Family Channel kicks off summer with its first original movie, Vacation with
Derek, based on the hit series Life with Derek

Stars of the Movie Walk the Red Carpet at the World Premiere on Thursday, June 15 at 5:30 p.m. ET at Toronto's Isabel Bader Theatre

TORONTO, May 17 /CNW/ - Astral Media's Family Channel takes the hit series Life with Derek on holiday in the network's first original movie, Vacation with Derek. Starring Life with Derek cast members, including Michael Seater and Ashley Leggat, the TV movie from Shaftesbury Films also features guest stars Nico Archambault (Season One winner, So You Think You Can Dance Canada) as well as Gemini Award-winner Kate Trotter (Murdoch Mysteries, The Jane Show). Vacation with Derek premieres Friday, June 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Family and will be available on Family.ca following the broadcast premiere. Family OnDemand subscribers can see Vacation with Derek early, from Friday, June 18.

The stars of Vacation with Derek including Michael Seater, Ashley Leggat and Nico Archambault will be hitting the red carpet for the world premiere of the movie on Tuesday, June 15. Fans can catch all the excitement of the red-carpet from 5:30 p.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET at Toronto's Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles Street West).

In Vacation with Derek the sibling rivalry between Derek (Seater) and Casey (Leggat) continues when the McDonald-Venturi kids visit the girls' hard-edged grandmother, Felicia (Trotter) at her beautiful lakefront resort. Despite getting the cold shoulder from their step-gran, Derek and his siblings are determined to make the most of what the Great Blue Heron Lodge has to offer. Things heat up when Casey meets Jesse (Archambault), a handsome young dancer working as a waiter at the lodge, while Derek falls for Roxy (Kristen Gutoskie), the rich girl who lives across the lake. When Derek discovers that his new crush's father plans to buy Felicia's lodge and develop the whole area, all differences are set aside so the McDonald-Venturi kids can save the lake and show Felicia what being a family is all about. Also starring John Ralston (Living in Your Car), Joy Tanner, Daniel Magder, Jordan Todosey and Ariel Waller.

Vacation with Derek is directed by Michael McGowan (One Week, Saint Ralph). Commissioned by Family Channel, Vacation with Derek is produced by Shaftesbury Films. The movie is created by Daphne Ballon, produced by Suzanne French for Shaftesbury Films and executive produced by Christina Jennings and Scott Garvie (Life with Derek, Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures).

Vacation with Derek kicks off Bright Lights, Big Summer a season of excitement on Family including movie and series premieres, cool contests, rockin' Family.ca activities and a multi-city tour.

Family Channel is a premium, commercial-free network offering the best in family television entertainment in 6 million homes across Canada. Dedicated to celebrating family life and providing a fun experience for all, Family airs a unique mix of series, movies and specials, with a large portion of programming supplied by Disney. Family Channel also offers Family OnDemand in select areas, a Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) service that features hit Disney movies and series, top-rated Canadian series and Playhouse Disney programming, and Family OnLine, a broadband service offered to Bell TV subscribers. Visit us at Family.ca.

Family Channel is an Astral Television Networks. Astral Media is a leading Canadian media company, active in specialty and pay television, radio, outdoor advertising and interactive media. Astral Media's solid and dynamic presence in the country's major markets rests on its commitment to offer a unique combination of high-quality, targeted media for all its audiences. For more information about Astral Media, please visit www.astralmedia.com.

For further information: Geneviève Parent at [phone] or [email protected]; For access to Family Channel's media room, please visit http://tv.astral.com