BANFF, AB – Movie Central and The Movie Network have greenlit seven new Canadian original projects for production, the companies announced Monday from the Banff Television Festival.
Featuring some of Canada’s top creative talent, the projects include the original series Bloodletting, Phantom, The Pillars of the Earth, Living In Your Car, Meet Phil Fitz, Durham County and the made for television movie Fakers.
"Pay TV provides the creative environment that enables us to work with some of the most talented teams in Canada’s production industry," said Erica Benson, VP of programming for Movie Central, in the announcement. "With these partnerships, pay TV is able to offer home-grown world-class drama series on par with the likes of HBO and Showtime, including the return of the visually stunning and critically acclaimed series Durham County."
Movie Central is a 24-hour-a-day, commercial-free premium pay TV service available to Western Canadians, and is owned by Corus Entertainment. Astral owns The Movie Network which is available in eastern Canada.
"Astral Media’s The Movie Network has a strong commitment to Canadian film and television and this new round of projects speaks to the proud role we play in showcasing the talent behind this country’s superior, award-winning programming," said Diane Boehme, director of Canadian independent production for The Movie Network, in the announcement.
