September Dawn Website Live

The website for September Dawn, a production shot here in Alberta starring Jon Voight, is now live.

You can check out trailers for the film at this link.

Nathan Fillion in Waitress

Looks like Edmonton-born Nathan Fillion has been incredibly busy lately. Now he's after Keri Russell's pie.

Be sure to check out the trailer for Waitress at Apple's QuickTime site.

Image: Copyright © 2007 Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Shift Into Drive

Sympatico discusses the new TV series Drive starring Edmonton-born Nathan Fillion:

“I was in a terrible car accident when I was two years old...I shouldn't have been driving in the first place,” joked series front man Nathan Fillion. The Canadian-born actor admitted that Los Angeles driving terrified him at first but has now learned to leave early and go slow.

Drive is not the first project that Minear and Fillion have collaborated on. Firefly fans will recognize Fillion as Captain ‘Mal’ Reynolds from the short-lived sci-fi series, a cult favourite, and later the feature film, Serenity.

The participants on Drive begin the race at the southernmost point in the United States, but no one knows where it ends. With no idea who their competition is or who is behind the game, contestants embark on a labyrinth of intrigue, danger, mystery and twists and turns, and that’s not just the terrain.

“Part of the game is, if you get pulled over […] you can't explain what you were doing. If you start to tell the police what you're doing, then you're disqualified,” explained Minear. “It's also structured in such a way that if you were to go to the police and try to rat this thing out, they would laugh at you.”

Be sure to check out the full article at the link above. You can also find more information on the show at the official FOX website.

Photo: FOX Broadcasting Company.

Casting call has locals dreaming of Hollywood stardom

The Edmonton Journal talks about a recent extras casting call for Christmas in Wonderland, a feature film starring Ray Liotta and Leslie Nielson. The film begins shooting in Edmonton on April 23.

Thousands of people spent hours lining up for the chance to be extras in Christmas in Wonderland, a feature film starring Ray Liotta and Leslie Nielsen that is scheduled to start filming here on April 23. Never mind that extras will only appear in the film's background and that many will not even be paid for their time; those attending the casting call still seemed to think the experience would be worth it.

"I came because I like to act and I wanted to be in the movie, so that I can start my big career!" said 10-year-old Kira Mann, who was accompanied by her mother.

Mann was surrounded by a diverse crowd that included teenagers, seniors and children. Some people brought folding chairs to make the wait more comfortable, while others brought books or iPods for entertainment. Some arrived in their street clothes, while others appeared carefully primped for the event.

I've also heard reports that the holiday decorations are still up at West Edmonton Mall for the filming. You can read the full article at the link above.

A good movie is a good investment

Todd Babiak (The Edmonton Journal) discusses the effects of the decline and subsequent reviving of the Alberta film industry. From the article:

Once, not long ago, Alberta was a leader in film and television. The province had momentum, a formula for success. Under Peter Lougheed and Don Getty, Alberta had a well-funded, well-regarded and well-watched provincial television station in ACCESS. From 1981 to 1996, the Alberta Motion Picture Development Corporation (AMPDC) built a thriving film and television industry here. Crews, producers, writers, editors and directors lived in Edmonton and Calgary. They told Alberta stories for locals as well as for national and international audiences.

Then, in 1996, just as the Canadian film industry was expanding, Premier Ralph Klein shut down the AMPDC. The government sold ACCESS for $1 to some Ontarians, who relaunched it as one of the cheapest, most measly television stations in the developed world.

For the most part, the crews, producers, writers and directors left Alberta. Hewing of wood ensued. Of course, this was hardly an election issue. For Klein and the province, it was a financial and social error. But all in all, it was probably a good political move. A few thousand fewer Liberals, give or take, can only refine the Alberta advantage.

Good move or bad, Klein is remembered as the man who destroyed film in Alberta. Many of those who didn't leave are only now, post-Klein, rebuilding their careers here. Again, this is not controversial material. No one is crying for the movie producers. A lot of publicly funded institutions were smashed by the Klein government in the 1990s, so the public at large could enjoy the various pleasures of debt freedom today.

"At the time, when the AMPDC was cut, some people had no choice but to leave the province," says Alan Brooks, executive director of AMPIA. "But we understand it was necessary at the time, to get the province out of debt. And remember, Ralph Klein also brought in the Alberta Film Development Fund."

Be sure to read the full article at this link.