The Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA) announced their finalists for the 44th annual Alberta Film & Television Awards, celebrating excellence and outstanding achievement in Alberta’s screen industries. A total of 686 class and craft entries were submitted for consideration from a total of 334 productions entered into this year’s awards. This year 72 industry professionals outside of Alberta adjudicated the submissions.
These productions, from commercials, new media, and both long and short form fiction and non-fiction are vying for 27 Class awards. In addition, Alberta’s talented screenwriters, costume and production designers, cinematographers, editors, directors, make-up artists, special effects artists, sound technicians and composers are competing in 33 Craft categories. Each receives the prestigious Rosie Award.
Of all finalists, 215 are from productions based in Calgary, while 93 are from Edmonton-based productions. There were also 16 from other communities in Alberta. As always, Edmonton productions used Calgary talent. Similarly, Calgary productions employed Edmonton talent. This should be kept in mind when comparing the breakdown.
In Calgary Spotlight Productions had the most number of finalists with 17, just ahead of Bamboo Shoots and SEVEN24 Films, each of which produced or co-produced 16 finalists. With 9 finalists, the National Film Board of Canada had the greatest number of finalists in Edmonton.
Three companies tied for the second most number of finalists, with 6: Atraeon Productions, No Problem Productions and Rambunxious Enter tainment. The individual production with the most finalists is “Heartland,” from Calgary based SEVEN24 Films, with 9 finalists. Calgary based Full Swing Productions’ “In Plainview” had the second most number of finalists, with 8.
This year the Award for the Student Category has been renamed the Fil Fraser Award for Best Student Production, to honour the Alberta filmmaker who passed away last year. Also, a Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Bonnie Thompson of the National Film Board of Canada.
The 2018 Alberta Film & Television Awards will take place at a gala evening presentation on Saturday, May 12 at the Hyatt Regency Imperial Ballroom in downtown Calgary. The theme of this year’s awards is, “Celebrating 100 Years of Cinema in Alberta.” The first film shot in Alberta was the 1917 feature, “Until They Get Me,” directed by Frank Borzage, who 12 years later would later be awarded the very first directing Academy Award for “7th Heaven.”
In order to qualify for an Alberta Film & Television Award a production must be produced or coproduced by an Alberta production company. For any craftsperson to be eligible he or she must have been a resident of Alberta for the 2017 calendar year.
Ticket information can be found on AMPIA’s website, www.ampia.org.
See the complete list of nominees for the 2018 Alberta Film & Television Awards.
About the Alberta Media Production Industries of Alberta (AMPIA)
AMPIA is a vibrant non-profit professional association representing the interests of Alberta film, television and interactive digital content creators. We are producers and craftspeople who develop, produce and market our stories across screens and platforms throughout the world.