documentARY
Bestselling Canadian singer-songwriter Shania Twain has narrated “For Love,” a documentary feature that centers on the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in the Canadian foster care system. Twain is a longtime children’s rights advocate via her Shania Kids Can Foundation.
In May, Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc First Nation discovered the remains of 215 children at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia, which thrust the issue of Canada’s past policies of forced assimilation onto the international spotlight, with the number of discovered children’s remains in unmarked graves, rising above 1,000.
The film is directed by artist and filmmaker Matt Smiley. It is produced by Smiley and Mary Teegee of Carrier Sekani Family Services whose previous collaboration, the documentary “Highway of Tears,” pushed the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women into the public dialogue in 2015.
“For Love” was filmed all Canada with various First Nation, Metis, and Inuit partners. Activist Cindy Blackstock is an executive producer on the film and former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, a long-time Indigenous rights supporter, has also participated in the film.
The film will debut Sept. 30 with a private ceremony and screening on Truth and Reconciliation Day in Canada at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
The producers have released a trailer:
FESTIVAL
Pamela Abdy, MGM’s motion picture group president will be honored with the Game Changer Award during the Zurich Summit industry conference at the 17th Zurich Film Festival (Sept. 23-Oct.3). Abdy will be joined by Michael de Luca, MGM’s motion picture group chair, for a conversation.
The award pays tribute to excellency in the film business with a focus on leaders that not only cherish change in the industry but also stand for the DNA of what cinema has stood for since its invention.
MGM’s James Bond film “No Time To Die” is one of the Zurich festival’s highlights.
ACQUISITION
“Little French Fish,” an award-winning drama short from director Eva Lanska (“Okay, Mum”), will have its European TV premiere on ShortsTV on Sept. 18. Starring Jonas Khan (“Doctors”) and Devora Wilde (“Stolen Life”), the short explores an interracial marriage between an Orthodox Jewish woman and a Muslim man as they navigate tradition and societal expectations.
“I’m extremely honored that ShortsTV has selected my film for its networks in both North America and Europe,” said Lanska. “The film explores the universal theme about the love between people from two different worlds […] and the conflict between their feelings and passions and traditions and social order.”
Lanska is currently in post-production on her first documentary short, “The Abraham Accords Change History: Women in the Middle East.” – K.J. Yossman.
FORMAT
“The Real Housewives of Lagos” will debut in early 2022 as a Showmax original, and will be the first Nigerian instalment of the franchise, which is distributed internationally by NBCUniversal Formats, a division of Universal Studio Group. This marks the 16th international version of “The Real Housewives” format and the third to be adapted in Africa.
Showmax has also renewed “The Real Housewives of Durban” for season 2, after the show broke records earlier this year in South Africa. “The Real Housewives of Johannesburg” was one of the 10 most streamed local series on Showmax in 2019.
“The Real Housewives of Lagos” will be produced by Livespot 360. “The Real Housewives of Durban” is produced by Let It Rain Films, with Thumeka Hlotshana attached to direct season 2 and Emmy winner Lee Doig (“Survivor USA”) creative directing.
