Volunteers at this year's festival are eligible to attend the press screening with their pink vouchers (but only on a RUSH LINE basis). If tickets have already sold out, people may still have a chance to catch the screening by waiting in the RUSH LINE (if any seats are still empty 15 minutes prior to the screening, those waiting in the RUSH will be allowed in.)

Also, make sure to check out the recently re-vamped official site for Rub & Tug, with new photos and theatrical trailer...

CITY TV "FESTIVAL SCHMOOZE"
CityTV and StarTV will be broadcasting live the Toronto Film Festival's annual "Festival Schmooze" Friday Sept. 6 at 10pm ET, with a red carpet pre-schmooze starting at 9:30pm (only on StarTV). Tune in to catch the cast and filmmakers of Rub & Tug discuss their new film.

For all the post-schmooze highlights, catch Movie Television on CityTV on Tues Sept. 10 at 11:35pm.

(Postscript: I just noticed in this week's Starweek Magazine an ad for the Schmooze which included a photo I had taken of Don several years ago. No photo credit included. Hmph! I don't know about you, but I think this automatically merits me a free pass to the Schmooze. What do ya say, Moses? --E.H.)

| 08.17.02 |

MCKELLAR ARCHIVE AT THE T.O. FILM REFERENCE LIBRARY
(TIFF media release - July 23, 2000:)

"The Film Reference Library, a division of the Toronto International Film Festival Group, has acquired collections generously donated by acclaimed Canadian filmmakers Patricia Rozema and Don McKellar. The collections are now part of The Film Reference Library's Special Collections, a unique archive which documents and preserves Canadian cultural history for future generations, and ensures Canadian cinematic history national and international prominence.

'We are ever grateful to Patricia Rozema and Don McKellar's for generously donating their collections to the Library. They both have made such important contributions to Canadian identity, nationally and internationally, and to the Canadian film industry,' said Sylvia Frank, Director of The Film Reference Library.

With these donations, the Library continues its ongoing Special Collections acquisition programme. Previous donations include: personal papers, artifacts, and films from acclaimed Canadian filmmakers such as David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Bruce McDonald, Jeremy Podeswa, and Don Shebib.

The Rozema Archive includes comprehensive records from of her feature films, I'VE HEARD THE MERMAIDS SINGING, WHITE ROOM, WHEN NIGHT IS FALLING, and MANSFIELD PARK, as well as substantial representation from her short films. The collection contains scripts, production records, correspondence, photographs, film and video, artifacts, and examples from Rozema's early work in news broadcasting.

The McKellar Archive significantly documents his work with scripts, publicity materials, production records, photographs, film, and video. Films represented include: BLUE, THIRTY-TWO SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD, THE RED VIOLIN, and LAST NIGHT; as well as McKellar's collaborations with Bruce McDonald. His role in the television series "Twitch City" and his stage work is also represented.

The Film Reference Library is a resource centre devoted to the study of film as art and industry, and the preservation and documentation of Canada's cinematic history. The Library's extraordinary collection of film-related materials includes thousands of books; posters; film stills; one-of-a-kind files on films, directors and performers; and more than 1000 scripts. The Library services a diverse international clientele of academics, industry professionals, journalists, students, and the general public."

"RUB & TUG" AT THE TORONTO FILM FEST (AND OTHER INFO)
Although screening schedules haven't been released yet, Rub & Tug will make its world premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, as a part of the Perspective Canada programme. All box office information can be found here.

Also, it was recently reported that the film's production company - Willow Pictures - has sold Canadian distribution rights for the feature to Montreal-based Seville Pictures. With Seville planning a fall release, Willow is currently looking at offers for international and U.S. sales.

And finally, there is now an official site for Rub & Tug, with behind-the-scenes info and pictures: www.rubandtugthemovie.com

"THE SEEN" NOW ONLINE
New clips of the animated tv/web series The Seen are now online at Smiley Guy Studios. Below is an article from Playback magazine with new info about the series:

Smiley Guy on The Seen -- June 10, 2002

"After years of trying to put the money together, Toronto's Smiley Guy Studios is currently in production on The Seen, a Flash animated comedy series starring Don McKellar that has a strong interactive component.

Three of Smiley Guy's principals hatched The Seen at h@bitat, the Canadian Film Centre's new media training facility. They proceeded to launch their company, a Web design and consulting firm with clients including Alliance Atlantis and YTV, and with a Telefilm Canada development advance produced a Web pilot. This attracted The Comedy Network, which approached them to make six half-hours for TV.

Branded the "world's first sit.com," The Seen concerns Jack Ryder, a temp employee who embarks on a new, ill-fated job each episode. McKellar plays Jack, with other voice talent provided by Dave Foley, Gary Farmer and Troy Hurtubise (Project Grizzly). Each ep will drive people to the companion website to play a game based on the new job, the first of which being a mortician's assistant.

The Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund and Telefilm's Canada New Media Fund are on board for the Web venture, and the Canadian Television Fund and tax credits figure in the program's financing.

Smiley Guy exec producer Jonas Diamond positions The Seen halfway between The Simpsons and South Park in tone, and it will air after one or the other of those shows. Writer/producer Jeremy Diamond, Jonas's brother, and director/producers Adrian Carter and Denny Silverthorne round out the young team.

The initial six eps, to be delivered by end-of-summer and broadcast in January, will serve as a trial run for a longer commitment. Jonas says Smiley Guy is in talks with Canadian terrestrials and foreign broadcasters for subsequent windows. Budget is $200,000 per ep, for both TV and Web."

"THE EVENT" UPDATE
Fitzgerald wrangles all-star cast for big Event -- Playback magazine, April 29/02:

"A new feature film from Thom Fitzgerald, The Event, wrapped production in Halifax in mid-April. The film was shot over five weeks; three spent in Halifax and two in New York, where the story is based.

Producer Bryan Hofbauer says late winter/early spring "was a great time of year to film in both cities. Things were quiet."

Hofbauer produced with Fitzgerald through Fitzgerald's Halifax-based Emotion Pictures. In addition to his producing and directing duties, Fitzgerald cowrote the script with Tim Marback and Steven Hillyer.

Hofbauer is reluctant to give a plot summary for the project, hoping moviegoers will see the work and decide what it's about for themselves. The cast includes Olympia Dukakis, Parker Posey, Don McKellar, Brent Carver, Jane Leeves and Sarah Polley.

Funding initially came from the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation and presales to the Independent Film Channel, The Movie Network and Movie Central. Toronto's ThinkFilm came on board midway into production, picking up worldwide distribution rights."

"I WAS A RAT" TO AIR ON CBC
(Excerpt from a Playback article:)

"A Cinderella story in more ways than one, I Was A Rat was nominated for a Rockie Award in the best children's category April 15 and a week later won the YTV Silver Sprocket Audience Award at the recent Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children.

Cut as both a miniseries (three one hours) and a 95-minute movie, I Was a Rat aired on BBC last Christmas to an audience of seven million and rave reviews, especially for the debut performance of its 10-year-old star Calum Worthy of Victoria.

The $4.5-million BBC/Catalyst Entertainment coproduction is scheduled to air on CBC this Christmas."

[ News page two ]