RHIFF JUDGES

JACKIE BURROUGHS Actress

Jackie Burroughs is undoubtedly one of Canada’s most cherished actresses.

She is known to most audiences as the eccentric “Aunt Hetty” in CBC Television’s long running Road To Avonlea, a role which earned her a 1994 Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress and a 1995 Gemini Award nomination in the same category. Also in 1994, Burroughs received a Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children’s Program or Series for her memorable work on The Adventures Of Dudley the Dragon. 1999 Gemini Award nominee for her portrayal of “Mother Mucca” in Armistead Maupin’s critically acclaimed More Tales of the City for Showtime, she will reprise her role in Further Tales of the City.

Burroughs’ feature film credits include Winter Tan, which earned her a 1988 Genie Award for Best Actress; and The Wars in 1983 and The Grey Fox in 1984, both of which earned her Genie Awards for Best Supporting Actress. Most recently, she appeared in Don McKellar’s film Last Night, which was screened at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival, and John and the Missus.

CARL LIBERMAN Agent, Founder                       

Mr. Liberman began his career as an actor, mainly for radio and television at the age of 11. At the age of 14 he was offered the lead in a film to be shot in Greece, his parents opted to keep him in school, and that gave him something to write about. An honours graduate of York University’s Fine Arts programme in theatre, Carl later went on to write and co-produce several plays during the early 80’s cabaret scene in Toronto.

Since founding the literary department at The Characters, the largest agency in Canada, he has overseen its growth from zero billings to over $14 Million nationally, trained three agents, and is heavily involved in its newest arm, the packaging division. In addition to screenwriters, Carl also represents top directors, A-list cinematographers, and internationally renowned production designer and film editors.

Mr. Liberman has set a personal goal of becoming the first Canadian agent to bill $10 million.

“We’re open for business and we’re very merit driven. In other words, if something is good, (or someone) and presses all the right buttons we’ll sell it, no matter who wrote it.”

ANDREW MOODIE

Andrew Moodie was born in Ottawa, Canada. He has performed in many acclaimed theatrical, film and television productions. His two stage plays, Hysteria and Riot which went on to receive the prestigious Chalmers Award; were his first plays to receive professional production.

Recently he was seen in Roseneath Theatre’s ‘Health Class’ and Soulpepper Theatre’s ‘Nathan the Wise’ and ‘Hamlet’. He directed a production of Michael Miller’s ‘The Power of Harriet T!’ for the Manitoba Theatre for Young People and ‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.’ for the Coloured Girls Collective. His writing credits include the plays Loving, Riot, Oui, and The Lady Smith. Riot has since received much attention world wide since its debut at the Factory Theatre in Toronto and its inclusion in the World Stage Festival.

DAVID M. PERLMUTTER

David Perlmutter has been involved in the entertainment field since 1971. He established Quadrant Films to produce theatrical films. By 1988, he had produced or packaged over $200 million worth of film and television production ranging from the undersea adventure The Neptune Factor to the first feature films to star Second City alumni John Candy and Dan Aykroyd.

Perlmutter co-founded Cinexus Capital Corporation, which acquired Panavision Canada, the largest film equipment supplier in the country. As part of Cinexus, he also became involved in theatrical distribution through a joint venture with Famous Players, the Canadian theatrical subsidiary of Paramount. In 1989, David and Lewis Chesler formed Chesler/Perlmutter Productions. Working with Chesler’s creative efforts, Perlmutter has created an enormous range of innovative financing structures combining the benefits available to Canadian producers with international benefits, pre-sales and banking sources.

David was instrumental in the creation of the Canadian Film and Television Producers Association and has participated in the negotiation of co-production agreements between Canada and Germany and the United Kingdom.

PENELOPE BUITENHUIS

After graduating Buitenhuis became known as an underground filmmaker before making her name as a commercial director in the 90’s. She wrote and directed fifteen shorts and toured world wide, winning film festival awards in Europe and North America.

Buitenhuis directed in 1995, the Gemini nominated CBC M.O.W Giant Mine. She went on to direct the Mary Higgins Clark detective M.O.W Lucky Day in 2001 with Amanda Donahoe and the disaster film Killer Bees, with C. Thomas Howell, recently released on video at Block Buster.

In 2001, Buitenhuis' highly acclaimed NFB documentary Tokyo Girls, about hostesses and geisha in Japan, won two Gemini Awards and two BC Leo Awards. It was screened at festivals around the world, winning the Columbus Film Festival and was nominated for the DGC Outstanding Achievement Award. It was broadcast repeatedly on CBC, TVO, and in the U.S and Europe.

Penelope has directed many television episodes, including the pilot for Cold Squad, Hope Island, Madison, Wind at my Back, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Lonesome Dove, Beyond Belief, Paradise Falls, Bliss, Metropia and Train 48.

She is presently developing feature film projects Punk Not Dead, Messed Up and Regenerate as well as the documentary Missing Sarah for Omni Film.

JESSE ROSENSWEET

Jesse Rosensweet’s first short film, The Stone of Folly won the Jury Prize for Short Film at Cannes, and played at animation and film festivals around the world. Since then he has directed a smorgasbord of television, commercials and music videos, including last year’s stop-motion video “Rudolph” for Destiny’s Child.

Rosensweet is reassembling his team to create another animated short, has a live-action short film in development, and is slated to direct a hybrid puppet/CGI animated feature film that will use cutting-edge technology.

STEVEN HOBAN

Steven Hoban’s recent features include Vincenzo Natali’s Nothing, Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed and Ginger Snaps III: The Beginning. Upcoming productions include Black Christmas, a remake of the classic film from the early ’70s that launched the serial-killer genre being written and directed by Glen Morgan & James Wong (X-Files, Final Destination, The One), and Uberman an epic anti-super hero animated feature to be directed by Natali.

The short film Ryan, directed by Chris Landreth and one of Hoban’s latest ventures in CG animation, has received over 45 international awards including three from the Cannes Film Festival and the film world’s highest honour – the Academy Award®.

Other ongoing projects include a television mini-series about the War of 1812 based on Pierre Berton’s books and two Large Format (Imax®) flims. Hoban’s productions for Imax Corporation include CyberWorld, the first IMAX®3D computer animated film that used cutting-edge computer animation from some of the world’s leading CG artists and studios.

In 1994, Steve left the completion bond business to produce Blood & Donuts, the first feature film for Norman Jewison’s Canadian Film Centre. Steve continued his independent projects while managing the creation of Sandde™, a specialized system used to produce IMAX®3D animated films.

Hoban produces films at his Toronto-based company Copperheart Entertainment.

Before switching to a lifetime of journalism, Kevin Wilson toiled away in a variety of mostly menial occupations, including a five year stint as a naval reservist and seven years chasing an assembly line in Windsor, Ontario.

He is currently best known as the author of ‘Kevin Wilson's After 6’, a daily compilation of must-see entertainment events which appears in the free commuter daily ‘24 hours’. Before coming to Toronto, Kevin worked at various newspapers in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Northern Alberta. His articles have appeared in the Toronto Sun, the National Post, NOW Magazine and Canadian Forum.

Photo: Michael Dauda - Facepaint: Amina Alfred

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