Comedies earn nods for Canadian screenwriting
Last Updated: Monday, February 22, 2010 | 4:01 PM ET
CBC News
Leon Bronstein (Jay Baruchel, centre) believes he's the reincarnation of communist revolutionary Leon Trotsky in Jacob Tierney's comedy The Trotsky. (Alliance Films)The feature film comedies High Life and The Trotsky have been nominated for best screenplay awards by the Writers Guild of Canada, signalling a renewed emphasis on comedy in the country's film industry.
The WGC announced nominations on Monday for writing in 10 categories for television, radio, film and the web.
The inclusion of two comedies among the film nominees reflects the industry's recent desire to more aggressively tap into Canada's comedy-writing talent. Telefilm is sponsoring comedy-writing labs with comedians such as Eugene Levy and says it will put more money toward comedy projects.
Lee MacDougall's High Life is about four hapless junkies involved in a spectacularly unsuccessful bank heist while The Trotsky, by writer-director Jacob Tierney, is about a Montreal teenager who thinks he's the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky.
The other nominees for best feature film scriptwriting are:
- A Shine of Rainbowsby Vic Sarin, Catherine Spear and Dennis Foon, set in Ireland.
- Love and Savagery by Des Walsh, set in Newfoundland and Ireland.
- Crackie by Sherry White, set in Newfoundland.
Ron James, of the Ron James Show, which has a nomination for best writing. (CBC)CBC dominated the variety TV and radio categories. Two episodes of radio drama Afghanada, which aired on CBC Radio One, are contending in the radio category.
In variety TV, Rick Mercer Report and The Ron James Show have one nomination each while This Hour has 22 Minutes has two nods.
In a new category that rewards content designed for the web, webisodes of the CBC series Being Erica written by Jessie Gabe are competing against Dennis Heaton's My Pal Satan and the NFB web series How People Got Fire, written by Daniel Janke.
Less Than Kind, the Winnipeg-set comedy about a family that runs a driving school, has four nominations for best writing for a half-hour episode. It is in competition with Corner Gas.
In the one-hour drama category the nominees are:
- Flashpoint, "One Wrong Move," written by Mark Ellis, Stephanie Morgenstern and James Hurst.
- ZOS: Zone of Separation, "Bred in the Bone," written by John Krizanc.
- Cra$h & Burn, "Trust," written by Jackie May.
- Murdoch Mysteries, "Mild Mild West," written by Derek Schreyer.
- ZOS: Zone of Separation, "Shallow Graves," written by Jason Sherman.
The winners will be announced at the 14th Annual WGC Screenwriting Awards hosted by Debra DiGiovanni to be held April 19 in Toronto.
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