TORONTO – The biggest networking event in the film industry, the American Film Market (AFM), was hosted in Las Vegas last week. Every year in November approximately 7,000 attendees attend an eight-day event, which brings filmmakers together with acquisition and development teams from all corners of the globe. Producers and filmmakers alike showcase their projects to would-be financiers in hopes of getting green lit or licensed. In fact, the event boasts $1 billion in distribution and film financing each year – for projects at all stages of development.
TORONTO – Tomorrow, 11 November, would be Remembrance Day, the day we remember the people who fought and died to protect Canada in past wars. That would be, because there’s a… problem: a lot of Canadians don’t have the faintest idea what these wars are. In fact, there is a new survey by Ipsos – conducted on behalf of Historica Canada, an educational charity known above all for its “Heritage Minutes” educational initiative – which highlights… the ignorance of many Canadians regarding the history of their own country (and history in general). (more…)
TORONTO – Conclave, the film adaptation of Robert Harris’ 2016 fictional novel about internal conflict and political maneuvering within the Vatican, was released in theatres on October 25th. The film, directed by German born Edward Berger opened in 1,500 theaters, and brought in $6.6 million domestically [on opening weekend] following its premier at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado – a notable launching pad for previous successful Oscar Campaigns.
OTTAWA – China and Saudi Arabia “must contribute” to international efforts to help poorer countries grappling with the worst effects of climate change: federal Minister of Environment, Steven Guilbeault, said it Wednesday, just a few days before the start of the annual UN climate summit, COP29, which will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, next week. There, countries are expected to negotiate a new international target to raise the trillions of dollars that experts say are needed to mitigate the worst effects of global warming. (more…)
TORONTO – In the end, there was no substance to the discreditable “campaign coverage” of the 2024 US Presidential election. Voters had made up their minds long ago – at least as far back as that fateful and disastrous, for Biden and Democrats, first debate (back in June). Everything since (change of candidate, intemperate vilification of candidates’ character, spin and distortion of “issues”, sanctimonious finger-pointing…) only served to cement the obvious: former, now again, President Donald Trump would win.