Hot Music at Blizzards

Almost two years after its release, Guy Maddin's The Saddest Music in the World continues to win awards, most recently at Manitoba's Blizzard Awards, where it took best long-form drama, best music for composer Christopher Dedrick, best editing for David Wharnsby, best sound and art direction. The picture is a copro of Rhombus Media, Ego Film Arts and Winnipeg-based Buffalo Gal Pictures.

The other big winner at the Feb. 26 gala was the crime thriller Seven Times Lucky, also from Buffalo Gal and Lucky Pictures. It took best low-budget drama, best actor for star Kevin Pollak, best writer and director for Gary Yates, and best cinematography for DOP Steve Cosens and crew.

NFB teams with TVO

The National Film Board is teaming with TVOntario to create the NFB-TVO Documentary Calling Card Program, helping two Ontario-based producer/director teams per year to put together their first half-hour TV doc. Each team will receive $45,000 from the partners - $30,000 from the NFB, which will copro the doc and provide a senior producer, and a $15,000 licence fee from TVO. The programs will air on TVO's The View from Here.

The deadline for applications is March 27 and the winning teams will be announced at the Hot Docs festival in Toronto. See www.nfb.ca/callingcard.

Nunavut Film backs 17

Nunavut Film has handed out roughly half a million dollars to local producers - backing 17 projects and, apparently, ending a financial stalemate with the territorial government. The fledgling film agency gave out $458,000 in January, backing projects such as the mid-budget feature Before Tomorrow and the TV doc Kiviaq vs Canada at Igloolik Isuma Productions, and titles at Drumsong Communications and Polar Animation Studios, among others. Nunavut Film also backed a number of training workshops.

The agency complained last year that it had been left out in the cold by bookkeepers in Iqaluit, but recently signed a new "contribution agreement" with the Department of Economic Development and Transportation.