Decoys 2: The Second Seduction Available on DVD

Decoys: The Second Seduction, the shot-in-Edmonton sequel to the cult favorite Decoys, is now available on DVD and there's a few websites with some goodies to share. The film stars Corey Sevier (Decoys, North Shore), Kim Poirier (Decoys, HypaSpace), Tobin Bell (Saw, 24), and Dina Meyer (Starship Troopers, Saw II).


Image: CHUD.com.

CHUD.com has some fun Decoys 2 digital decorations for you including wallpaper, iPod photos, and AIM icons at this link. (Note: Some links are currently down.)

You can also check out two video clips at CHUD.com from the film by clicking here.

Dread Central has an exclusive first look from the film, including images like the one below:

Photo courtesy of Dread Central.

Head over to the Edmonton Journal to read an article on Screwtape Lewis, one of the bands which performed in the film.

Calgary Film Commissioner Stepping Down

Beth Thompson is stepping down from her post as Calgary Film Commissioner at the end of March according to Playback Daily:

"There is a combination of things that made me decide," Thompson tells Playback Daily. "There is certainly a frustration that the industry hasn't changed a great deal since I started, and I think we need to take a stronger position."

She says changing the limits on the Alberta Film Development Fund -- currently at $14 million per year and $1.5 million per project -- would be a good start, as would tax incentives like those offered in other provinces.

Projects that shot in her city had a combined budget of $110 million to $130 million she says. "The numbers here haven't changed in six or seven years. We can see in other provinces there is considerable growth. We're in a market that should be doing really well.... but for some reason we're not."

You can read the full article at the above link. The Alberta Movie Guide wishes Beth the best of luck in her future endeavours.

Walter Hill Wins DGA Award For Broken Trail

Walter Hill, who directed the filmed-in-Alberta, made for Television mini-series, Broken Trail has won a Director's Guild of America Award.

Martin Scorsese won for Outstanding Directoral Achievement in Feature Film in 2006 for The Departed.

You can see the full list of winners at the official website.

Edmonton-raised Doctor Injured, Filmmaker Wife Murdered in New Orleans

Photo: The Edmonton Journal.

On January 4, Edmonton-raised, Dr. Paul Gailiunas was injured and his wife was murdered in a may have been a botched robbery attempt in New Orleans, U.S.A. Thankfully, their young son was physically uninjured. Gailiunas' wife Helen was a filmmaker and animator. Though they apparently lived in a higher-crime neighborhood, the news is still disheartening. Dr. Gailiunas worked as a physician at a city clinic that helped the city's less fortunate.

As an Albertan, fellow filmmaker, animation fan, and foremost, a human being, it is profoundly disturbing to hear about this seemingly random act of violence. Considering all that New Orleans has been through and the time since Hurricane Katrina, city officials and law enforcement agencies should have been able to curb a good deal more with the right support. According to the news sources, the amount of deaths (14) in the last week is even higher than American casualties in Iraq.

You can read the Edmonton Journal article at this link.

South Carolina's The State also features an article about the event.

Helen is being remembered as an active volunteer in the creative and neighborhood communities, a genuinely kind and gifted person with a willingness to help others, and a vibrant filmmaker and animator.

Heather Harkins (via Cartoon Brew) talks about Hill's background:

Hill, 36, earned her Master of Fine Arts in experimental animation from CalArts in 1995. Her animated shorts screened at numerous festivals, and in 2004 she received a fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation's Program for Media Artists for THE FLORESTINE COLLECTION, a film "reflecting on handcrafted work and race in New Orleans through the story of a collection of hand-sewn dresses and the woman who made them." In addition to her filmmaking, Hill taught filmmaking and animation to youth and adults, and served as visiting artist at the California State Summer School for the Arts and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.

Be sure to head over there to read the other tributes to Helen.

My thoughts and deepest sympathy go to Dr. Gailiunas, their son Francis, and all the family and friends affected by the senseless tragedy.

The memorial website for Helen can be found at helenhill.org.

Lost Star Loses Hawaiian Home To Fire

Fort Saskatchewan-born Lost star Evangeline Lilly, had the home she was renting in Kailua, Hawaii destroyed by fire yesterday morning. Nobody was at home or injured during the fire and the cause has not been determined. The Lost cast was scheduled to break from filming for the Christmas holiday today.

You can read about the incident and see more photos at The Honolulu Advertiser website.

Photo: Morgan Janus for The Honolulu Advertiser

2006 Alberta Film and Television Wrap Party Website

Update: The final ticket push is commencing so be sure to log on to the website and find out how to purchase your tickets for what is sure to be an exciting Industry Wrap Party!



The website for the 2006 Alberta Film and Television Wrap Party is now active. The event will be held December 2 at the Artists of the World Gallery in Calgary.

You can find the link and ticket info at this link.

Edmonton SCTV Locations

I just discovered a website by Trevor Stenson that discusses some of the filming locations for the Edmonton seasons (3 and 4) of SCTV.



You can check it out at this link.

Tony Scott Talks Jesse James

Kevin Williams (Calgary Sun) spoke with producer Tony Scott regarding the change in release scheduling (Feb. 2007) for the Brad Pitt film, The Assassination of Jesse James:

“It’s great. We have to be careful how we market it because it’s like a Terrence Malick film,” he says, referring to the legendary director of such visually sumptuous epics as The Thin Red Line and The New World.

“But it’s really good and Brad’s terrific in it — he just gets better with age.”

In addition to Pitt and Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James also stars Sam Rockwell, Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker and Zooey Deschanel.

Scott, an avid rock climber, is no stranger to Calgary, frequently coming here to shoot commercials for the overseas markets — when he’s not scaling mountains.

“I love it there.”

You can read the rest of the article at the above link.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Alberta Mentioned in Denver Post Film Article

Alberta is mentioned in a DenverPost.com article as one of the key places for "runaway productions" that should have been shot in Colorado:

"This is an industry we are missing out on," says Denise Strong, a Denver-based member of the Directors Guild of America and vice president of the Colorado Film and Video Association. "This industry offers a big shot in the arm economically for everybody near a location."

This year in Colorado, a few scenes of Resurrecting the Champ, a story about a Denver- based sportswriter starring Josh Hartnett and Samuel L. Jackson, were shot locally. Principal photography took place in Calgary, Alberta.

Last year, Catch and Release, with Jennifer Garner, spent five days and $500,000 filming in Boulder. Then the film spent 50 days and many millions filming in Canada.

RV, with Robin Williams, was set story-wise in the Colorado Rockies but filmed in Canada.

Runaway production film producers following foreign cash incentives and favorable currency exchange rates - is estimated to have cost many sectors of the American film industry billions of dollars in the past decade and a half.

Parts of 2005's Mr. & Mrs. Smith, featuring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, were filmed in Glenwood Springs. (20th Century Fox)
producers following foreign cash incentives and favorable currency exchange rates - is estimated to have cost many sectors of the American film industry billions of dollars in the past decade and a half.

You can read the full article at this link.

Provincial Leadership Candidates to Debate Live on CBC

From AMPIA:

Candidates in Alberta’s Conservative Leadership race will square off in a LIVE debate at CBC television to outline their positions on how much taxpayers money should be spent on arts and culture and who will decide how the money is spent.

Join us on Monday, November 13th from 12:00 Noon to 1:00 p.m. at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Edmonton City Centre Mall, 10062 - 102 Avenue.

Candidates confirmed include Jim Dinning, Dave Hancock, Gary McPherson, Mark Norris, Lyle Oberg and Ed Stelmach.

Those with an interest in Alberta's film, television, and digital media industries are urged to attend and show their support for renewed provincial support in one of Alberta's key industries.

For further information, please contact AMPIA.

Additional dates for All Candidate Forums - Leadership Debates are available at this link. Tonight's location is Red Deer.

Alberta Film Industry Mourns Loss of Pioneer

Bill Marsden, Alberta's first Film Commissioner, and champion for production in the province, has passed away. This from AMPIA:

To all members and friends of AMPIA,

In case you have not already heard, this note is to let you know that our friend Bill Marsden died last Saturday. Bill was one of the great pioneers of Alberta’s film and television industry. Bill was one of the original founders of AMPIA and was responsible for the creation of the Alberta Motion Picture Development Corporation (AMPDC). Bill was a major contributor to almost every important development in the Alberta industry. His book, “Big Screen Country”, is a lasting legacy to his passionate commitment to the province and to its filmmakers.

To quote Fil Fraser, “We have lost a great friend and a great champion”.

In memory of Bill, a special annual award for filmmaking will be established in his name.

To contribute to this special fund, contact Heather Palberg at the CIBC in Edmonton at (780) 429-7726.

Everyone is invited to attend a Memorial Service this coming Saturday, November 4 at 12:00 Noon at Connelly-McKinley Funeral Home in Sherwood Park (directions below).
4820 Meridian Street
Sherwood Park, Alberta
(780) 468 - 2222

Meridian Street can only be accessed when heading SOUTH on Hwy 14 - the access is 1 km South of the Sherwood Park Fwy on Hwy 14

Click here for print friendly driving directions and map and here to leave condolences.

Read the Edmonton Journal/Canada.com article about Bill's passing at this link.

Discover a short interview with Mr. Marsden at dreamersanddoers.ca.

A review of his book can be found at Vue Weekly.

You can order Bill's book through Amazon.ca at this link or Amazon.com at this link.

My thoughts and thanks go out to his family, friends, and associates.

Photo: Shaughn Butts, The Journal, file Bill Marsden.

Alberta Film and TV 3-Year Production Plan

Alberta's Film and Television production industry has finalized a proposed a 3-year plan to increase film and television production in Alberta.

AMPIA has the details and downloadable PDF and Power Point documents of the plan at this link.