Cameras roll on TPB feature

Dartmouth, NS - Julian, Ricky, Bubbles and the Sunnyvale Trailer Park gang will take their first steps toward the big screen June 27, when cameras start rolling on Trailer Park Boys: The Movie. Executive producer Ivan Reitman joins local producers Mike Clattenburg, Barrie Dunn and Mike Volpe for the 45-day shoot in Dartmouth, NS.

Reitman collaborated with Clattenburg and stars Robb Wells, Mike Smith and John Paul Tremblay on a script that leaves lots of room for improvisation. Based on the Gemini Award-winning Showcase comedy series, the movie is expected to open across North America next year. Laura Bracken

High times in Halifax

Halifax - Shot in and around Halifax May 24 to June 11, A Bug and a Bag of Weed follows three computer salesmen looking to escape the drudgery of their daily life when they unexpectedly inherit an old Volkswagen Bug and a hockey bag full of weed. David Gonella directs.

Producers are Nico Lorenzutti, Drew Hagan, Mike Mason and Chris Cuthbertson, who also writes. Anita McGee is executive producer. Lorenzutti, Hagan and Cuthbertson also star along with Halifax talent Laura Kohoot, Sebastian Spence, Christopher Shyer and Ryan Scott Greene.

The $475,000 feature from Halifa'x After Dark Productions received funding from Telefilm Canada's low-budget envelope and the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation, with broadcast licences from Showcase and IFC. The producers recently signed a distribution deal with Montreal-based Domino Film and Television International. Laura Bracken