Montréal, Dec. 2, 2014 – Mediabiz International has been in business for 15 years now, a fact that’s probably the best-kept secret in town. In that time, the company and its subsidiaries have become a beacon of excellence in the entertainment industry. Very few competitors have been able to build such a solid reputation here and abroad or have had the ability to raise such solid financing for audiovisual production. Mediabiz is a group of businesses dedicated to the development, financing and production of content for audiovisual entertainment. Active on traditional platforms as well as in new media, its mission is to support projects of quality and of international scope. With its financial and production expertise, along with its international activities, the company has managed to develop a global network and a savoir-faire that is unique in Quebec.
The production arm of Mediabiz is run by Karine Martin, who has acted as producer, executive producer and finance head of close to 40 projects over the last 15 years. Since 2010, Mediabiz has produced eight projects worth a total $135 million: three for TV and five for the cinema, including three major international co-productions. Mediabiz has also provided TV production services, most recently for the new mini-series The Red Tent, a co-production with Sony that will be broadcast in the U.S. on the Lifetime network.
Currently, in the U.K, Mediabiz is co-producing the first season of the children’s TV series Jamillah & Aladdin for the BBC, while the series’ second season will be shot in South Africa in early 2015. Total value: $10 million. Also in 2015, the company will produce two English-language films: Heartbeats, a musical comedy to be shot in India and directed by Duane Adler, and The Lovebirds, a comedy directed by Martin Gero.
Mediabiz works in a synergistic fashion and with a global outlook. It operates on two levels: Its production arm is involved in the entire production process, from script to screen, while its financing arm uses leading-edge tools and expertise to optimize the funds at its disposal. This two-pronged approach brings added value to every project Mediabiz undertakes, putting the company in a stronger strategic position vis-à-vis its international partners.
PROJECTS PRODUCED BY MEDIABIZ’S PRODUCTION ARM
(Excluding production services and current productions)
The Moth Diaries (2011) was written and directed by Mary Harron (American Psycho) and stars Sarah Bolger, Lily Cole and Sarah Gadon. The film was produced with the support of Telefilm Canada and Bell Media’s Harold Greenberg Fund. An international success, The Moth Diaries screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival and the Sitges Film Festival in Catalonia, and won the Black Pearl Award at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.
Magic Beyond Words : The J.K. Rowling Story (2011) is a TV biopic of the British novelist J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter fantasy series, and was broadcast in a number of countries, including the U.S. on Lifetime and in Canada on The Movie Network. Nominated in four categories at the 1st Canadian Screen Awards in 2013, it won the prize for best dramatic mini-series or TV movie.
Speed Racer (2011) is an animation series that ran for 52 episodes in the U.S. on Nickelodeon and has been sold worldwide.
Maïna (2013) is a feature film based on the novel by Quebec writer Dominique Demers and starring First Nations actors Natar Ungalaaq, Graham Greene and Tantoo Cardinal. Written by Pierre Billon and directed by Michel Poulette, the film was backed by the SODEC and Telefilm and also enjoyed the support of the Innu and Inuit themselves. After its world premiere at the Shanghai International Film Festival, where it competed for the best-film award, Maïna won three awards, including best picture, at the 2013 American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco. In 2014 the film won the Best Film award at Native Vision Filmfestival in Göteborg (Sweden) and was nominated for best-film and five other awards at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards, and won three awards, including best-of-festival, at the Dreamspeakers Film Festival in Edmonton. It also screened at the Berlin International Film Festival’s European Film Market in 2013 and was selected by more than 25 film festivals around the world.
Shot in northern Ontario and northern Manitoba, Midnight Sun (2014) is a children’s film directed by Roger Spottiswoode (Tomorrow Never Dies). An international (Canada/Italy) and interprovincial (Quebec/Ontario/Manitoba) co-production, it stars Dakota Goyo, Goran Visnjic and Bridget Moynahan and focuses on the issue of climate change. The film was produced with the support of a number of Canadian institutions, including Telefilm Canada and the Shaw Rocket Fund, as well as Abu Dhabi’s Image Nation, and has been sold worldwide. In Italy, its first foreign market, the film grossed over 1M€ at the box office in its opening weekend. It will premiere in Canada in early 2015.
Outcast (2014) is a China/Canada/France co-production – the most important ever between Canada and China. Shot entirely in China by stuntman-turned-director Nick Powell, the medieval action adventure movie stars Hayden Christensen and Nicolas Cage. It will premiere in China in early 2015 on over 5,000 screens and has been sold internationally. It also received support from Telefilm Canada.
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