Toronto, April 3, 2006 – Astral Media The Harold Greenberg Fund announced the funding for 24 new and ongoing project commitments supported through its Equity Investment Program, Script Development Program and Family Film Program.
Consisting of 21 English language script development projects and three equity investments, the slate includes Away From Her, Sarah Polley’s feature film directorial debut starring Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent. The lyrical screenplay was adapted from The Bear Came Over the Mountain, a short story by celebrated Canadian author Alice Munro.
The Fund also supported Silk, a dark love story of sexual desire and possession that is based on Alessandro Baricco’s best-selling international novel. The film stars Keira Knightley and is directed by François Girard.
“Over the last 20 years, The Fund has worked closely with Canadian producers, screenwriters and directors to support the development of high-calibre projects,” said John Galway, President, English Language Program, Astral Media The Harold Greenberg Fund. “Away From Her and Silk are both great examples of this support, as both projects received backing from script development through to production financing.”
Projects approved this quarter include:
EQUITY INVESTMENT PROGRAM
AWAY FROM HER, Pulling Focus Pictures Inc., Screenwriter/Director: Sarah Polley.
Based on Alice Munro’s short story The Bear Came Over the Mountain, Away From Her captures a loving 40-year marriage and explores the role that memory plays in the complicated life of the human heart.
SILK, Rhombus Media Inc., Screenwriters: François Girard and Michael Golding.
Director: François Girard. Based on Alessandro Baricco’s novel. After travelling to Japan, a French silkworm merchant becomes obsessed with a nobleman's concubine, leaving his wife alone in France.
THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS, Shadow Shows Inc., Screenwriter: Maureen Medved. Director: Bruce McDonald. Based on the Maureen Medved novel.
Fifteen-year-old Tracey Berkowitz sits naked under a tattered shower curtain at the back of the bus and tells her story about her search for her little brother Sonny.
SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
These projects are at various stages of development. The Program’s recipients are:
STORY OPTIONING PHASE
ALLIGATOR, Morag Loves Company Limited, Novel by Lisa Moore.
A kind, hardworking 18-year-old hot dog vendor in downtown St. John’s is pulled into the world of a sociopathic Russian sailor.
FROM BRUISED FELL, Sienna Films Inc., Novel by Jane Finlay-Young.
This riveting, unforgettable story follows Missy and Ruby, two sisters caught in the eye of their mother’s mental illness.
A GREAT FEAST OF LIGHT, Amaze Film & Television Inc., Memoir by John Doyle. Screenwriter: Lori Spring.
This memoir by celebrated columnist John Doyle details his childhood memories during the advent of television in Ireland and provides a glimpse into the workings of his own culture and the wider world beyond.
A HARD CHANCE, Palpable Productions Inc., Memoir by Tom Gallant. Screenwriter: Chaz Thorne.
This true story is about a husband whose wife suffers a catastrophic brain injury on what was meant to be the final night of their relationship. He then rediscovers his love for her and tries to reassemble the pieces of their life together – a life that she can no longer remember.
THE TERMINAL EXPERIMENT, Divani Films Inc., Novel by Robert J. Sawyer. Screenwriter: Srinivas Krishna.
At the very moment an ambitious scientist discovers his wife has been having an affair, he scans his mind onto a computer, never suspecting that his digitized alter ego will break loose on the World Wide Web to take revenge.
THE WAVE THEORY OF ANGELS, Full Stop Films Inc., Novel by Alison MacLeod. Screenwriter: Jeff Erbach.
Across two continents and eight centuries, the lives of a father and his two daughters are catapulted into crisis by sudden comas.
FIRST DRAFT
CARA AL SOL (MY FACE TO THE SUN), Screenwriter: Richard Cooper.
Taking place in 1961 Havana, this political thriller tells the story of a Canadian Embassy official whose affair with a Cuban lounge singer is part of a blackmail scheme set up by two KGB agents.
SECOND DRAFT
HIDDEN, The Film Works Ltd., Screenwriter: David Shamoon.
Based on a true story, Hidden follows a devoutly Catholic thief in World War II Poland who seeks to redeem himself by hiding a disparate group of Jews fleeing the Nazi destruction.
THE HIDDEN PEOPLE, Screenwriter: Lynne R. Kamm.
A woman must choose between her husband and her beliefs when she rediscovers the myths and magic of her native Iceland.
INFILTRATION, Sienna Films Inc., Screenwriter: Ernie Barbarash.
Set in the subculture of urban adventure, this story follows a young woman who leads an infiltration crew into dangerous and off limit urban locales.
REAL WESTERN, Blue Moon Productions Inc., Screenwriters: Sandra Sawatzky and Emma Barry.
A young vegetarian chef lands a job cooking meat for a backcountry outfitter in the Rocky Mountains where she comes face-to-face with wild animals and cowboys who don’t appreciate her new age, hippie ways.
SEX ON THE BRAIN, Walkin’ on the Moon Films Inc., Screenwriter: Willem Wennekers.
Four suburban couples in their 30s attempt to have an orgy to kick start their humdrum lives.
STAY, Submission Film Productions Inc., Screenwriter: Wiebke von Carolsfeld.
Based on the novel by Aislinn Hunter. A young Canadian woman and her older Irish lover confront their demons in order to save their complicated relationship and discover the power of human connection in a troubled land.
THROWING THUMBS, Mad Hat Productions Inc., Screenwriter: Michael Giampa.
A London ex-con enters the underground fighting circuit to save the father who abused him as a child, while seeking redemption for his past.
THE WAY THE BALL BOUNCES, Hungry Eyes Film & Television Inc., Screenwriter: Sudz Sutherland.
A young university basketball prodigy, whose life is at a crossroads due to a devastating knee injury, becomes a team coach to a group of Native girls who aren’t quite what he expected.
FINAL DRAFT
HIGH RISE, Capri Films Inc., Screenwriter: Vincenzo Natali. Based on the J.G. Ballard novel.
This futuristic thriller is an unsettling and unforgettable tale about a modern tower block that’s spiralling out of control into a violent and primal world.
REAL TIME, January Films Limited and Devonshire Productions Inc., Screenwriter: Randall Cole.
This comedic drama is about a compulsive gambler who is given one hour to live by the hit man hired to kill him.
SENIOR PROJECT
BREAKFAST WITH SCOT, Miracle Pictures Inc., Screenwriter: Sean Reycraft.
This comedy explores how it feels to be a boy who doesn’t quite fit into the role society has created for him.
FUMENG, Atopia, Screenwriter: Shuibo Wang.
This epic tale focuses on the journey of illegal migrants from China to North America who are searching for love and a better quality of life.
A TRYST WITH DESTINY, Tryst Productions Inc., Screenwriter: Srinivas Krishna.
Based on the novel Waiting for Mahatma by R. K. Narayan. A young follower of Gandhi unwittingly befriends a fellow train passenger who is on his way to assassinate the Mahatma, changing the course of history forever.
FAMILY FILM PROGRAM - SCRIPT COMPONENT
SECOND DRAFT
A SHINE OF RAINBOWS, Sepia Films Ltd., Screenwriters: Vic Sarin and Mike Adams.
This is a magical coming-of-age story about love, acceptance and remembering the rainbows long after they are gone.
The Equity Investment Program, funded by Astral Media’s Viewers Choice, was established in 1992 to invest in the production of quality Canadian dramatic movies made for theatrical release and/or pay television. Similarly, the Script Development Program was created to assist in the development of quality Canadian feature film scripts. The program receives a yearly contribution of $1.3 million from Astral Media’s The Movie Network.The Family Film Program, sponsored by Astral Media’s Family Channel, finances the development and production of high-quality films for children, youth and family audiences. The Fund also has an equity investment component within its Family Film Program, which invests in feature films, as well as TV series with a license from Family Channel. The script development applications are reviewed each quarter by the English Language Committee of Astral Media The Harold Greenberg Fund that includes Suzette Couture, Camelia Frieberg, Melanie Friesen, John Galway, Shane Kinnear, Bryn Matthews and Domenic Vivolo. Astral Media The Harold Greenberg Fund/Le Fonds Harold Greenberg is a national funding organization established to contribute to the development and production of high-calibre film and television productions while encouraging the emergence of new talent. Since its inception in 1986, The Fund/Le Fonds has invested close to $45.6 million in the Canadian film and television industry. For more information, please visit www.astralmedia.com.
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For more information, please contact Lila Karim at 416-956-8680 or lkarim@tv.astral.com.