MIPTV 2021: CBC & RADIO-CANADA LAUNCHES A NEW SPRING SELECTION OF TITLES

CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution has revealed its 2021 spring selection with a collection of titles including the award-winning documentary "Sing Me A Lullaby" and the now-available "Wild Canadian Weather."  “Our goal has always been to be the home for elevated storytelling that captures the beauty and wonder of not just our natural world, but also the human experience,”  says Gwen Jones McCauley, Director, Global Distribution, CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution. “Our spring selection really furthers that initiative with visually stunning, inspirational shows for every audience.”

The distributor's latest scripted selection includes “Les Mecs”, a sharp single-camera comedy about four male friends, now in their 50’s, struggling to stay relevant in today’s life, from the creator of the cult series “Les Parent”. New to the slate in the children's programming category is “Do Not Enter!” which is based on the bestselling book of the same name, with over 350,000 copies sold in Canada and Europe, and a new series for teenagers 14+, “About Sex” which was awarded Best Mixed-Media Series 2021 at the Kidscreen Awards.

"We are very proud of our children and adult programming this season. Not only does it provide unique content that entertains and enlightens, it is bringing new voices and stories to a prime time audience," says Mia Desroches, Director, Content Distribution Partnerships, CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution. "Shows like 'Les Mecs' and 'Do Not Enter!' are modern works with sophisticated writing, which we are very happy to share through worldwide distribution."

The rest of the spring slate includes "State Of The Planet" (1x52) produced by River Road Films and available For Pre-Sale; "The Fence" (1x52/1x78) from the producer Tortuga Films and available Worldwide; "Wheeler’s Everest" (1x78) produced by Chiaro Productions and available Worldwide; "Sing Me A Lullaby" (1x29) from Golden Nugget Productions and available Worldwide; "Wild Canadian Weather" (4x52 4K) from the award winning natural history filmmaker Jeff Turner and produced by River Road Films; "Rebellion" (1x52) from the producer Grand Passage Media and available Worldwide.

KIDS SEGMENT

CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution  is offering "Do Not Enter!" (26X22) a modern and innovative live-action comedy from the producer Christal Films; "About Sex" (35x7) a funny, surprising, informative, and uncensored series produced by Echo Média; "Marika" Season 4 (10x9) the acclaimed live-action kids series from the producer Téléfiction; "Gary’s Magic Fort" (13x11 min, produced by CBC Kids) - Spin-off of CBC Kids’ signature kids show is available worldwide.

SCRIPTED AREA

The Canadian distributor presents "Les Mecs" (S1: 10 x 30 | S2: 10 x 30 - in production) a sharp single-camera comedy about male behaviour, gender relations and intergenerational expectations, produced by Guillaume Lespérance and "Entitled" - (6 x 60) produced by Zone3.

TIME TO CELEBRATE

CBC/Radio-Canada and its production partners have received 309 nominations from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television for the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards, reflecting the public broadcaster’s commitment to Canadian content, creators and communities. In recognition of CBC/Radio-Canada’s storytelling, production partners and creative voices on all platforms, the nominations mark a new record by exceeding last year’s tally of 269. 

“In a pandemic year during which we’ve seen Canadians turn to their national public broadcaster more than ever across all of our platforms, we couldn’t be more proud to have our programming recognized by these Canadian Screen Award nominations. They are a testament to the creativity, innovation and ingenuity of our journalists and creators, as well as the industry partners with whom we work,  said Catherine Tait, President and CEO, CBC/Radio-Canada.

HIGHLIGHT NOMINATIONS

CBC original comedy "Schitt’s Creek" leads both television and overall nominations with 22 nods; and CBC/Radio-Canada films receive 54 nominations led by Jeff Barnaby’s "Blood Quantum". CBC News recognized with 31 nominations across national and local categories; also CBC’s original scripted programming earned 104 nominations led by “Schitt’s Creek”, “Trickster”, “Kim’s Convenience”, “Workin’ Moms” and “Coroner”.

CBC and Radio-Canada’s original unscripted, arts and documentary programming receives 93 nominations led by “The Nature Of Things”, and CBC Gem original programming garners 25 nominations led by “Bit Playas”, “Hey Lady!”, “We’re Funny That Way: The Virtual Pride Special” and “Utopia Falls.”