Playback's Canadian Film and Television Hall of Fame - in its fifth year - has today announced its six newest honourees. On September 15, Colin Mochrie and Art Hindle will host a gala to celebrate the inductees at the Glenn Gould Studio in downtown Toronto.
Playback will also announce their annual 10 to Watch as well as this year's Panavision Award winner Adam Barken, and the winner of the Playback Outstanding Achievement Award, Allan Hawco.
"Amid the red carpet whirl of TIFF, it's important to pause and reflect on the remarkable accomplishments that went into creating this world class film & TV industry, and to celebrate the people who helped build it, whether that be a career spent battling for Canadian content or crafting important art at any cost. Through their vision, talent and perseverance, they've elevated Canada on the world stage, and created opportunities for the next generation, such as our 10 To Watch, who are now forging new ground," said Mary Maddever, publisher of Playback, Canada's film and television industry news source.
Kirstine Stewart, Executive VP of English Services said "CBC is proud of its role in the development and recognition of great Canadian talent, so taking part in the Playback Canadian Film and Television Hall of Fame celebration is very important to us, it's really an honour to be involved in recognizing the best that this country has to offer."
The inductees, nominated by the industry and selected by a panel of senior film and television executives, are thus:
Frédéric Back - An internationally-recognized, Academy Award winning animator for The Man Who Planted Trees and Crac.
Tantoo Cardinal - A Gemini winning actress and member of the Order of Canada, Cardinal has 80 screen credits to her name spanning a 35-year plus career, including star turns in Dances with Wolves, Legends of the Fall and North of 60.
Denis Héroux - One of Canada's most successful indie filmmakers, Héroux is also an international producer and co-founder of Alliance Entertainment. As a producer he's a two-time Genie winner - for Les Plouffe and The Bad Boy - and the producer of Atlantic City, which was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar in 1980.
Pierre Juneau - A life-long champion of Canadian content, Juneau is largely credited with helping build a permanent domestic market for film and television. Juneau was the first chairman of the CRTC and one-time president of the CBC.
Gilbert Rozon - Founder of the Just for Laughs festival, launching one of the most recognized brands in comedy and giving a platform to one of Canada's most beloved exports - the comedian.
Roger Abbot - Comedian, writer and a Royal Canadian Air Farce founding member, he's known for parodies of Jean Chretien, The Queen Mother, Yasser Arafat and Leonard Cohen among others. Abbott is a winner of a Gemini Humanitarian award, 15 ACTRA awards and a Juno. He will be awarded this honour posthumously after sadly passing away this year at the age of 64 after a 14-year battle with leukemia.
The Playback Outstanding Achievement Award is presented to a Canadian too young to be inducted to the Hall of Fame whose success and accomplishments this year have really stood out. The winner is Allan Hawco, who is best known as the star, writer, producer and creator of the CBC smash hit Republic of Doyle.
As well as honouring the founders of the Canadian film and television industry, it also shines a light on some the country's rising stars via Playback's hotly contested Ten to Watch list. The list is chosen by Playback in consultation with the industry at large. Those being recognized include:
Geoff Ashenhurst (Editor, Defendor) - Toronto-based Ashenhurst made a splash editing the TIFF darling Defendor and went on to cut Beginner's Guide To Endings and co-edit The Whistleblower. He is currently working on the Samuel L. Jackson feature Samaritan.
Ryan and Jason Belleville (Screenwriters and producers, Almost Heroes) - Accomplished writers and producers, the Calgary-raised Belleville brothers are co-creators of the Showcase series Almost Heroes. Jason has worked on over 90 episodes of television, and was the showrunner of CBC's international family hit Little Mosque on the Prairie. Ryan is the winner of a Canadian Comedy award and a Phil Hartman Award.
Andre Dupuis and Scott Wilson (Producers, Departures) - Creators of the hit travelogue series Departures, which garnered a worldwide audience for its unvarnished approach, Wilson and Dupuis are credited with modernizing the genre. The duo's new travel series is set to premiere in January, 2012 on OLN.
Jenn Engels (Comedy writer, InSecurity) - A talented comedy writer, Engels was twice nominated for a Gemini during her three-season run on Less Than Kind. She is currently working on season two of the CBC spy farce InSecurity.
Sarah Gadon (Actor, A Dangerous Method) - The Toronto-based actor has already amassed 41 credits, getting her first gig at age eleven. In the past two years she has worked on Jim Sheridan's Dream House, Mary Harron's The Moth Diaries and two David Cronenberg films, A Dangerous Method and Cosmopolis.
Lindsay George (Cinematographer, A Night for Dying Tigers) - An award-winning cinematographer, the Vancouver-based George has worked on over 14 projects in the last five years including 2010's feature film A Night for Dying Tigers, which premiered at TIFF.
Larysa Kondracki (Director, The Whistleblower) - Kondracki is the director of the acclaimed feature film The Whistleblower, which debuted at TIFF last year. The Whistleblower has since secured international distribution and acclaim, and Kondracki has found herself jetting around the world attending premieres.
Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen (Producers, Todd & The Book of Pure Evil) - Since founding Aircraft Pictures, Leo and Rosen have nurtured two TV series into multiple seasons. Todd & The Book of Pure Evil garnered eight nominations at this year's Geminis and just wrapped its second season, while What's Up Warthogs will be entering its sophomore year.
Jeff Toyne (Orchestrator, District 9 / Composer, Dirty Girl) - A sought after orchestrator, Toyne has worked on such mega hits as District 9, Fast Five and Battle Los Angeles. Now he's broken into the composer ranks, his true passion, and is currently working on his first feature, the indie film Dirty Girl.
Nathan Vella (Game producer, Critter Crunch) - Vella founded independent game studio Capy Games and quickly landed licensing deals with Cars and American Idol. Capy's first original IP was the critically acclaimed Critter Crunch.
The Panavision Award is given to one of the previous year's Ten to Watch honourees whose career trajectory most impressed the jury. The winner this year is Adam Barken. After being named a 10 to Watch for his writing on Flashpoint and Rookie Blue, Barken has gone on to expand his remit receiving both writer and producer credits on the Gemini-nominated Rookie Blue while still contributing to Flashpoint, which received 17 Gemini nominations this year.
