Congratulations to Sarah Polley, whose film Away from Her took the Best Feature Film award at this year’s Directors Guild of Canada Awards. She also won the Best Director of a Feature Film prize. Her husband, David Wharnsby, also won an award for his editing of the film.
Among the projects with RTA connections, Slings and Arrows took the award for Best Television Drama Series; and October 1970 won an award for Production Design.
From the Overlooked Files…
* The feature film The Poet was screened at the Staten Island Film festival in New York and went on to win two awards there–one for Best Film and one for Best Director (Damian Lee). It has yet to be screened or released in Canada. Zach played the role of Barnard, a young Jewish man who falls in love with a young woman who is courting a German soldier during the Second World War.
* In August, the film Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in the US, and will be released on DVD by Lionsgate in November. Zach’s character was Jake Witzky.
* A short film Zach appeared in, entitled Homecoming, made its debut at the Montreal World Film Festival in August. In it, he portrayed a soldier returning home from Afghanistan who had to deal with his war demons and face his family.
* The miniseries Everest, which was slated to air on CBC this month, doesn’t look to be airing any time soon, although the event on which the miniseries is centred–the 1982 Canadian expedition to Mount Everest–is nearing its 25th anniversary. Zach’s role was that of photographer Blair Griffiths, who–unfortunately–was the first to die during the climb.
* In Yonder news, their debut CD Skywalk to Crescent Town has been mixed and mastered. A release date has not been announced.
The Poet official website
Sci-Fi Channel (US)
Montreal World Film Festival
Stoney Creek News: Interview with Homecoming (short) director Connie Diletti
Alberta Filmworks: Everest
Yonder at Virb
