The spotlight is on Calgary’s SEVEN24 Films as it garnered 18 nominations for Alberta Film and Television Awards, including a double nod for best dramatic series. Fortunate Son and Heartland are up against Tribal for a Rosie Award this fall.
Nominees were announced Aug. 12 in a variety of categories covering both film and TV productions in the province. Edmonton-based Sticks and Stones was the second-most nominated film company with 14. Other multiply nominees include Bamboo Shoots with 11 and Yardwork Films with 7.
Two Calgary-based shows were the top nominated. Tribal (Prairie Dog Film & Television) had 12 nominations while Heartland (SEVEN24 Films) had 10.
There are also a number of individuals with multiple nominations including Calgary producer-writer-director Matt Embry, screenwriter Julian Black Antelope, and director-writers Jordy Randall, Tom Cox, John Kerr, Ron E. Scott, Braden Croft and Kelly Wolfert.
A total of 54 Rosie Awards will be handed out in fall, chosen from 623 entries. Productions, from both long and short fiction and non-fiction, commercials, and new media, are vying for 21 Class awards. In addition, 33 Craft categories cover screenwriters, costume and production designers, cinematographers, editors, directors, make-up artists, special effects artists, sound technicians and composers. Of all finalists, 189 are from productions based in Calgary, while 100 are from Edmonton-based productions. There were also 20 finalists from other communities in Alberta.
The Alberta Film & Television Awards were to have occurred May 23 but were postponed due to the pandemic. They have been rescheduled to an online presentation on Oct. 8. The delay isn’t just inconvenient for nominees, it’s also a potential loss of revenue as the awards event is the largest fundraiser of the year for Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA).
The major category nominees are:
Best Dramatic Series: Fortunate Son – Jordy Randall, Tom Cox and Andrew Wreggitt producers, SEVEN24 Films; Heartland – Jordy Randall & Tom Cox producers, SEVEN24 Films; Tribal – Ron E. Scott, Janet Hamley and Nancy Laing producers, Prairie Dog Film + Television
Best Dramatic Feature: El Chicano – Art Robinson producer, WarChest Productions; Harpoon – Michael Peterson, Kurtis Harder, Laurie Venning and Julian Black Antelope producers, 775 Media; John 316 – JarvisG, Shaun Donnelly, Jordan Dietz and Chase Gardiner producers, Hot Shot Films; Parallel Minds – Carolyn McMaster, Wendy Hill-Tout and Rene Collins producers, Red Eye Productions; Root of the Problem –Carolyn McMaster & Margot McMaster producers, CHAOS a film company; True Fiction – Julian Black Antelope and Braden Croft producers 775 Media
Best Musical, Comedy or Variety Program or Series: Caution: May Contain Nuts – Camille Beaudoin & Eric Rebalkin producers, Mosaic Entertainment; Jann – Jordy Randall and Tom Cox producers, SEVEN24 Films; Red Deer Westerner Days – Brent Kawchuk & Bailey Stead producers, Bamboo Shoots; Ukrainian Shumka Dancers presents – Ancestors & Elders Ukrainian Shumka Dancers producers.
Best music video: Corb Lund and Ian Tyson – “Ride On,” Brock Davis Mitchell producer, DDG & Glean Productions; Johnny Summers – “My Funny Valentine,” Brent Kawchuk producer, Bamboo Shoots; Leeroy Stagger – “Strange Attractor,” Brock Davis Mitchell producer, DDG; Matty K – “Pistol in the Rain,” Brett Ferster producer, The Light Factory; Nuela Charles – “Long Way Down,” Brock Davis Mitchell producer, DDG & Glean Productions; T. Buckley – “Least a Man Could Do,” Brett Ferster producer, The Light Factory
Best Performance by an Alberta Actor: Aiden Moreno, Jann – Go With The Flowga, SEVEN24 Films; Howie Miller, Zombies And Indians, Dead West Productions; Reamonn Joshee, John 316, Hot Shot Films; Shaun Johnston, Heartland – The Eye of the Storm, SEVEN24 Films; Todd Houseman, Whiteface, Yardwork Pictures; Troy Greenwood, The Narrator, Encounter Media
Best Performance by an Alberta Actress: Amber Marshall, Heartland – Fight or Flight, SEVEN24 Films; Davina Stewart, The Old Farm, Potluck Productions/WesPhoto; Georgina Lightning, Tribal – “Runs With A Gun,” Prairie Dog Film + Television; Jann Arden, Jann – The Big House, SEVEN24 Films; Lady Vanessa Cardona, Whiteface, Yardwork Pictures; Vanessa Sabourin, Foundations – Resigned, Alberta Union of Provincial Employees
The full list of all nominees can be found at https://ampia.org/2020-alberta-film-television-awards/
The Alberta Film & Television Awards celebrate excellence and outstanding achievement in Alberta’s screen industries. They are the oldest film and/or television awards event in Canada, honouring its provincial production industry.