Women filmmakers in the spotlight as Telefilm Canada and the Rogers Group of Funds announce their support of six homegrown theatrical documentaries

Including documentaries by Academy Award-winning director Brigitte Berman, acclaimed writer-directors Jennifer Baichwal, Julie Lambert and Ann Shin, and veteran producers Trish Dolman and Betsy Carson

MONTREAL, April 26, 2016 /CNW/ - Telefilm Canada and the Rogers Group of Funds are pleased to announce the latest Canadian English-language and French-language feature-length documentaries to receive funding support under the Theatrical Documentary Program. They are: Jennifer Baichwal's and Edward Burtynsky's Anthropocene; Brigitte Berman's The Gordon Pinsent Documentary; Ann Shin's My Enemy, My Brother; Mark Achbar's The New Corporation; Julie Lambert's Flying Sisters; and Raymond St-Jean's Movements – Louise Lecavalier. The six selected projects obtain a total of close to $1.6 million for production or post-production.

"Canadian feature-length documentaries continue to thrive," said Carolle Brabant, Telefilm's Executive Director, "driven especially by projects from women directors, writers and producers. Indeed, it's heartening to see that, amongst our portfolio, there is parity between women and men documentary filmmakers. These six projects bring a uniquely Canadian perspective and a diversity of voices to issues that concern us all—from the social to the political, from the environmental to the cultural. I'm delighted that the public-private partnership that has existed since 2007 between Telefilm and the Rogers Group of Funds makes it possible for some of Canada's renowned filmmakers to pursue their creative vision through this genre. To date, the partnership has supported 61 documentaries with a total investment of nearly $12 million."

Robin Mirsky, Executive Director, Rogers Group of Funds, added: "We continue to be amazed by the endless talent and creativity coming from Canada's documentary community. We value storytelling and recognize the importance of this rich and diverse Canadian art form. That is why for the past 22 years, Rogers has committed more than $29 million in grants to well over 500 documentary films. We are proud to be long-standing supporters of Canadian documentary filmmakers and of our partnership with Telefilm Canada."

English-language projects

Anthropocene (Ontario and Nunavut) 
Directors: Jennifer Baichwal (Manufactured Landscapes, Watermark), Edward Burtynsky (Watermark)
Writer: Jennifer Baichwal
Production: Anthropocene Films

Anthropocene is a feature documentary film from the multiple-award winning team of Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky and Nicholas de Pencier. It marks the third in a trilogy that includes Manufactured Landscapes (2006) and Watermark (2014). The film follows an international group of geologists who want to change the name of our present interglacial epoch, Holocene, to Anthropocene in recognition of human impact. Using high-end production values and cutting-edge camera technologies, we will traverse the globe, go up in the sky, underwater and underground, to document evidence of human planetary domination: from the world's biggest open-pit mine to the last remaining female northern white rhino, from vast swaths of illegal deforestation in Peru to subterranean salt mines in Siberia. Combining hard science with stunning visual sequences, Anthropocene will mark an historic moment in human history and bring a visceral and unforgettable understanding of our species' reach and impact.

The Gordon Pinsent Documentary (Western Region)
Writer-Director: Brigitte Berman (Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got, 1987 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature)
Production/Distribution: Bridge Film Productions

Multi-award-winning actor/writer/director Gordon Pinsent is one of Canada's most beloved performers, and after a six-decade-long career, he shows no signs of slowing down. This film will be a gripping new-form documentary featuring Gordon Pinsent reliving his stories at the major crossroads of his life. Filled with humour, passion and complexity, this film by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Brigitte Berman will not only tell the story of Gordon Pinsent, but will tell a universal story about the human condition in a format that makes creative use of state-of-the art digital technology.

My Enemy, My Brother (Western Region) 
Director: Ann Shin (The Defector: Escape from North Korea)
Writers: Ann Shin, Melanie Horkan
Production: Fathom Media 
Distribution: A71 Entertainment

My Enemy, My Brother tells the real-life story of two former enemies from the Iran-Iraq War who become blood brothers for life. Zahed, an Iranian child soldier, risked his life to save a wounded Iraqi soldier, Najah, after finding a photo of his wife and child. Thirty years later, they met again by sheer chance in Vancouver. Now, Najah and Zahed embark on an emotional journey back to Iraq to face the ghosts of their past in a region that has endured decades of conflict. Najah searches for his missing wife and child, and Zahed reunites with his family for the last time. As the struggle for peace in Iraq continues, the two friends try and reconcile the sacrifices they made in war with present-day realities.

The New Corporation (Ontario and Nunavut) 
Director: Mark Achbar (Manufacturing Consent, The Corporation) 
Writer: Joel Bakan 
Production: Grant Street Productions 
Distribution: Blue Ice Distribution

Winner of 26 international awards, The Corporation was a sensation when it was released in 2003. The film's central claim—that the institutional character of the publicly traded corporation is akin to that of a human psychopath—hit a nerve. But today, corporations are widely believed to have changed; renewed, socially responsible, often dedicated to philanthropic causes, and ecologically sustainable. Yet, as their influence on societies and governments continues to grow, these "new" corporations are coming under increasing scrutiny. Grassroots movements around the world, spurred on by new forms of political thought and action, are fueling change. The New Corporation asks: Will these trends converge? What would the role of corporations look like in a truly democratic, just and sustainable future?

French-language projects

Flying Sisters (Quebec) 
Writer-Director: Julie Lambert (Un film de chasse de filles, funded under Telefilm's Micro-Budget Production Program) 
Production: Parallaxes 
Distribution: Les Films du 3 mars, Spira Distribution

This feature-length documentary takes us into the world of hang-gliding though the story of Camille, 28, a mental-health worker and doctoral candidate in psychology, and Catherine, 35, a nurse practitioner, who combine their sport with a therapeutic health initiative. The women are unique in that they are two of only three women hang-glider pilots in Quebec—proud representatives of a sport with few adherents. They are known as the "Flying Sisters."

Movements – Louise Lecavalier (Quebec) 
Writer-Director: Raymond St-Jean (A Chair Fit for an Angel)  
Production: Ciné Qua non Média 
Distribution: Filmoption International

The feature length documentary film Movements – Louise Lecavalier is built around a series of cinematographic moments that create an intimate and honest portrait of the dancer and choreographer Louise Lecavalier.

Movements – Louise Lecavalier tells the inspiring story of this indomitable creator, who revolutionized dance in the 1980s with choreographer Édouard Lock and who now, at age 57, is seeing her solo career take off on the international scene. For the last 35 years, Louise Lecavalier has drawn from her life experience—its trials, injuries, sadness and joy—to feed her art. The artist, her close friends and collaborators talk openly about some of the events, equally light and somber, that marked the development of an extraordinary artist. Dance, words and music are linked by well-paced editing to create a moving, accessible and informative film in which are mingled interviews and spectacular dance sequences.

Theatrical Documentary Program highlights 
Over the years, the Program has supported such high-profile projects as The Amina Profile (Sophie Deraspe); Bestiaire (Denis Côté); The Bodybuilder and I (Bryan Friedman); Les Équilibristes (Violette Daneau); Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel (Brigitte Berman); La nuit, elles dansent (Isabelle Lavigne, Stéphane Thibault); Last Train Home (Lixin Fan); League of Exotique Dancers (Rama Rau); Manufactured Landscapes (Edward Burtynsky); Our Man in Tehran (Larry Weinstein); Pierre Falardeau (Carmen Garcia and German Gutierrez); Prom Night in Mississippi (Paul Saltzman); Reel Injun (Neil Diamond); Sugar Coated (Michèle Hozer) and Waterlife (Kevin McMahon).

About Telefilm Canada—Inspired by talent. Viewed everywhere.
Created in 1967, Telefilm is dedicated to the cultural, commercial and industrial success of Canada's audiovisual industry. Through its various funding and promotion programs, Telefilm supports dynamic companies and creative talent here at home and around the world. Telefilm also makes recommendations regarding the certification of audiovisual treaty coproductions to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and administers the programs of the Canada Media Fund and the Talent Fund, a private donation initiative. Visit telefilm.ca and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/telefilm_canada and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/telefilmcanada.

About the Rogers Group of Funds
The Rogers group of funds offers support to Canadian independent producers with three different types of funding: Rogers Telefund, which offers loans to Canadian independent producers; Rogers Documentary Fund, Canada's premier source of funding for documentary films; and Rogers Cable Network Fund, an equity investor in Canadian programs with a first play on a Canadian cable channel. Three different types of financing. Three different funds. All from one source—Rogers. www.rogersgroupoffunds.com.

SOURCE Telefilm Canada

Media enquiries: Douglas Chow, Head of Public Relations, Telefilm Canada, [phone] ext. 2048 or 1-800-567-0890, [email protected]