from Telefilm Canada

Toronto, November 3, 2010 – CFC (Canadian Film Centre) is pleased to announce that a new session of the successful Telefilm Canada Features Comedy Lab will begin November 15, 2010.

Chaired by internationally acclaimed comedic actor Eugene Levy, the Telefilm Canada Features Comedy Lab, a CFC Film program presented in collaboration with Just For Laughs, seeks to advance the comedy genre in Canada and generate comedies that achieve commercial and critical success. The Comedy Lab is Canada’s first advanced professional program designed to develop and package original theatrical feature-length comedies for Canadian and international audiences. Launched in 2009, the three-month course pairs experienced Canadian feature film producers, their writer and/or director teams and their comedy scripts, with the best comedy minds in the world to strengthen each script and increase packaging appeal for investment.

“There are some very heavy-weight people at the lab – just to get their ear is difficult enough in this business. These filmmakers are in a very privileged position,” said Eugene Levy.

“The support from the superior level of talent that the CFC was able to integrate into the Telefilm Canada Features Comedy Lab has not only had an incredibly positive effect on the quality of our script, but has also generated awareness about our exciting new project both in Canada and abroad,” said Stephen Hegyes, Producer, Co-Chairman of Brightlight Pictures Inc. and a participant in the 2009 Comedy Lab.

“Canadians have always done well on the world comedy stage so we’re excited to see this program continue to attract strong interest and projects from experienced producers in its second year,” said Sheila de La Varende, Director of National and International Business Development for Telefilm Canada, “Holding the second session in L.A. will bring projects closer to decision makers in the US market.”

This year more than 40 teams applied for the five coveted spots that were determined by an international selection committee of comedy industry professionals. Thrilled with the caliber of projects submitted, the committee this year chose to select six teams for the 2010 session. Of the six projects selected, two were showcased at the inaugural Just For Laughs Comedy Boot Camp for Film held this past July in Montreal as part of the 2010 Just For Laughs Comedy Conference, and presented by the Telefilm Canada Features Comedy Lab.

The chosen projects and teams for the 2010 session are:

From British Columbia: Quadrant Motion Pictures’ men-behaving-badly comedy My Asshole Neighbour: producer Mary Anne Waterhouse, writer/director Andrew Currie and writer Robert Chomiak

From Alberta: Combustion Inc.’s romantic comedy Nearly Wed: producer Bruce Harvey, director/producer Grant Harvey and writer Jason Filiatrault

From Ontario: Darius Films’ western comedy Cold Blooded Snakes: producer Nicholas Tabarrok and writer Stephen Kunc

From Ontario: El Duo Motion Pictures’ buddy comedy The Wild Society: producers Robert Scarborough and Shawn Myrick, writer/director Matthew Atkinson and writer Brendan Gall

From Ontario: Project 10 Productions’ horror comedy The House They Screamed in: producer Andrew Barnsley, writer/director Vivieno Caldinelli and writer Bob Kerr.

From Quebec: Cirrus Communications Inc.’s romantic comedy Atlantic Gold: producers Antonello Cozzolino and Josee Vallee and writer John Hazlett.

The House They Screamed and Atlantic Gold were originally showcased at the Just For Laughs Comedy Boot Camp for Film where the projects benefited from invaluable project feedback and insights from an esteemed panel of industry experts.

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