picture Showmanship Award by Billy Bob Thornton (The Judge). Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer of Netflix, received the Television Showmanship Award from Chelsea Handler, who has entered into a multi-tiered deal with the Internet TV network.

Much loved comedian/actor Bob Newhart received a Lifetime Achievement Award. The President’s Award was presented to Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® by Ava DuVernay, director of the Oscar®-nominated film Selma, and Steven Poster, ASC., president of the International Cinematographers Guild.

Presenters included Billy Bob Thornton (The Judge), Octavia Spencer (Black or White), Chelsea Handler (Uganda Be Kidding Me Live), Ava DuVernay (Selma), Melora Hardin (Transparent), Bruce Davison (X-Men series), Tony Denison (Major Crimes), Scott Eastwood (Snowden), Maddalena Ischiale (Unbroken).

Complete list of winners for the ICG 52nd Annual Publicists Awards

Les Mason Award
The highest honor publicists can bestow on one of their own
MELISSA KATES, Viewpoint PR

Bob Yeager Award for Community Service
JUSTINE GAMEZ, Warner Bros. publicist

Press Award
DAVE KARGER, Fandango.com

International Media Award
ROCIO AYUSO, Spain

Maxwell Weinberg Award for Best Publicity Campaign for a Motion Picture
THE INTERVIEW (Columbia Pictures). Publicist ANDRE CARACO and team

Maxwell Weinberg Award for Best Publicity Campaign for a Television Program
JANE THE VIRGIN (CBS Television Studios). ARPI KETENDJIAN accepted the award

Excellence in Unit Still Photography for Motion Pictures Award
WILSON WEBB

Excellence in Unit Still Photography for Television Award
URSULA COYOTE

ACTRA Toronto is proud to announce the winners of the 13th Annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto.

"The performers honoured tonight make us proud to be Canadian," said David Sparrow, President of ACTRA Toronto. "They show off Canada to Canada and to the rest of the world in all its marvelous diversity. And they do it with unique and outstanding talent."

The annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto were presented at The Carlu on February 20, 2015. The gala evening was hosted by Arisa Cox with live music by God Made Me Funky.

ACTRA Toronto is the largest organization within ACTRA, representing more than 15,000 of Canada's 22,000 professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. As an advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member-driven union that continues to secure rights and respect for the work of professional performers.

Nominations for 2015 ACTRA Awards in Toronto

Complete list of winners for the ACTRA Awards in Toronto 2015

Outstanding Performance – Female
Tatiana Maslany (Various in Orphan Black)

Outstanding Performance – Male
Gavin Crawford (Adam in Two 4 One)

Outstanding Performance – Voice
Cory Doran (Multiple Personality Mike in Total Drama, "The Final Wreck-ening")

2015 Award of Excellence
Tantoo Cardinal

ACTRA Toronto Stunt Award
Jamie Jones

Writer/Director: Denny Tedesco
Producer: Denny Tedesco, Suzie Tedesco, Jon Leonoudakis, Mitchell Linden, Claire Scanlon
Cast: Herb Alpert, Brian Wilson, Don Randi, Cher, Micky Dolenz, Nancy Sinatra, Jimmy Webb, Lou Adler, Carol Kaye, Hal Blaine, Roger McGuinn, Earl Palmer, Al Casey, Don Randi, Tommy Tedesco
Music Documentary
1 hour, 35 minutes

They were the unsungs heroes behind so many hits from L.A. in the sixties: “Be My Baby,” The Byrds'“Mr. Tambourine Man,” “You've Lost That Loving Feeling,” “California Dreaming,” “River Deep Mountain High,” the early Monkees, and all of The Beach Boys' legendary Pet Sounds.

This loose collection of studio session players were never credited on album sleeves, but were revered by other musicians for their sheer ability to play Latin, jazz, rock, blues and country effortlessly and reliably.

They were the Wrecking Crew, mostly east coast jazz musicians who drifted to the west in the sixties to become the most in-demand musicians on the exploding L.A. scene. This was the heyday of Phil Spector's “Wall of Sound” and The Beach Boys. The records they played on rivalled only The Beatles and Motown in terms of chart hits and enduring quality.

Director Denny Tedesco spent 20 years creating this loving tribute to the Wrecking Crew, which included his father, guitarist Tommy. Undoubtedly, this connection granted Tedesco access to many of the Wrecking Crew and the musicians they backed, including Brian Wilson, Cher, Monkee Micky Dolenz and Nancy Sinatra, not to mention fans like the late Frank Zappa.

The film sizzles with energy from the first frame to the last, largely told through contemporary reminisces by the Wrecking Crew and effectively blended with stock footage and photographs.

If you were a singer in Los Angeles in the sixties, chances are your backing musicians were these players. Tedesco left behind a dreary warehouse job in upstate New York to work in California. Like drummer Earl Palmer, guitarist Al Casey and keyboardist Don Randi, Tedesco was working 24/7 as a hired gun. He made excellent cash that supported a large family, but had little time to see them.

All in all, life was glorious for the Wrecking Crew, even though pop and rock tunes were primative compared to the jazz they were weaned on. Palmer says he made lot more money drumming rock than he ever would have playing jazz.

Sure, getting credit for playing a signature bass lick on a million-selling single would have been nice, but the Wrecking Crew were too busy working to stop and complain.

The film breaks down into two general sections: bassist Carol Kaye in the first, and drummer Hal Blaine in the second. Kaye was the lone female in a boys' club. She's articulate and charismatic on film as she talks about her career. The issue of sexual harassment is mentioned too briefly and leaves a few questions hanging, but we get the picture.

Blaine represents the height of the Wrecking Crew. At his peak in the late-sixties he owned a Hollywood mansion and yacht, but blames his ex-wife for reducing him to a pauper by the late-seventies. There's more to his story than that, and unfortunately the movie doesn't dig deeper. Again, we get the picture, but I wish the film explored more of his decline.

Of course, there is music liberally sprinkled throughout. Around 100 tunes are excerpted, and it took seven long years to clear all that on the limited indie budget that Tedesco raised mainly through crowdfunding.

I'm glad Tedesco endured. Without his film, these gifted musicians would have been relegated to footnotes in music history, just like Standing In The Shadows of Motown celebrated that label's unsung heroes.

The Wrecking Crew is essential viewing for any fan of rock music and pop culture.

Review by Allan Tong

http://www.wreckingcrewfilm.com

Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards, Los Angeles Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA, handed out top honors to Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Boyhood, Whiplash and Nightcrawler at this afternoon’s 30th Film Independent Spirit Awards. Still Alice, Dear White People, Ida, Land Ho! and CITIZENFOUR also received awards at the ceremony, which was held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. Inherent Vice received the Robert Altman Award and Foxcatcher received a Special Distinction Award. In addition to being the celebration that honors artist-driven films made with an economy of means by filmmakers whose films embody independence and originality, the Spirit Awards is the primary fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round programs.

Over the past 30 years, the Film Independent Spirit Awards has made a name for itself as the premiere awards show for the independent film community. Artists who have received industry recognition first at the Spirit Awards include Joel and Ethan Coen, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Ashley Judd, Robert Rodriguez, David O. Russell, Edward Burns, Aaron Eckhart, Neil LaBute, Darren Aronofsky, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Hilary Swank, Marc Forster, Todd Field, Christopher Nolan, Zach Braff, Amy Adams, Lena Dunham and many more.

This year’s major category winners were Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance); which won Best Feature, Best Male Lead and Best Cinematography, Boyhood; which won Best Director and Best Supporting Female, Nightcrawler; which won Best First Feature and Best Screenplay and Whiplash; which won Best Supporting Male and Best Editing; Still Alice, which won Best Female Lead; Dear White People, which won Best First Screenplay; Land Ho!, which won the John Cassavetes Award; Ida, which won Best International Film and CITIZENFOUR, which won Best Documentary.

The 8th annual Robert Altman Award was given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice received this award, along with casting director Cassandra Kulukundis and ensemble cast members Josh Brolin, Hong Chau, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Sasha Pieterse, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short, Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon and Michael Kenneth Williams.

The Special Distinction Award, given to a film for its uniqueness of vision, honesty of direction and screenwriting, superb acting and overall filmmaking achievement, was given to Foxcatcher. The award was given to director/producer Bennett Miller, producers Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik, writers E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman, actors Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum.

The 2015 Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation Fellowship which includes a cash grant of $10,000 was awarded to Christina Choe. This annual award is given to a filmmaker currently participating in a Film Independent Artist Development program with the mission of diversity in mind. Choe, a participant in the 2015 Directing Lab, is currently in active pre-production on her first narrative feature film, Nancy.

Nominations for the 30th Film Independent Spirit Awards

Complete list of winners for the 30th Film Independent Spirit Awards

Best Feature
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole

Best Director
Richard Linklater (IFC Films)

Best Screenplay
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)

Best First Feature
Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)
Director: Dan Gilroy, Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak

Best First Screenplay
Justin Simien, Dear White People (Roadside Attractions/ Lionsgate)

John Cassavetes Award (For best feature made under $500,000): Land Ho! (Sony Pictures Classics)
Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz, Martha Stephens, Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy

Best Supporting Female
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood (IFC Films)

Best Supporting Male
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Female Lead
Julianne Moore, Still Alice (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Male Lead
Michael Keaton, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Robert Altman Award
Inherent Vice (Warner Bros.)
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis, Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Hong Chau, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Sasha Pieterse, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short, Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Kenneth Williams

Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best Editing
Tom Cross, Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best International Film
Ida (Poland – Music Box Films)
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski

Best Documentary
CITIZENFOUR (RADiUS-TWC / HBO Documentary Films / Participant Media)
Director: Laura Poitras; Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky

Special Distinction Award
Foxcatcher (Sony Pictures Classics)
Director/Producer: Bennett Miller, Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik, Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman, Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum

On January 10 the following winners were honored at the Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grant and Nominee Brunch at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood:

Chris Ohlson received the Piaget Producers Award. The award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality independent films. The annual award, in its 18th year, includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget for the 8th year. Finalists were Chad Burris and Elisabeth Holm.

Dan Krauss, director of The Kill Team, received the LensCrafters Truer Than Fiction Award. The award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not received significant recognition. The award is in its 20th year and includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by LensCrafters. Finalists for the award were Sara Dosa for The Last Season, Darius Clark Monroe for Evolution of a Criminal and Amanda Rose Wilder for Approaching the Elephant.

Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia, directors of H., received the Kiehl’s Someone to Watch Award. The award recognizes talented filmmakers of singular vision who have not yet received appropriate recognition. The award is in its 21st year and includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851. Finalists for the award were Ana Lily Amirpour for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and Chris Eska for The Retrieval.

The 87th annual Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2014 were presented tonight at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The host for the event was Neil Patrick Harris. The Oscars, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and was televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Nominations for the 87th annual Academy Awards

Complete list of winners for the 87th annual Academy Awards [UPDATING]

Best documentary feature
CitizenFour (RADiUS) A Praxis Films Production; Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky

Achievement in film editing
Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics) Tom Cross

Achievement in cinematography
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight) Emmanuel Lubezki

Achievement in production design
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Fox Searchlight) Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock

Best animated feature film of the year
Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney) Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli

Best animated short film
Feast (Walt Disney) A Walt Disney Animation Studios Production; Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed

Achievement in visual effects
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Walt Disney) Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Dan Sudick

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Patricia Arquette in Boyhood (IFC Films)

Achievement in sound editing
American Sniper (Warner Bros.) Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman

Achievement in sound mixing
Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics) Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley

Best documentary short subject
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 (HBO Documentary Films) A Perry Films Production; Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry\

Best live action short film
The Phone Call (Network Ireland Television) An RSA Films Production; Mat Kirkby and James Lucas

Best foreign language film of the year
Ida A Phoenix Film-Opus Film in association with Portobello Pictures and Phoenix Poland Production; Poland

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Fox Searchlight) Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier

Achievement in costume design
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Fox Searchlight) Milena Canonero

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
J.K. Simmons in Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)

The Writers Guild of Canada is pleased to announce the finalists for the 19th annual WGC Screenwriting Awards. The WGC Screenwriting Awards celebrate the excellence of Canada’s screenwriters with a gala event on April 27, 2015, at Toronto’s Koerner Hall.

This year more than 150 scripts were nominated for awards in seven categories, with 29 scripts chosen as finalists. In total, 53 screenwriters are up for awards. Several special awards, including the WGC Showrunner Award, the Jim Burt Screenwriting Prize, and the Sondra Kelly Award, will also be presented.

The WGC Awards cover all genres of screenwriting in Canada, and include TV drama favourites such as 19-2, Orphan Black and Lost Girl, and noted web series Out With Dad, and Ruby Skye P.I. The award categories also cover the best in animation, children and youth, movies and miniseries, documentary, and TV comedy.

The winners will be announced at the 19th annual WGC Screenwriting Awards on Monday, April 27, 2015, at the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning’s Koerner Hall. The WGC is very pleased to welcome writer, actor and comedian Ryan Belleville back to host the awards. The show will be written by stand-up/sketch comedian and writer Jeremy Woodcock, in collaboration with Ryan Belleville.

2015 WGC Screenwriting Awards Finalists

ANIMATION
The Day My Butt Went Psycho, Season 1 “Everybooty Loves the Great White Butt”; Written by Craig Martin
Fangbone, Season 1 “The Warbrute of Friendship”; Written by Simon Racioppa & Richard Elliott
Johnny Test, Season 6 “Johnny’s Junky Trunk”; Written by Sean Jara
Nerds and Monsters, Season 1 “Kaboom With a View”; Written by Greg Sullivan

CHILDREN & YOUTH
Annedroids, Season 1 “New Pals”; Written by J.J. Johnson
R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour, Season 4 “Goodwill Toward Men”; Written by Dan Angel & Billy Brown
R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour, Season 4 “Mrs. Worthington”; Written by Melody Fox
Some Assembly Required, Season 1 “Dance Crew Evolution”; Written by Cole Bastedo & Jenny Siddle
You & Me, Season 1 “Ninja Squirrel”; Written by Katherine Sandford

DOCUMENTARY
The Cholesterol Question; Written by Michael McNamara
Norman McLaren: Animated Musician; Written by Donald McWilliams
Shameless Propaganda; Written by Robert Lower

MOVIES & MINISERIES
The Best Laid Plans“You Had An Option, Sir”; Written by Jason Sherman and Susan Coyne
Elephant Song; Written by Nicolas Billon
Sex and Violence, Season 1 “Surface Scars”; Written by Thom Fitzgerald

SHORTS & WEBSERIES
Bill & Sons Towing, Season 2 “Cleaning House”; Written by Mark De Angelis
Darknet“Episode 3”; Written by Doug Taylor
Darknet“Episode 5”; Written by Randall Cole
Out With Dad, Season 3 “Outed”; Written by Jason Leaver
Ruby Skye P.I.: The Maltese Puppy “Everyone’s a Suspect”; Written by Jill Golick & Julie Strassman

TV COMEDY
Mr. D, Season 3 “Old School”; Written by Andrew De Angelis
Sensitive Skin, Season 1 “Not the Haitian Corpse”; Written by Bob Martin
This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Season XXI “Episode 16”; Written by Mark Critch, Shaun Majumder, Mike Allison, Bob Kerr, Susan
Kent, Greg Thomey, Jon Blair, Sonya Bell, Abdul Butt, Tim Polley, Heidi; Brander, Adam Christie, Kevin Shustack, Jeremy Woodcock; Contributing Writers: Dean Jenkinson, Ron Sparks
Trailer Park Boys, Season 8 “Episode 4”; Written by Mike Smith & JP Tremblay & Robb Wells

TV DRAMA
19-2, Season 1 “Partners”; Adapted by Bruce M. Smith
Lost Girl, Season 4 “La Fae Époque”; Written by Michael Grassi
Orphan Black, Season 2 “Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est”; Written by Tony Elliott
Saving Hope, Season 3 “The Way We Were”; Written by John Krizanc
Strange Empire, Season 1 “The Oath”; Written by Jackie May

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is pleased to announce that 50 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS were presented tonight in News & Sports, Documentary, Lifestyle, Reality and Digital Media. This Canadian Screen Awards Gala was hosted by comedian Darrin Rose at the Sheraton Centre Toronto.

“Tonight we kick off the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards celebrating the ‘Canadian reality’ in all its forms, from news and documentaries to sports, lifestyle and reality programming,” says Academy Chair, Martin Katz. “We congratulate all the nominees and winners who bring the reality of the Canadian experience to the screen!”

“It is your talent, determination and yes, your sense of fun, which bring diverse stories to our many screens,” says Helga Stephenson, Academy CEO. “The Academy is proud to recognize you, the Canadians creators delivering excellence in television and digital media year-round.”

Four previously announced Academy Special Award winners were also presented tonight to:

• The Exhibition (Damon Vignale, Robert Straight and Miho Yamamoto) for the Diversity Award, sponsored by Playback
• Michael Landsberg for the Humanitarian Award
• Jeffrey Elliott for the Digital Media Trailblazing Award sponsored by the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC)
• Ric Esther Bienstock for the Gordon Sinclair Award for Broadcast Journalism

Nominations for the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards

2015 Canadian Screen Awards Television & Digital Media Winners (Day 1)

Barbara Sears Award for Best Editorial Research
Tales From The Organ Trade
History Channel Canada (Shaw Media)
Ric Esther Bienstock, Sheila Mandell, Anastasia Trofimova

Barbara Sears Award for Best Visual Research
Apocalypse WWI - Fury
TVO / Knowledge Network (TVO, Knowledge Network)
Valerie Combard, Elizabeth Klinck

Best Biography or Arts Documentary Program or Series
UNSUNG: Behind the Glee
TVO (TVO)
(Shaftesbury)
Scott Garvie, Christina Jennings, Moze Mossanen, Jeff Spriet

Best Cross-Platform Project - Children's and Youth
Sponsor | Bell Fund
Grojband - The Show Must Go On!
(Secret Location, Fresh TV)
Noora Abu Eitah, Ryan Andal, Pietro Gagliano, Tom McGillis, James Milward

Best Cross-Platform Project – Fiction
Played – Interference
(Secret Location, Bell Media, Back Alley Film Productions)
Ryan Andal, Lisa Collings, Melonie de Guzman, Marty Flanagan, Pietro Gagliano, Janis Lundman, James
Milward, Greg Nelson, Chris Skinner, Lindsay Zier-Vogel

Best Cross-Platform Project - Non-Fiction
Big Brother Canada Digital
(Secret Location)
Ryan Andal, Lynne Carter, Michala Duffield, Zach Feldberg, Sean Fernie, Pietro Gagliano, CJ Hervey, Cynthia
Long, James Milward, Emily Morgan, Christine Shipton

Best Direction in a Documentary or Factual Series
Wild Canada - The Eternal Frontier
CBC (CBC)
Jeff Turner

Best Direction in a Documentary Program
Our Man in Tehran
TMN / Movie Central (Bell Media / Corus Entertainment)
Drew Taylor, Larry Weinstein

Best Direction in a Lifestyle/Practical Information Program or Series
Income Property - Jamie
HGTV Canada (Shaw Media)
Marc Simard

Best Direction in a Live Sporting Event
2013 Grey Cup
TSN (Bell Media)
Paul Hemming

Best Direction in a Reality / Competition Program or Series
The Amazing Race Canada - What's it Take to Get a Cup of Tea
CTV (Bell Media)
Rob Brunner

Best Documentary Program
Sponsor | bravoFACTUAL
Our Man in Tehran
TMN / Movie Central (Bell Media / Corus Entertainment)
(Rhombus Media Inc., Film House Inc.)
Niv Fichman, Drew Taylor, Larry Weinstein

Best Factual Program or Series
Ice Pilots NWT
History Channel Canada (Shaw Media)
(Omnifilm Entertainment Ltd.)
Michael Chechik, David Gullason, Gabriela Schonbach

Best History Documentary Program or Series
Apocalypse WWI
TVO / Knowledge Network (TVO / Knowledge Network)
(Ideacom international, CC&C)
Josée Roberge, Eric Michel, Josette D. Normandeau, Louis Vaudeville, Pascale Ysebaert

Best Host or Interviewer in a News or Information Program or Series
W5
CTV (Bell Media)
Tom Kennedy

Best Lifestyle or Talk Program or Series
Income Property
HGTV Canada (Shaw Media)
(SKIT Inc)
Jennifer Dick, Jenna Keane, Al Magee, Scott McGillivray, Kit Redmond

Best Live Sports Event
Sponsor | Dome Productions
Olympics - Gold Medal Hockey Game - Women
CBC (CBC)
(CBC)
Chris Irwin, Brian Spear

Best Local Newscast
CBC News: Toronto
CBC (CBC)
(CBC Toronto)
Dwight Drummond, Dayna Gourley, Alan Habbick, Anne-Marie Mediwake, Alexandra Sienkiewicz

Best National Newscast
Global National
Global (Shaw Media)
(Global News)
Kenton Boston, Dawna Friesen, Michael Hennigar, Doug Sydora, Doriana Temolo

Best News Anchor, Local
Global BC News Hour
Global BC (Shaw Media)
Chris Gailus

Best News or Information Program
CBC News: the fifth estate - Made in Bangladesh
CBC (CBC)
(CBC)
Tarannum Kamlani, Mark Kelley, Lysanne Louter, Aileen McBride

Best News or Information Segment
W5 - The War Zone
CTV (Bell Media)
Mary Dartis, Garry Dwyer-Joyce, Paul Freer, Denis Langlois, Victor Malarek, Jerry Vienneau

Best News or Information Series
CBC News: the fifth estate
CBC (CBC)
(CBC News)
Julian Sher, Jim Williamson

Best News Special
CBC News: Moncton Shooting - The Capture of Justin Bourque
CBC (CBC)
(CBC News: The National, CBC News Network, CBC New Brunswick)
Derek Desouza, Mark Harrison, Darrow MacIntyre, Mark Ross, Kate Scroggins

Best Original Interactive Production Produced for Digital Media
Fort McMoney
(TOXA, NFB)
David Dufresne, Raphaëlle Huysmans, Philippe Lamarre, Hugues Sweeney

Best Original Music for a Non-Fiction Program or Series
Tales From The Organ Trade
History Channel Canada (Shaw Media)
John Welsman

Best Original Program or Series produced for Digital Media - Non-Fiction
A Short History of the Highrise
(The New York Times, NFB)
Katerina Cizek, Gerry Flahive, Jacqueline Myint, Jason Spingarn-Koff

Best Photography in a Documentary Program or Factual Series
Our Man in Tehran
TMN / Movie Central (Bell Media / Corus Entertainment)
John Minh Tran

Best Photography in a Lifestyle or Reality / Competition Program or Series
Survivorman - Survivorman: Argentina
Travel & Escape / Science Channel (Blue Ant Media Production Inc/Discovery Communications LLC)
Max Attwood

Best Photography in a News or Information Program, Series or Segment
16x9 – Lev Tahor
Global (Shaw Media)
Kirk Neff

Best Picture Editing in a Documentary Program or Series
Our Man in Tehran
TMN / Movie Central (Bell Media / Corus Entertainment)
Steve Weslak

Best Picture Editing in a Factual Program or Series
Mayday - Into the Eye of the Storm
Discovery Channel Canada (Bell Media)
Daniel Hawkes

Best Picture Editing in a Reality/Competition Program or Series
The Amazing Race Canada - What's it Take to Get a Cup of Tea
CTV (Bell Media)
Jonathan Dowler, Al Manson, Kyle Martin, Seth Poulin, Michael Tersigni

Best Production Design or Art Direction in a Non-Fiction Program or Series
Big Brother Canada - Finale
Slice (Shaw Media)
Peter Faragher, Andy Roskaft, Sandra Svendsen

Best Reportage, Local
Mount Polley Mine Disaster
Global (Shaw Media)
John Daly, Jas Johal, Marc Riddell

Best Reportage, National
CTV News – They Would Bury the Children Last
CTV (Bell Media)
Janis Mackey Frayer

Best Science or Nature Documentary Program or Series
The Nature of Things - Invasion of the Brain Snatchers
CBC / Radio-Canada (CBC /Radio-Canada)
(CBC / Radio-Canada)
Sue Dando, Mike Downie, FM Morrison, David Wells

Best Sound in a Documentary, Factual or Lifestyle Program or Series
Our Man in Tehran
TMN / Movie Central (Bell Media / Corus Entertainment)
Martin Lee, David McCallum, Sanjay Mehta, Brennan Mercer, Jane Tattersall

Best Sports Analyst in a Sports Program or Series
2014 NHL Playoffs - Game 7- Los Angeles/Anaheim
TSN (Bell Media)
Ray Ferraro

Best Sports Feature Segment
Re/Orientation
TSN (Bell Media)
Brent Blanchard, Mike Farrell, Paul Harrington, Josh Shiaman, Ken Volden, Aaron Ward

Best Sports Opening/Tease
2013 Grey Cup
TSN (Bell Media)
Matt Dunn, Owen Ewers, Michael Farber, George Hupka

Best Sports Play-by-Play Announcer
2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games
CBC (CBC)
Jim Hughson

Best Sports Program or Series
What If: The Unlikely Story of Toronto's Baseball Giants
Sportsnet (Rogers Media)
(Fadoo Productions Inc, TBJ 2014 Docs Inc.)
Corey Russell

Best Writing in a Documentary Program or Factual Series
Tales From The Organ Trade
History Channel Canada (Shaw Media)
Ric Esther Bienstock

Best Writing in a Lifestyle or Reality / Competition Program or Series
The Amazing Race Canada - What's it Take to Get a Cup of Tea
CTV (Bell Media)
Rob Brunner, Mark Lysakowski

Donald Brittain Award for Best Social/Political Documentary Program
Sponsor | Rogers Group of Funds
Tales From The Organ Trade
History Channel Canada (Shaw Media)
(Associated Producers Ltd.)
Ric Esther Bienstock, Felix Golubev, Simcha Jacobovici

Hot Docs is pleased to announce 17 documentary features that will be a part of this year’s Special Presentations program, a high-profile collection of world and international premieres, award-winners from the recent international festival circuit and works by master filmmakers or featuring some star subjects. These films will screen as part of the 2015 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, running April 23 to May 3.

The complete Special Presentations program and the full selection of films to screen at Hot Docs 2015 will be announced on March 17, including the 2015 opening night film. Ticket packages and passes are now on sale online. Single tickets and package redemption will be available beginning Tuesday, March 17, 2015.

Award-winners from the recent international festival circuit include DREAMCATCHER (Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary, Sundance 2015; My Generation Award, Zagreb Dox 2015), DRONE (Checkpoints Award and Best Norwegian Documentary, Bergen International Film Festival 2014), HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD (World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award: Editing, Sundance 2015), (T)ERROR (US Documentary Special Jury Award: Break Out First Feature, Sundance 2015) and WESTERN (US Documentary Special Jury Award: Verite Filmmaking, Sundance 2015).

Special Presentation titles appear below, ordered alphabetically:

THE ARMS DROP
D: Andreas Koefoed | Denmark | 2014 | 94 min | North American Premiere
After narrowly escaping execution and surviving eight years in an Indian prison, a British arms dealer hunts down the MI5 agent who betrayed him, leading to a shocking confrontation with the Danish terrorist who started it all.

BEING CANADIAN
D: Robert Cohen | Canada, USA | 2014 | 89 min | World Premiere
Calgary hometown boy turned Hollywood comedy guru Rob Cohen (The Simpsons, The Big Bang Theory) returns to Canada on an epic quest to rediscover our national identity. Meeting up with Mike Myers, Seth Rogen and even the Trailer Park Boys along the way, just imagine Sherman’s March, but wearing a toque.

THE BOLIVIAN CASE
D: Violeta Ayala | Australia, Bolivia, Colombia, USA | 2015 | 75 min | World Premiere
Three Norwegian teenaged girlfriends get caught smuggling cocaine out of Bolivia. Each is guilty, so why does only one take the fall? Cue a tabloid media storm, professional kidnappers and a behind-bars pregnancy in this sensational exposé.

THE CIRCUS DYNASTY
D: Anders Riis-Hansen | Denmark | 2014 | 75 min | Canadian Premiere
The success and longevity of two of Europe’s greatest circus families hangs in the balance as their respective heirs fall for one another—but combining love and work may be their greatest challenge yet.

DEMOCRATS
D: Camilla Nielsson | Denmark | 2014 | 109 min | Canadian Premiere
Can sworn political enemies work together for a common good? Follow Zimbabwe’s unlikely coalition government of reigning dictator Mugabe’s party and his opposition as they slyly maneuver and reluctantly negotiate to forge a new constitution.

A DIFFERENT DRUMMER: CELEBRATING ECCENTRICS
D: John Zaritsky | Canada | 2014 | 86 min | Toronto Premiere
Oscar-winning director John Zaritsky celebrates eccentrics in this light-hearted but affectionate look at non-conformists—from a Utah cave dweller who hasn’t used money in 12 years to a beloved Vancouver psychic often seen with her pet duck in a buggy.

DREAMCATCHER
D: Kim Longinotto | UK | 2015 | 98 min | Canadian Premiere
Acclaimed filmmaker Kim Longinotto crafts a deeply moving portrait of a former teenage prostitute who fought her way off the streets to become an unstoppable force for change in the lives of Chicago’s at-risk women.

DRONE
D: Tonje Hessen Schei | Norway | 2014 | 78 min | Canadian Premiere
A penetrating investigation into the war on terror’s defining weapon—the armed drone—featuring incisive analysis from pilots, military experts and powerless bystanders who live in fear of becoming the collateral damage of this high-tech weaponry.

EVERY LAST CHILD
D: Tom Roberts | UAE, Pakistan | 2015 | 82 min | Canadian Premiere
Caught in the crosshairs of violence and politics, healthcare workers are everyday heroes as they struggle to protect children from polio in Pakistan—the epicentre for this crippling disease that has once again become a global threat.

HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD
D: Jerry Rothwell | UK, Canada | 2015 | 112 min | Canadian Premiere
In the early 1970s, a group of young Canadians combined forces to create Greenpeace. Using interviews and previously unseen footage, this is the story of a group of friends who set out to change the world.

KURT COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK
D: Brett Morgen | USA | 2015 | 132 min | Canadian Premiere
In this first fully authorized cinematic portrait of music legend Kurt Cobain, never-before-seen home movies, striking animation and interviews with those who knew him best take us into the life and mind of an icon.

THE LAST MOGUL
D: Barry Avrich | Canada, USA | 2005 | 110 min | Anniversary Screening
To celebrate 10 years since its release, a special screening of Barry Avrich’s The Last Mogul allows audiences to revisit this portrait of one of the most powerful men in show business: Lew Wasserman.

PARIS IS BURNING
D: Jennie Livingston | USA | 1990 | 71 min | Anniversary Screening
Electrifying audiences with a window into the fierce—and fiercely competitive—world of the 1980s New York black and Latino LGBT ball scene, this paradigm-shifting classic is as audacious and profound as the day it was released 25 years ago.

(T)ERROR
D: Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe | USA | 2014 | 93 min | International Premiere
This Sundance award winner exposes the shocking practices and murky justifications driving FBI counterterrorism investigations by following an informant who provides full access on the trail of a new suspect.

WAR OF LIES
D: Matthias Bittner | Germany | 2014 | 89 min | North American Premiere
How did one refugee in Germany become the US government’s justification for the 2003 Iraq invasion? The unrepentant Iraqi “engineer”—the lone source of weapons of mass destruction misinformation—finally reveals how the war based on his lie truly began.

WELCOME TO LEITH
D: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker | USA | 2015 | 86 min | International Premiere
A real-life horror story unfolds in the near-deserted town of Leith, North Dakota, when a dangerous white supremacist attempts to buy up land in a plot to establish a community of neo-Nazis.

WESTERN
D: Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross | USA, Mexico | 2014 | 93 min | International Premiere
As a cowboy and a lawman navigate their rapidly changing hometowns and an ever-growing divide, Western paints a stunning and subtle portrait of two towns straddling the US-Mexico border that previously existed in harmony.

Hot Docs (www.hotdocs.ca), North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market, will present its 22nd annual edition from April 23 to May 3, 2015. An outstanding selection of approximately 200 documentaries from Canada and around the world will be presented to Toronto audiences and international delegates. Hot Docs will also mount a full roster of conference sessions and market events and services for documentary practitioners, including the renowned Hot Docs Forum, Hot Docs Deal Maker and The Doc Shop. In partnership with Blue Ice Group, Hot Docs operates the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, a century-old landmark located in Toronto’s Annex neighbourhood.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is pleased to announce that 48 Canadian Screen Awards were presented tonight in Drama, Children's or Youth, Comedy and Variety categories. This Canadian Screen Awards Gala was hosted tonight by comedian Darrin Rose at the Sheraton Centre Toronto.

"The Academy is honoured tonight to be able to recognize the creators and artists of Canada's favorite drama, comedy, and kids' television programming, that entertain and inspire us," says Academy Chair, Martin Katz.

"You - the producers, artists and craftspeople of the Canadian screen industry are critical to this country," says Helga Stephenson, Academy CEO. "The arts - and more specifically, our moving image arts- define us and connect us," she adds.

Four previously announced Academy Special Award winners were also presented tonight to:
•Insight Productions Company Ltd for the Academy Icon Award
•Tassie Cameron for the Margaret Collier Award sponsored by Halfire Entertainment
•Paul Gross for the Earle Grey Award
•George Anthony for the Academy Board of Directors' Tribute

Nominations for the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards

2015 Canadian Screen Awards Television & Digital Media Winners (Day 2)

Best Achievement in Casting
Orphan Black - Governed By Sound Reason and True Religion
Space (Bell Media)
Sharon Forrest, Susan Forrest

Best Achievement in Make-Up
Sponsor | M●A●C Cosmetics
Murdoch Mysteries - Friday the 13th, 1901
CBC (CBC)
Deb Drennan

Best Animated Program or Series
Sponsor | Breakthrough Entertainment
Rocket Monkeys
Teletoon (Corus Entertainment)
(Breakthrough Entertainment)
Dan Abdo, Mauro Casalese, Mark Evestaff, Joan Lambur, Ira Levy, Jason Patterson, Stephanie VanBruggen, Peter Williamson

Best Children's or Youth Fiction Program or Series
Sponsor | Family Channel
Degrassi
MuchMusic/MTV (Bell Media)
(Epitome Pictures Inc.)
Stefan Brogren, Sarah Glinski, Matt Huether, David Lowe, Linda Schuyler, Stephen Stohn, Stephanie Williams

Best Children's or Youth Non-Fiction Program or Series
Japanizi: Going, Going, Gong!
YTV (Corus Entertainment)
(marblemedia)
Mark J.W. Bishop, Susan Edwards, Matthew Hornburg, Stephen J. Turnbull

Best Costume Design
Murdoch Mysteries - Murdoch in Ragtime
CBC (CBC)
Alexander Reda

Best Direction in a Children's or Youth Program or Series
Degrassi - Hypnotize
MuchMusic / MTV (Bell Media)
Phil Earnshaw

Best Direction in a Comedy Program or Series
Sensitive Skin - The Return Of The Other Davina
HBO Canada (Bell Media/ Corus Entertainment)
Don McKellar

Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series
Sponsor | William F. White International and Comweb Group
The Best Laid Plans
CBC (CBC)
Peter Moss

Best Direction in a Dramatic Series
Orphan Black - Mingling its Own Nature With It
Space (Bell Media)
TJ Scott

Best Direction in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series
We Day 2013
MTV (Bell Media)
John Keffer

Best Direction in an Animated Program or Series
Sponsor | 9 Story Media Group
The Day My Butt Went Psycho - I Dream of Deucie / Planet of the Butt Monkeys
Teletoon (Corus Entertainment)
Matt Ferguson

Best Entertainment Special
Michael Bublé’s 3rd Annual Christmas Special
CTV (Bell Media)
(Chanci Ventures)
Bruce Allen

Best Host in a Pre-School, Children's or Youth Program or Series
The Adventures of Napkin Man - Just Me in a Tree
CBC (CBC)
Yannick Bisson

Best Host in a Variety, Lifestyle, Reality/Competition, or Talk Program or Series
Don't Drive Here - Port-Au-Prince
Discovery Channel Canada (Bell Media)
Andrew Younghusband

Best Music Program or Series
Sponsor | YANGAROO
2014 MuchMusic Video Awards
MuchMusic (Bell Media)
(Bell Media)
Steve Jarman, John Kampilis, Sheila Sullivan

Best Original Music Score for a Program
Sponsor | Slaight Music
Still Life: A Three Pines Mystery
CBC (CBC)
Robert Carli

Best Original Music Score for a Series
Orphan Black - By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried
Space (Bell Media)
Trevor Yuile

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Series
Sponsor | BFL CANADA Risk and Insurance Services Inc.
Orphan Black - Mingling its Own Nature With It
Space (Bell Media)
Jordan Gavaris

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Series
Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy
Global (Shaw Media)
Ali Liebert

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role or Guest Role in a Comedic Series
Mr. D - Donor Dinner
CBC (CBC)
Jonathan Torrens

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role or Guest Role in a Comedic Series
Spun Out - Stalkblocker
CTV (Bell Media)
Lauren Ash

Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series
Degrassi - My Own Worst Enemy
MuchMusic/MTV (Bell Media)
Aislinn Paul

Best Performance in a Guest Role, Dramatic Series
Motive - Pitfall
CTV (Bell Media)
Callum Keith Rennie

Best Performance in a Program or Series Produced for Digital Media
Guidestones: Sunflower Noir
(iThentic, 3 o’clock.tv)
Supinder Wraich

Best Performance in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series
(Individual or Ensemble)
Rick Mercer Report - Episode 16
CBC (CBC)
Rick Mercer

Best Performance in an Animated Program or Series
Sponsor | Disney XD Canada
Justin Time - Ole Ole
Family Channel / Disney Jr (DHX Media)
Scott Matheson-McCord

Best Photography in a Comedy Program or Series
Sensitive Skin - The Three Sisters
HBO Canada (Bell Media/ Corus Entertainment)
Douglas Koch

Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series
Orphan Black - By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried
Space (Bell Media)
Aaron Morton

Best Photography in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series
The JUNO Awards 2014
CTV (Bell Media)
Alex Nadon

Best Picture Editing in a Comedy or Variety Program or Series
Sensitive Skin - The Return Of The Other Davina
HBO Canada (Bell Media/ Corus Entertainment)
Matthew Hannam

Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Program or Series
Orphan Black - Governed As It Were By Chance
Space (Bell Media)
D. Gillian Truster

Best Pre-School Program or Series
The Adventures of Napkin Man
CBC (CBC)
(Breakthrough Entertainment, Little Airplane, Little Tugboat)
Suzie Gallo, Ira Levy, Brenda Nietupski, Josh Selig, Sharon Summerling, Tone Thyne, Stephanie VanBruggen, Peter Williamson

Best Production Design or Art Direction in a Fiction Program or Series
Orphan Black - Things Which Have Never Yet Been Done
Space (Bell Media)
Liz Calderhead, John Dondertman

Best Sound in a Comedy, Variety, or Animated Program or Series
Call Me Fitz - A Very Special Fitzmas
TMN / Movie Central (Bell Media / Corus Entertainment)
Fred Brennan, Alexis Eskandari, Matthew Harrold, Allen Ormerod, Paul Shikata

Best Sound in a Dramatic Program or Series
Vikings - The Choice
History Channel Canada (Shaw Media)
Jane Tattersall, David McCallum, Steve Medeiros, Stephen Muir, Robert Warchol, Martin Lee, Kirk Lynds, Dale Sheldrake, Yuri Gorbachow, Goro Koyama, Andy Malcolm, Daniel Birch

Best Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series
Sponsor | DHX Media
Rick Mercer Report
CBC (CBC)
(Island Edge Inc.)
Gerald Lunz, Rick Mercer, Tom Stanley

Best Visual Effects
Sponsor | City of Toronto
Vikings - Invasion
History Channel Canada (Shaw Media)
Dennis Berardi, Michael Borrett, Ovidiu Cinazan, Jeremy Dineen, Maria Gordon, Bill Halliday, Eric Lacroix, Jim Maxwell. Julian Parry, Dominic Remane

Best Writing in an Animated Program or Series
Rocket Monkeys - One and a Half Friends
Teletoon (Corus Entertainment)
Seán Cullen

Best Writing in a Children's or Youth Program or Series
Sponsor | Shaw Rocket Fund
Degrassi - Unbelievable
MuchMusic/MTV (Bell Media)
Matt Huether

Best Writing in a Comedy Program or Series
Call Me Fitz - Baby’s First Brothel
TMN / Movie Central (Bell Media / Corus Entertainment)
Derek Schreyer

Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series
Presented with the participation of the Cogeco Program Development Fund
Babysellers
Lifetime (Shaw Media)
Suzette Couture

Best Writing in a Dramatic Series
Orphan Black - By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried
Space (Bell Media)
Graeme Manson

Best Writing in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series
Rick Mercer Report - Episode 16
CBC (CBC)
Rick Currie, Greg Eckler, Chris Finn, Rick Mercer, Tim Steeves, George Westerholm

Out with Jonathan Robbins

by Allan Tong

Jonathan Robbins is dad in Out With Dad, the most successful Canadian web series today with over 24 million viewers across all platforms, averaging more than 300,000 views per month online, and attracting over 35,000 Subscribers on YouTube. The numbers are all the more impressive when you considered that the show is almost entirely audience-funded. The drama is about about teenager Rose coming of age and coming out of the closet with the support of her single father. At this Sunday's week's Canadian Screen Awards, Out With Dad is up for Best Original Program or Series produced for Digital Media – Fiction. Jonathan is also the creator of Clutch, a crime/thriller web series.

Chino Kino chatted with Jonathan at the start of CSA week in Toronto:

CK: There are hundreds of web series being shot in Toronto. Why has the city become such a hotbed of web series production?

JR: Toronto is a uniquely diverse and culturally aware city. We have stories to tell that aren't being told elsewhere. We are also blessed with an extremely supportive community. The Toronto Web Series Community Facebook group is the largest in the world, and a supportive funding system from organizations like the IPF, the Independent Production Fund.

CK: From an actor's point of view, what is different about acting for a web series and a network TV series and a feature film?

JR: Not very much as far as the process goes, but what is different are the roles. I left the actors' union, where I had been successful doing commercials, but otherwise was lucky to audition for a two-line role in a TV series, because the depth and range of roles available to me in the web series medium was too appealing to miss. Ironically, since doing so, I have been a steady working actor and found a renewed love of what I do that was lost in the world of networks and gatekeepers that traditional media lives in. Now, I am able to tell stories that reach people all around the world and there is nothing more rewarding than that.

CK: Have you been involved in the production and/or fundraising side of Out With Dad?

JR: I was the pinch hitter First Assistant Director for two days, including on the ever-challenging musical episode. It was wonderful to be able to see the set from that side for that short time. I've also participated in the social media and representation at festivals.

CK: What advice would you give anybody launching a web series today?

JR: There are two pieces of advice that cannot be said enough:

1) Listen to the sound person's advice. Good sound goes a long way, to say the least.

2) Build it and they will come is a myth. Developing and cultivating your audience is the key.

This is something I've watched [series creator and director] Jason Leaver do with Out With Dad extremely successfully, and it has certainly paid off.

CK: What is the goal of Out With Dad and Clutch? Namely, are you aiming to land a network series or feature film deal?

JR: Neither Out With Dad or Clutch were ever intended as a stepping stone—they are a destination goal. Both projects have continuations of some form in the works, which may include television and feature film, but the web will always come first and foremost.

CK: Have you or Jason made any money from Out With Dad? If not, how do you get by job-wise?

JR: Jason and the entire team from Out With Dad created the first two seasons in kind, and when the series was licensed by France Television, Jason put the money right back into the show by using it as seed money for Season 3. Combined with donations from the audience (which are perpetually accepted through www.outwithdad.com) and ad share from distributors, there was enough of a budget to pay everyone involved a small wage, which afforded us the time to work on it. Like any actor, filmmaker or artist, we just about all have some form of other job. Would we like to change that? Of course, but not at the expense of sacrificing what we do. I, for one, make my income from a variety of sources, including acting in commercials and the occasional paying film or web series, arts administration, and writing and directing gigs.

CK: In the future, will web series be self-sustaining, or will they increasingly become stepping stones to TV series?

JR: I believe web series are well are their way to being self-sustaining. As more people discover them, and as more content is created, curation becomes more relevant. People will pay a small amount of money to save themselves searching for content, as has been proven by growing successes like JTS.tv, Maiden Comics (who offer paid access to download their catalogue which includes Clutch), IndieFlix, and the upcoming door9 in the UK. Additionally, as advertisers discern an appropriate model to measure success on the digital platform, more money will be available to support it. We have already seen this happening rapidly.

What will happen, is that web series will become more like TV series, in that mainstream material will become the prominent content in the space, and the independents who began the revolution will find it increasingly difficult to survive. Depending on the outcome of Net Neutrality, this could be more so true.

– Allan Tong is a Toronto filmmaker who is directing his own web series, the dysfunctional rom-com, Modern Love Is Hell.

The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television is pleased to announce that 43 Canadian Screen Awards were presented tonight during the pre-show and the CBC Broadcast Gala, hosted LIVE by comedy legend Andrea Martin from the gorgeous Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto.

“Tonight we celebrate our country’s brightest and best in film, television and digital media at the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards,” says Academy CEO Helga Stephenson. “We sincerely congratulate all of the nominees and winners. And we would especially like to thank the fans who voted for this year’s Fan’s Choice winner as well as the loyal fans who catapulated the most-watched drama and reality shows to win our new Golden Screen Awards for Television.”

“Our film, TV and digital media inform and entertain us – but more than that; they reflect who we are to one another and to the world,” says Academy Chair, Martin Katz. “We at the Academy are the only organization that reflects all the people working in our industries in front of and behind the camera, above and below the line – working in French and English across the country.”

Five Academy Special Awards were presented tonight:

• Pompeii’s producer Don Carmody picked up the Cineplex Golden Screen Award for Feature Film
• ROOKIE BLUE won the Golden Screen Award for TV Drama / Comedy
• THE AMAZING RACE CANADA won the Golden Screen Award for TV Reality Show
• Jeffrey St. Jules won the Claude Jutra Award for Best First Feature Film sponsored by Telefilm Canada
• Anna Silk won the Fan’s Choice Award

Academy Special Award winners’ details are online here. In 2015, a total of 128 Canadian Screen Awards were given out along with 14 Academy Special Awards.

Nominations for the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards
Winners for the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards (Day 1)
Winners for the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards (Day 2)

Complete winners for the 2015 Canadian Screen Awards (Day 3)

FILM

Best Motion Picture
Mommy - Xavier Dolan, Nancy Grant

Achievement in Art Direction / Production Design
Paul Austerberry, Nigel Churcher - Pompeii

Achievement in Cinematography
André Turpin - Mommy

Achievement in Costume Design
Wendy Partridge - Pompeii

Achievement in Direction
Xavier Dolan - Mommy

Achievement in Editing
Xavier Dolan - Mommy

Achievement in Make-Up
Maïna Militza, Michelle Côté, Colette Martel - Mommy

Achievement in Music - Original Score
Howard Shore - Maps To The Stars

Achievement in Music - Original Song
Manjeet Ral, Parmjit Sarai - Dr. Cabbie– “Dal Makhani”

Achievement in Overall Sound
Greg Chapman, Peter Persaud, Andrew Stirk, Andrew Tay, Mark Zsifkovits - Pompeii

Achievement in Sound Editing
Steve Baine, Kevin Banks, Stephen Barden, Fred Brennan, Alex Bullick, J.R. Fountain, Kevin Howard, Jon Mooney, Jill Purdy – Pompeii

Achievement in Visual Effects
Keith Acheson, Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Naomi Foakes, Jo Hughes, Chris MacLean, Mohsen Mousavi, Scott Riopelle, Andy Robinson, Eric Robinson – Pompeii

Adapted Screenplay
Nicolas Billon - Elephant Song

Best Animated Short
Me and My Moulton - Lise Fearnley, Torill Kove, Marcy Page

Best Cinematography in a Feature Length Documentary
Patrick McLaughlin - Everything Will Be

Best Editing in a Feature Length Documentary
Reginald Harkema, Alex Shuper - Super Duper Alice Cooper

Best Live Action Short Drama
Hole - Martin Edralin, Laura Perlmutter, Andrew Nicholas McCann Smith

Best Short Documentary
Jutra - Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre, Marc Bertrand, René Chénier

Original Screenplay
Xavier Dolan – Mommy

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Antoine Olivier Pilon – Mommy

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
John Cusack - Maps To The Stars

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Anne Dorval – Mommy

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Suzanne Clément - Mommy

Ted Rogers Best Feature Length Documentary Award
Super Duper Alice Cooper - Sam Dunn, Reginald Harkema, Scot McFadyen

TELEVISION & DIGITAL MEDIA

Shaw Media Award for Best Dramatic Series
Orphan Black
Space (Bell Media)
(Temple Street Productions)
Kerry Appleyard, Andrea Boyd, John Fawcett, David Fortier, Alex Levine, Graeme Manson, Ivan Schneeberg, Karen Walton, Claire Welland

Bell Media Award for Best Comedy Series
Call Me Fitz
TMN / Movie Central (Bell Media / Corus Entertainment)
(Entertainment One Television International, Amaze Film + Television, Big Motion Pictures)
Sheri Elwood, Teza Lawrence, David MacLeod, Matt MacLennan, John Morayniss, Margaret O’Brien, Jason Priestley, Derek Schreyer, Michael Souther

Best Reality / Competition Program or Series
The Amazing Race Canada
CTV (Bell Media)
(Insight Production Company Ltd.)
Eric Abboud, Mike Bickerton, Barbara Bowlby, John Brunton, Mark Lysakowski

Bell Media Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role
Sensitive Skin - Not The Haitian Corpse
HBO Canada (Bell Media/ Corus Entertainment)
Don McKellar

Bell Media Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role
Call Me Fitz - Alice Doesn’t Live, Anymore
TMN / Movie Central (Bell Media / Corus Entertainment)
Joanna Cassidy

Best Dramatic Mini-Series or TV Movie
Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy
Global (Shaw Media)
(Muse Entertainment Enterprises Inc., Back Alley Film Productions Ltd.)
Janis Lundman, Adrienne Mitchell, Michael Prupas

Best International Drama
Vikings
History Channel Canada (Shaw Media)
(Take 5 Productions)
John Weber, Sheila Hockin, Michael Hirst, Morgan O'Sullivan, James Flynn, Alan Gasmer, Sherry Marsh

Best News Anchor, National
CTV National News with Lisa LaFlamme
CTV (Bell Media)
Lisa LaFlamme

Best Original Program or Series produced for Digital Media – Fiction
Space Riders: Division Earth
(iThentic)
Lisa Baylin, Dan Beirne, Jonas Diamond, Mark Little, Catherine Tait

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series
The Best Laid Plans
CBC (CBC)
Jonas Chernick

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series
Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy
Global (Shaw Media)
Jodi Balfour

Shaw Media Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role
19-2 - Deer
Bravo! (Bell Media)
Jared Keeso

Shaw Media Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role
Orphan Black - By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried
Space (Bell Media)
Tatiana Maslany

Best Sports Host in a Sports Program or Series
Hockey Night in Canada
CBC (CBC)
Ron MacLean

Film submissions are now open for RIDM's 2015 edition. You have until May 29 2015 to submit your film. The RIDM accepts short, medium-length and feature documentaries.

Quebec’s only film festival dedicated to documentaries, the Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (Montreal International Documentary Festival) presents the best reality-based films, including the works of established directors and new talents alike. Every November, the RIDM screens approximately 140 domestic and foreign productions and hosts a dozen complementary activities such as workshops, master classes, debates and roundtables. The festival typically welcomes about 100 special guests from outside Quebec, and presents 11 awards selected by juries of industry professionals for films programmed in the official selection.

Doc Circuit Montreal, the documentary market organized in parallel with the festival, hosts a dozen activities for documentary professionals, including workshops and presentations, and facilitates more than 1,200 business meetings.

Submissions will be accepted until May 29, 2015. The next edition of the RIDM will be held from November 12 to 22, 2015.

For more information, please go to:

http://www.ridm.qc.ca/en/filmsubmissions
http://www.ridm.qc.ca/

The Location Managers Guild of America (LMGA) announced the winners of its 2nd Annual Location Managers Guild of America Awards last night. The event honored the outstanding and creative contributions of Location Professionals in seven categories of film, television and commercials during the black-tie ceremony at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills. The awards took place before an audience of 500, including LMGA members, industry executives and press. LMGA President Nancy Haecker presided over the ceremony with Location Manager David Doumeng serving as host and The Troubadour Theater Company performing.

Renowned actress Alfre Woodard (State of Affairs) presented the Humanitarian Award to FilmAid International Founder and Academy Award®-nominated film producer Caroline Baron. Motivated by the surge of refugees from Kosovo migrating to camps in Macedonia, Baron founded FilmAid in 1999 to provide human connection and hope, supplementing basic needs for food and shelter, all through the magic of cinema. FilmAid’s educational films promote awareness of social issues such as HIV/Aids, women’s rights, pediatric malnutrition, land mine awareness and conflict resolution. Baron’s long list of film credits include Capote, Monsoon Wedding, Being Flynn and The Wonder Years. There are similarities in the work she produces for Hollywood and her work with FilmAid, where the same skill sets apply – building a team, marshalling the necessary resources and working toward the common goal of affecting an audience.

Debbie Allen (Grey’s Anatomy) and Ted Lange (The Love Boat) presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to veteran Location Manager Kokayi Ampah. With a career spanning more than three decades, Ampah’s count of Oscar® film nods is up to 43. His collaborations include work with top directors on such iconic films as The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby (one of six projects he managed for Clint Eastwood) and Amistad, his second film with Steven Spielberg. Mentor to many and shining example to all, Ampah’s oeuvre includes Mystic River, The Color Purple, The Soloist and Flags of Our Fathers. The hallmark of his work is making the locations became characters in the films he’s involved with.

Formidable Location Scout Marino Pascal, creator of the archival forum for location professionals named Locolist, received the Trailblazer Award, presented by Steve Dayan (Teamsters 399 Secretary/Treasurer), for single-handedly revolutionizing the world of locations in Los Angeles.

The first person to intimate what could be accomplished by sharing location information, Pascal’s development of Locolist unites scouts and managers in a community of shared knowledge. He set the bar for the presentation of location photography. Not content to maintain Locolist and build professional websites, Pascal has mentored hundreds of scouts in digital photography and image management. He was one of several driving forces that encouraged the growth of the Location Managers Guild of America.

Additional presenters for this year’s awards included Tony Denison (Major Crimes), Kevin Clark (AFCI Executive Director), Harry Medved (Location Managers’ Historian) and James Manera (Writer/Director and Award-winning Commercial Director).

Nominations for the 2nd Annual Location Managers Guild of America Awards

Complete list of winners for the 2nd Annual Location Managers Guild of America Awards

Outstanding Locations in a Contemporary Film
Wild (Nancy Haecker)

Outstanding Locations in a Period Film
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Klaus Darrelmann)

Outstanding Locations in a Contemporary Television Series
True Detective (Batou Chandler)

Outstanding Locations in a Period Television Series
Boardwalk Empire Amanda Foley and Audra Gorman)

Outstanding Locations in a Single Commercial
Coca-Cola “America is Beautiful” (Jimmy Ayoub, Cyndy McCrossen, Peter Orth, Stephen Pherigo)

Outstanding Locations in a Commercial Campaign
Ram Trucks (David McKinney and Peter Orth)

Outstanding Film Commission
City of Long Beach Office of Special Events and Filming

The Academy is now accepting entries for its 2015 Student Academy Awards competition. All Student Academy Award® winners become eligible for Oscars consideration. The 42nd Student Academy Awards presentation will be held on Friday, September 18, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Beginning this year, students are able to submit their films online using FilmFreeway, a widely used festival and competition platform. Also new this year, the entry deadline has moved to June 1, and the awards ceremony date has been changed from June to September to better align the competition with the academic calendar.

Complete rules and a link to the online submission platform are available at www.oscars.org/saa.

Past winners have gone on to receive 47 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight awards. Two previous Student Academy Award winners received 2014 Oscar nominations: J. Christian Jensen, a 2014 Silver Medal winner, received a nomination for Documentary Short Subject for White Earth, and Talkhon Hamzavi, a 2013 Silver Medal winner, received a nomination (with Stefan Eichenberger) for Live Action Short Film for Parvaneh. Past Student Academy Award winners include such acclaimed filmmakers as Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis.

Awards may be presented to student filmmakers in the following categories: Alternative, Animation, Narrative, Documentary and Foreign Film.

The Student Academy Awards U.S. competition is open to all full-time undergraduate and graduate students whose films are made within the curricular structure of an eligible accredited institution. In the Foreign Film category, eligible schools are allowed to submit one film to the competition. The deadline to submit entries is Monday, June 1, 2015. For a list of eligibility requirements, visit www.oscars.org/saa.

In 1972, the Academy established the Student Academy Awards to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work.

Canada's music elite gathered to toast 35 JUNO Award winners at the 2015 JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards presented by SiriusXM Canada last night in Hamilton. Hosted by Jessi Cruickshank at the Hamilton Convention Centre, the evening's festivities featured performances by a spectacular lineup of 2015 JUNO Award nominees and winners, as well as unforgettable tributes to some of the most influential names in Canadian music.

Multiple Award winners at the Gala included alternative singer-songwriter Bahamas, who won honours for both Songwriter of the Year and Adult Alternative Album of the Year; and electro-dance sensation Kiesza, who earned Dance Recording of the Year and Video of the Year. Kiesza will also be making her JUNO Award performance debut during the Sunday night Broadcast on CTV from Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre.

Four other JUNO Awards Broadcast performers also took home statuettes last night, including Hamilton's own Arkells for Group of the Year; Magic! for Breakthrough Group of the Year; Lights for Pop Album of the Year and The Weeknd for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year.

The night's special award winners included Rush, who received the 2015 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award (sponsored by Bell Media), and music executive Ray Danniels, who was honoured with the 2015 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award.

Guests at the performance-packed Gala enjoyed numbers by 2015 JUNO Award winner Dallas Smith, nominees Alvvays, Daniel Lanois, and Matt Andersen, as well as a special Blues Jam featuring Crystal Shawanda, JW-Jones, Steve Hill, Steve Strongman, and The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences/L'académie canadienne des arts et des sciences de l'enregistrement (CARAS) is a not-for-profit organization created to preserve and enhance the Canadian music industry and to contribute toward higher artistic and industry standards. The main focus of CARAS is the exploration and development of ongoing opportunities to showcase and promote Canadian artists and music through vehicles such as The JUNO Awards and other year-round initiatives. For more information on the 44th Annual JUNO Awards or The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) please visit www.junoawards.ca or www.carasonline.ca.

Nominations for the 2015 Juno Awards

Complete list of winners for the 2015 JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards

INTERNATIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
In the Lonely Hour Sam Smith – Capitol*Universal

GROUP OF THE YEAR
Arkells – Music*Universal

BREAKTHROUGH GROUP OF THE YEAR
Magic! – Sony

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Bahamas “All the Time”, “Bitter Memories”, “Stronger Than That”
BAHAMAS IS AFIE – Bahamas – Barchords*Universal

COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Lifted Dallas Smith – 604*Universal

ADULT ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Bahamas Is Afie Bahamas – Barchords*Universal

ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
July Talk July Talk – Sleepless*Universal

POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Little Machines Lights – Lights Music*Universal

VOCAL JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Red Diana Panton – Diana Panton*eOne

JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO
Vista Obscura Kirk MacDonald – Addo*Conveyor

JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR: GROUP
Jane Bunnett and Maqueque Jane Bunnett and Maqueque Justin Time*Universal

INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Encuentro Quartango – Tangovation

FRANCOPHONE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Maladie d’amour Jimmy Hunt – Dare To Care*D.E.P.

CHILDREN’S ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Where In The World Fred Penner – The Children’s Group*eOne

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO OR CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
Bartok: Chamber Works for Violin Vol. 3 James Ehnes – Chandos*Naxos

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: LARGE ENSEMBLE OR SOLOIST(S) WITH LARGE ENSEMBLE ACCOMPANIMENT
MOZART: Piano Concertos Nos. 22 & 24 Angela Hewitt – Hyperion*HM

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: VOCAL OR CHORAL PERFORMANCE
Schubert: Winterreise Gerald Finley & Julius Drake – Hyperion*HM

CLASSICAL COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
Airline Icarus Brian Current AIRLINE ICARUS – COMPLETE OPERA Naxos

RAP RECORDING OF THE YEAR
The Legends League Presents: Naturally Born Strangers Naturally Born Strangers – Legend’s League*Independent

DANCE RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Sound of A Woman Kiesza – Island*Universal

R&B/SOUL RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Often The Weeknd – The Weeknd XO*Universal

REGGAE RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Welcome the King Exco Levi – Kheilstone*Independent

ABORIGINAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Animism Tanya Tagaq – Six Shooter*Universal

ROOTS & TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO
The Raven’s Sun Catherine MacLellan – Independent

ROOTS & TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: GROUP
Let It Lie The Bros. Landreth – Independent*Fontana North

BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Solo Recordings, Vol. 2 Steve Hill – Independent*Outside

CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN/GOSPEL ALBUM OFTHE YEAR
VIP Manic Drive – Bema Media*David C. Cook

WORLD MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR
500 Years of Night Quique Escamilla – Lulaworld*Outside

JACK RICHARDSON PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Adam Messinger “Change Your Life” (co-producer Nasri Atweh) | THE NEW CLASSIC – Iggy Azalea Island Def Jam* Universal | “Rude” DON’T KILL THE MAGIC – Magic! Sony

RECORDING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Eric Ratz “Ghosts” GHOSTS – Big Wreck Anthem*Warner | “Satellite Hotel” BLACK BUFFALO – One Bad Son 604*Universal

RECORDING PACKAGE OF THE YEAR
Roberta Hansen (Art Director/Designer/Illustrator), Mike Latschislaw (Photographer) PILGRIMAGE – Steve Bell – Signpost*Outside

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Hideaway Kiesza, Blayre Ellestad, Rami Afuni and Ljuba Castot KIESZA – Island*Universal

ELECTRONIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Our Love Caribou – Merge*F.A.B

METAL/HARD MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Z² Devin Townsend Project – HevyDevy*eOne

ADULT CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Shine On Sarah McLachlan – Verve*Universal

Québec Cinéma held the 17th Soirée des Jutra tonight at the Monument-National in Montreal. The gala event was hosted by Penelope McQuade and Stéphane Bellavance.

Xavier Dolan dominated the evening in collecting ten statuettes for Mommy. The film produced by Nancy Grant's Metafilms and Dolan's Sons of Manual picked up awards for Best Film, Best Director (Xavier Dolan), Best Screenplay (Xavier Dolan), Best Actress (Anne Dorval), Best Actor (Antoine Olivier Pilon), Best Supporting Actress (Suzanne Clément), Best Direction of Photography (André Turpin) and Best Editing (Xavier Dolan). It also won the Jutra for Film with Most Success Outside Québec, and the Jutra Billet d'or Cineplex given to the film with the greatest Box Office in 2014 in Quebec.

Xavier Dolan also came into the evening with eight nominations for Tom à la ferme (Tom at the Farm). It picked up a single prize, presented to Pierre-Yves Cardinal for Best Supporting Actor.

Ricardo Trogi's 1987 won three Jutra Awards, for Best Art Direction (Patrice Vermette), Best Hair (Daniel Jacob) and Best Costume Design (Valérie Lévesque).

An honourary Prix Jutra-Hommage was presented to director, screenwriter and actor André Melançon.

Nominations for the 17th Soirée des Jutra

Complete list of winners for the 17th Soirée des Jutra

Best Picture
Mommy– Metafilms (Nancy Grant)

Best Director
Xavier Dolan – Mommy

Best Actress
Anne Dorval (Diane « D.I.E » Després) – Mommy

Best Actor
Antoine Olivier Pilon (Steve Després) – Mommy

Best Supporting Actress
Suzanne Clément (Kyla) – Mommy

Best Supporting Actor
Pierre-Yves Cardinal (Francis) – Tom à la ferme (Tom at the Farm)

Best Screenplay
Xavier Dolan – Mommy

Best Cinematography
André Turpin – Mommy

Best Art Direction
Patrice Vermette – 1987

Best Sound
Sylvain Bellemare, Pierre Bertrand, Bernard Gariépy Strobl – Tu dors Nicole (You're Sleeping, Nicole)

Best Editing
Xavier Dolan – Mommy

Best Original Music
Rémy Nadeau-Aubin, Organ Mood (Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux) – Tu dors Nicole (You're Sleeping, Nicole)

Best Costume Design
Valérie Lévesque – 1987

Best Makeup
Lizane Lasalle – Henri Henri

Best Hair
Daniel Jacob – 1987

Best Documentary Feature
Le mystère Macpherson– Serge Giguère (ONF - C. Loumède / Les Productions du Rapide-Blanc - N. Hubert, S. Van Brabant)

Best Short or Medium-length Fiction Film
Toutes des connes (Life's a Bitch)– François Jaros (La Boîte à Fanny - François Jaros, Fanny-Laure Malo)

Best Short or Medium-length Animated Film
Jutra– Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre (ONF - Marc Bertrand, René Chénier / MJSTP Films - M-Josée Saint-Pierre)

Film with Most Success Outside Québec
Mommy– Xavier Dolan (Metafilms - Nancy Grant)

Jutra Billet d'or Cineplex
Mommy– Metafilms (Nancy Grant) / Les Films Séville

Prix Jutra-Hommage
André Melançon

It was a star-studded night of musical celebrations as Canada's top talent took to the red carpet and stage for Canada's biggest night in music, The 2015 JUNO Awards, on Sunday, March 15. CTV's live broadcast from Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre dazzled viewers with an all-star lineup of performances, special tributes to Canadian music legends, and the presentation of JUNO Awards in six categories.

Performer Kiesza was the weekend's big winner, garnering a total of three JUNO Awards. Having already picked up two JUNO Awards at Saturday night's JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards for Dance Recording of the Year and Video of The Year (Sponsored by MuchFACT, exclusively funded by Bell Media) for her chart-topping hit "Hideaway", the electro-dance starlet added another statuette to her collection during the broadcast: the JUNO Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year (sponsored by FACTOR, the Government of Canada, Radio Starmaker Fund and Canada's Private Broadcasters). She also graced the stage for a dynamic mash-up performance of "Sound of A Woman" and "Hideaway."

Saturday's Breakthrough Group of the Year (sponsored by FACTOR, the Government of Canada, Radio Starmaker Fund and Canada's Private Broadcasters) winners, Magic! were awarded Single of The Year Sunday for their hit "Rude", while The Weeknd garnered the award for Artist of the Year during the broadcast, adding to his Gala night win for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year.

Arkells won Rock Album of the Year (Sponsored by SiriusXM Canada) for High Noon to top off their Saturday victory for Group of the Year. The band also took part in the broadcast with a unique performance of "Come to the Light" accompanied by Boris Brott and the National Academy Orchestra of Canada.

The JUNO Fan Choice (presented by TD) award went to Michael Bublé, and internationally acclaimed songwriter Leonard Cohen took home the win for Album of the Year (Sponsored by Music Canada) for his striking record, Popular Problems.

American songwriter, lyricist, and producer Glen Ballard, best known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's multi-platinum album Jagged Little Pill, welcomed Alanis Morissette into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Hamilton rocked the nation during tonight's live two-hour broadcast. The show opened with a surprise appearance by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, The Trailer Park Boys, and past JUNO AWARDS broadcast host, Michael Bublé. The broadcast boasted 11 unique performances including an explosive opening by Hedley and host Jacob Hoggard; a medley of his hit singles "Life of the Party" and "Something Big" by Shawn Mendes, in his JUNO Award debut; a show-stopping performance of single "Earned It" by 2015 JUNO Award winner The Weeknd, accompanied by co-writer and producer Stephan Moccio; a fun performance by 2015 Breakthrough Group of the Year, MAGIC!; Bobby Bazini, who charmed in his JUNO AWARDS performance debut; deadMau5, who was joined on-stage by singer Colleen D'Agostino for "Seeya"; Lights, who joined the Sam Roberts Band for their hit "We're All In This Together"; and 2015 Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee Alanis Morissette, who delighted fans with a medley of three songs from her seminal 1995 album Jagged Little Pill, including anthem "You Oughta Know". Host Jacob Hoggard, who kept the energy high throughout the two-hour broadcast, closed the show with his version of Morissette's "Thank You" on piano.

The evening's exceptional roster of presenters included electric-pop duo Adventure Club; chart-topping country singer Dallas Smith; Big Wreck's Ian Thornley; the leading men of Bravo's hit series 19-2, Jared Keeso and Adrian Holmes; alternative rock band July Talk; country artist Kira Isabella; R&B/soul artist Melanie Durrant; alternative-rockers USS; Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi; Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, Shelly Glover; Canadian throat-singer Tanya Tagaq; and pop singer Trevor Guthrie.

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences/L'académie canadienne des arts et des sciences de l'enregistrement (CARAS) is a not-for-profit organization created to preserve and enhance the Canadian music industry and to contribute toward higher artistic and industry standards. The main focus of CARAS is the exploration and development of ongoing opportunities to showcase and promote Canadian artists and music through vehicles such as The JUNO Awards and other year-round initiatives. For more information on the 44th Annual JUNO Awards or The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) please visit www.junoawards.ca or www.carasonline.ca.

Nominations for the 2015 Juno Awards
Winners for the 2015 JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards

Complete list of winners for the 2015 JUNO Awards

JUNO FAN CHOICE
Michael Bublé

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Rude Magic! – Sony

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Popular Problems Leonard Cohen – Columbia*Sony

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
The Weeknd – XO*Universal

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Kiesza – Island*Universal

ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR
High Noon Arkells – Arkells Music*Universal

Winners for the 2015 JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards

INTERNATIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
In the Lonely Hour Sam Smith – Capitol*Universal

GROUP OF THE YEAR
Arkells – Music*Universal

BREAKTHROUGH GROUP OF THE YEAR
Magic! – Sony

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Bahamas “All the Time”, “Bitter Memories”, “Stronger Than That”
BAHAMAS IS AFIE – Bahamas – Barchords*Universal

COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Lifted Dallas Smith – 604*Universal

ADULT ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Bahamas Is Afie Bahamas – Barchords*Universal

ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
July Talk July Talk – Sleepless*Universal

POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Little Machines Lights – Lights Music*Universal

VOCAL JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Red Diana Panton – Diana Panton*eOne

JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO
Vista Obscura Kirk MacDonald – Addo*Conveyor

JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR: GROUP
Jane Bunnett and Maqueque Jane Bunnett and Maqueque Justin Time*Universal

INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Encuentro Quartango – Tangovation

FRANCOPHONE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Maladie d’amour Jimmy Hunt – Dare To Care*D.E.P.

CHILDREN’S ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Where In The World Fred Penner – The Children’s Group*eOne

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO OR CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
Bartok: Chamber Works for Violin Vol. 3 James Ehnes – Chandos*Naxos

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: LARGE ENSEMBLE OR SOLOIST(S) WITH LARGE ENSEMBLE ACCOMPANIMENT
MOZART: Piano Concertos Nos. 22 & 24 Angela Hewitt – Hyperion*HM

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: VOCAL OR CHORAL PERFORMANCE
Schubert: Winterreise Gerald Finley & Julius Drake – Hyperion*HM

CLASSICAL COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR
Airline Icarus Brian Current AIRLINE ICARUS – COMPLETE OPERA Naxos

RAP RECORDING OF THE YEAR
The Legends League Presents: Naturally Born Strangers Naturally Born Strangers – Legend’s League*Independent

DANCE RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Sound of A Woman Kiesza – Island*Universal

R&B/SOUL RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Often The Weeknd – The Weeknd XO*Universal

REGGAE RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Welcome the King Exco Levi – Kheilstone*Independent

ABORIGINAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Animism Tanya Tagaq – Six Shooter*Universal

ROOTS & TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO
The Raven’s Sun Catherine MacLellan – Independent

ROOTS & TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: GROUP
Let It Lie The Bros. Landreth – Independent*Fontana North

BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Solo Recordings, Vol. 2 Steve Hill – Independent*Outside

CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN/GOSPEL ALBUM OFTHE YEAR
VIP Manic Drive – Bema Media*David C. Cook

WORLD MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR
500 Years of Night Quique Escamilla – Lulaworld*Outside

JACK RICHARDSON PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Adam Messinger “Change Your Life” (co-producer Nasri Atweh) | THE NEW CLASSIC – Iggy Azalea Island Def Jam* Universal | “Rude” DON’T KILL THE MAGIC – Magic! Sony

RECORDING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Eric Ratz “Ghosts” GHOSTS – Big Wreck Anthem*Warner | “Satellite Hotel” BLACK BUFFALO – One Bad Son 604*Universal

RECORDING PACKAGE OF THE YEAR
Roberta Hansen (Art Director/Designer/Illustrator), Mike Latschislaw (Photographer) PILGRIMAGE – Steve Bell – Signpost*Outside

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Hideaway Kiesza, Blayre Ellestad, Rami Afuni and Ljuba Castot KIESZA – Island*Universal

ELECTRONIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Our Love Caribou – Merge*F.A.B

METAL/HARD MUSIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Z² Devin Townsend Project – HevyDevy*eOne

ADULT CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Shine On Sarah McLachlan – Verve*Universal

12th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival in Toronto announces lineup

Canadian Film Fest announces 2015 lineup

Film Review: What We Do In The Shadows

ICG 52nd Annual Publicists Awards – winners

ACTRA Awards in Toronto 2015 – winners

Film Review: The Wrecking Crew

2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards – winners

87th annual Academy Awards – winners [updating]

Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) announces 19th annual WGC Screenwriting Awards finalists

2015 Canadian Screen Awards – Winners in News & Sports, Documentary, Lifestyle, Reality and Digital Media

Hot Docs announces a selection of 17 Special Presentations for the 2015 festival

2015 Canadian Screen Awards – Winners in Drama, Children's or Youth, Comedy and Variety

Interview: Jonathan Robbins, star of Out With Dad

Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announces final 2015 Canadian Screen Awards winners

Call for submissions: 2015 Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM)

2nd Annual Location Managers Guild of America (LMGA) Awards – winners

Call for submissions: 2015 Student Academy Awards

2015 JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards – winners

Québec Cinéma's 17th Soirée des Jutra – winners

2015 JUNO Awards – winners