Another week, another call for “action” on film sets across the city as shooting season heats up. As the local film and TV sector continues to grow—in a press release from last May, the province says “the film industry contributed about $180.8 million to Nova Scotia’s economy in 2021-22”—Team Coast is keeping tabs on new and returning shows being made right here, along with other production happenings. To let us know about something going on in your part of the screen scene, drop a note to [email protected].
Here’s what Halifax film insiders are talking about this week:
A new flick from the creator of Wildhood
Insiders are buzzing that Bretten Hannam—the writer-director behind 2021 indie flick Wildhood—has secured funding for a new feature-length flick. Word is sparse as of yet on what the new film will be about, but fans of Hannam can most likely feel secured that it will feature 2SLGBTQ+ representation and the dreamy visual style that made Wildhood so glinting and golden.
Terry Greenlaw's new project
Legendary Gemini-winning writer-director-creative producer Terry Greenlaw (who’s known for the likes of 2021’s Dawn, Her Dad & The Tractor, 2020’s Under The Weather and 2014’s Hard Drive) is producing a new film, the feature debut by documentary filmmaker Pamela Gallant. It’s called Monica’s News.
Screen Nova Scotia Awards announce their 2023 winners
This Saturday, May 13, is the Screen Nova Scotia awards. The feature debut Bystanders by local writer-actor-director Koumbie is in the lead with six nominations. The film also just wrapped a theatrical run in Halifax, and will be available to stream in late May. The final season of Floyd Kane’s series Diggstown netted four Screen Nova Scotia award nominations, while local indie flick Lemon Squeezy is up for two categories. Catch the full list of nominees here, and peep the preview for Lemon Squeezy below:
Disrupt gets a second season
Disrupt—the series that showcases performance-based art like music, spoken word and dance from a disability-first standpoint—is releasing its first season Tuesdays at 9:30pm AST on AMI-tv this May (with past episodes ready to stream on the AMI website). Hosted by local industry mainstay Taylor Olsen, it will also be filming a follow-up season this summer. Check out the series' first episode below:
What the Hollywood writers' strike means for Halifax film
Then there’s the elephant in the room: The ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike, the first work stoppage in 16 years. Screen Nova Scotia released a bulletin to The Coast that it previously shared with its members, discussing how local film will be impacted. “Productions filming under Writers Guild of America contracts may experience disruptions, as American writers and producers will not be allowed to work on new scripts or make any script changes until negotiations are settled,” reads the memo from SNS executive director Laura Mackenzie, in part. It also states that Canadian productions with no American ties are completely unaffected.
