Montreal, Telefilm Canada announces that seven English-language projects across the country will move forward through the selective and performance component of the national feature film production programs of the Canada Feature Film Fund, the Low Budget Independent Feature Film Assistance Program and the Theatrical Documentary Pilot Program.

“Telefilm Canada is committed to supporting talented creators who turn out high-quality works that speak to audiences at home and around the world,” said Wayne Clarkson, the Corporation’s Executive Director. “The investment decisions announced today are rich in diversity. They illustrate Canada’s vibrant imagination and we are confident that they will make their mark with the public.”

Adoration (Ontario/Nunavut region; Producers: Atom Egoyan, Jennifer Weiss and Simone Urdl; Director/Writer: Atom Egoyan; Distributor: Maximum Film Distribution Inc.; Telefilm investment: $2.8 million) is the story of a Toronto school teacher who uses a news story about a man who put his pregnant girlfriend on a flight to Israel with explosives in her hand luggage. A security guard discovers it and saves the passengers on the plane, including the young woman and her unborn child. This dramatic news item is used by the French teacher as the basis of a school exercise. Simon, a 17-year old student, is inspired by this event and retells the story from the point of view of the couple’s child. Using his own familial drama as a backdrop, he concocts a “project” around this created persona and using the Web, sends it out into the world – with unexpectedly widespread and forceful results.

Blindness (Ontario/Nunavut region; Executive Producer: Gail Egan, Potboiler Productions; Producers: Niv Fichman, Sonoko Sakai, Bee Vine Pictures Inc. (Japan), Andrea Barata Ribeiro, O2 Films (Brazil); Writer: Don McKellar; Director: Fernando Meirelles; Distributor: Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution; Telefilm investment: $2.5 million) is a metaphor for the world in the 21st century. A plague of blindness strikes a nameless city. After a few cases are reported, the state and the military begin to round up the newly blind, quarantining them in an abandoned mental hospital. The first group of seven people forms the core of the story: the first victim and his wife, the eye doctor who treated our first victim; his wife, the car thief, the prostitute, the small boy. It is their progress through this nightmare world of death, filth, fear and destruction that we follow – as society and morality crumble around them.

The Cassandra Syndrome (Quebec region; Producers: Lucie Tremblay, Jeremy Edwardes, Brice Garnier, Mark Achbar, Elizabeth Carson, Liette Michaud; Writers: Harold Crooks, Louis Caron, Denis Delestrac; Director: Denis Delestrac; Distributor: Capri Releasing; Telefilm investment: $444,400 through the Theatrical Documentary Pilot Program) examines the origins and reality of the militarization of space. In a language tinted with irony and peppered with shocking facts, the film opens a debate that until now has been reserved for the specialists, some of whom maintain that the arms race in space can only lead to apocalypse.

Mr. Nobody (Quebec region; Producers: Christian Larouche, Philippe Godeau, Jean-Yves Asselin; Writer/Director: Jaco Van Dormael; Distributor: Christal Films; Telefilm investment: $2 million) is the story of Nemo. As he lies on his deathbed, time ceases to exist and he relives his life not only as what it was, but what it could have been.

Stone of Destiny (Western region; Producers: Rob Merilees, Andrew Boswell; Writer: Charles Martin Smith; Director: Charles Martin Smith; Distributor: Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution; Telefilm investment: $3.5 million) is the dramatization of the true story of Ian Hamilton’s bold gesture to draw international attention to the Scottish separatist cause. Fuelled by intense patriotism, Ian and three other collaborators decide to travel to London and repatriate the Stone of Destiny – symbolic relic designating the ruler of Scotland – from Westminster Abbey.

Sheltered Life (Western Region; Producers: Andrew Koster and Lori Lozinski; Writer: Katherine Schlemmer; Director: Carl Laudan; Telefilm investment: $200,000 through the Low Budget Independent Feature Film Assistance Program) is the story of 16-year-old Josephine Nash and her mother, Candice, who over a period of a several days, come to terms with the unspoken rules that govern their relationship. A small room with two narrow beds in a women’s transition house brings them face to face with the truth: as their psychological relationship to violence changes, so do they.

Timekeeper (Quebec region; Producers: Réal Chabot, Dean English, Lorraine Dufour; Writers: Louis Bélanger, Lorraine Dufour; Director: Louis Bélanger; Distributor: Christal Films; Telefilm investment: $3 million) takes place in the Northwest Territories in the late sixties: the workers building the railroad aren’t very happy with Martin Bishop’s arrival. At 16 years old, Martin is naïve and idealistic and this threatens those who are trying to make crooked bucks off the whole operation. Martin won’t play their game and the foreman, a real tyrant, decides to make him pay dearly for his honesty.

Montreal, April 5, 2007 – Telefilm Canada is pleased to announce the financing of 14 English language feature length films from across the country, through the selective and performance component of the national and regional feature film production programs of the Canada Feature Film Fund, as well as through the Low Budget Independent Feature Film Assistance Program and the Theatrical Documentary Pilot Program.

Almost Heaven (Producer: New Dawn Productions Ltd. – Shel Piercy & Cynthia Chapman; Writers: Richard Beattie & Shel Piercy; Director: Shel Piercy; Distributor: Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution) is the story of Mark, a charismatic, alcohol-fuelled director of a television fishing show, struggling to stay sober while forced to work with a temperamental star: his ex-wife! Because the fish won’t bite, Mark poaches a dead fish from a local pub owner Bert (Tom Conti) to stage a catch for the cameras; it all goes horribly wrong and he is lambasted by feisty fish expert Nicki (Kirsty Mitchell).

The Bend (Producer: Melissa Malkin, Jennifer Kierans & Debra Kouri; Writer/Director: Jennifer Kierans; Distributor: Filmoption) revolves around Jason Campbell and his family as they prepare to commemorate the one year anniversary death of his brother Kirk. Kirk’s death has torn the family apart. When Kirk’s girlfriend and best friend show up for the ceremony, Jason attempts to recreate that tragic prom night to find out what went wrong.

Control Alt Delete (Producer: Hard Drive Films Inc. – Stephanie Symns & Lynne Stopkewich; Writer/Director: Cameron Labine) presents the story of Lewis’s internet porn addiction. When it puts an end to his relationship, he throws himself into his work. By day, he’s a wholesome, loveable computer whiz, but by night he aims to set a new world record in “self-love.” Lewis eventually succumbs to his need for sexual gratification with the computer itself.

Down to the Dirt (Producer: Newfound Films Incorporated – Anna Petras; Writer: Justin Simms & Sherry White; Director: Justin Simms) is a film based on the acclaimed first novel by Joel Hynes. Down to the Dirt traces a young man’s comically tragic voyage from loneliness and obsessive love via vandalism, booze, drugs, abortion, lies, dead cats and poetry to ultimate self-acceptance and a positive future.

Eastern Promises (Producers: Serendipity Point Films & Kudos Films – Robert Lantos, Paul Webster, Stephen Garrett, David M. Thompson, Jeffrey Abberley & Julia Blackman; Writer: Steven Knight; Director: David Cronenberg; Distributor: Alliance Atlantis Motion Picture Distribution) follows the mysterious and ruthless Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), who is tied to one of London’s most notorious organized crime families. His carefully maintained existence is jarred when he crosses paths with Anna (Naomi Watts), an innocent midwife trying to right a wrong, who accidentally uncovers potential evidence against the family.

Fiercelight: When Spirit Meets Action (Executive Producer: Big Picture Media Corporation – Mark Achbar & Betsy Carson; Producer: Fiercelight Films Inc. – Cherilyn Hawrysh; Co-Producer: National Film Board – Gerry Flahive; Writer/Director: Velcrow Ripper). In today’s world of raging wars, high depression rates and threat of global collapse, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and powerless. Fuelled by the belief that another world is possible, Ripper travels to the four corners of the globe searching for remarkable individuals who are awakening the world to the power of spirit meeting action

Finn on the Fly (Producers: Amaze Film + Television, Stephen Onda Productions – Suzanne Berger, Teza Lawrence, Mike Souther, Michael McGowan & Stephen Onda; Writers: Mark Jean, Teza Lawrence, Kellie Benz & Mike Souther; Director: Mark Jean; Distributor: Seville Pictures) is a family comedy about a life-loving, Frisbee-playing dog named Finn and his shy 13 year-old owner Peter. Both their lives are changed when Finn is accidentally transformed into a human when a science experiment goes wrong in Peter’s neighbour’s garage. This is a story about friendship, loyalty and learning to trust your instincts.

Forgotten Women (Producer: Hamilton-Mehta Productions Inc. – David Hamilton & Noemi Weis; Writer/Director: Deepa Mehta & Dilip Mehta) is a feature-length documentary set in India which exposes the destitution, exploitation, and virtual slavery of many of the 33 million Hindu Widows living in India today who are forced by age old traditions to live out their remaining years in institutions where they are isolated from and shunned by society at large.

Global Metal (Producer: Global Banger Productions Inc. – Scot McFadyen, Noah Segal & Sam Dunn; Writer/Directors: Sam Dunn & Scot MacFadyen) focuses on heavy metal fan and anthropologist Sam Dunn who travels across the globe to observe and research the globalization of heavy metal music. His travels span Brazil, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, China, Poland and Iran. Whether it’s Indonesian black metal, Brazilian death metal or Iranian power metal, Sam discovers that metal allows young people to articulate their own form of rebellion.

Portage (Executive Producers – Henry Gerstel, Uwe Feuersenger, Nicholas D. Tabarrok; Producer: Common Films Inc. – Jaty Tam & Matthew Miller; Writer: Sascha Drews; Director: Ezra Krybus, Matthew Miller & Sascha Drews) tells the story of a voyage into the Canadian wilderness gone awry when the trip’s leader accidentally dies and the four remaining teenage girls must find their way back to civilization with a body in tow.

Real Time (Producer: Lucky Andy Productions Inc. – Ari Lantos, Julia Rosenberg & Paula Devonshire; Writer/Director: Randall Cole; Distributor: Maple Pictures Corp.) is a comic drama about a compulsive gambler who is given one hour to live by the man hired to kill him. Moving from funny one moment, to intense and even tragic in others, this film takes place in real time and explores what we do with the real time we have in this world.

Saving Luna (Producer: Mountainside Films Ltd. – Suzanne Chisholm & Michael Parfit; Directors: Suzanne Chisholm & Michael Parfit; Writer: Michael Parfit) When a lone killer whale, Luna, gets separated from his pod in a remote Vancouver Island fjord, he seeks companionship from people. In a magnificent landscape, different groups of people fight over their wildly differing views of who Luna is: to the Natives, he’s the spirit of a chief; to boaters, he’s a lumbering friend; to conservationists Luna is a cause; to scientists Luna is trouble; and to the filmmakers, he’s a lonely, lovable street kid whale.

They Wait (Producer: They Wait Productions Inc. – Andrew Koster; Writers: Travis McDonald, Carl Bessai & Doug Taylor; Director: Ernie Barbarash; Distributor: Films TVA) is an intense psychological thriller about a young mother and her six-year-old son who come face to face with the mysteries of two murders and a great crime against the Chinese community into which they have recently arrived from Shanghai.

Waterlife (Executive Producer: Big Picture Media Corporation- Mark Achbar & Betsy Carson; Producer: Primitive Entertainment Inc. – Kristina McLaughlin, Michael McMahon; Writer/Director: Kevin McMahon) tells the story of how the greatest body of fresh water on Earth – which accounts for roughly 90% of all fresh water available to the US – is slowly transformed as it travels through the thickening machinations of the society lining the coast.