Notes on Feature X

Saturday, April 30
2:15PM – 3:45PM
John Bassett Theatre

This unique session examines multiple points of view of a Feature-length script by an “Anonymous” Writer. A panel of industry professionals (Producer, Director, Actor, and Financier) will each give their notes on “Feature X” as they discuss characters, premise, story lines, and what it takes for them to back the script. Compare your notes to the panel’s as they dissect the script and don’t miss when the writer’s identity is ultimately revealed. The session will be moderated by Steve Hoban, Founder of Copperheart Entertainment.

Actress Lara Jean Chorostecki can be recognized for her film and television roles in highly acclaimed series including NBC’s HANNIBAL, as ruthless tabloid blogger Freddie Lounds, Krystina Breeland in CBC’s X COMPANY, the Starz/CBC miniseries CAMELOT, Brandon Cronenberg’s feature film ANTIVIRAL (official selection of both Cannes and TIFF), the lead in the indie rom-com PLEASE KILL MR. KNOW IT ALL (Canadian Comedy Award Nomination), Charlie in CTV’s DAN FOR MAYOR (another Canadian Comedy Award Nomination), and BBC America’s 1860s Irish cop drama COPPER as Sybil O’Brien. Lara Jean has also guest starred on CW’s hit series BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, SyFy’s HAVEN, Showcase’s LOST GIRL, CBC’s REPUBLIC OF DOYLE, NBC’s THE LISTENER and more.

Lara Jean’s most recent projects include the new CBS summer series AMERICAN GOTHIC, Fox’s HOUDINI AND DOYLE, Mary in JOSEPH AND MARY for Shaw Media, the feature THE MASKED SAINT, as well as the Canadian indie BARN WEDDING (winner of Audience Choice and Jury Prize for Best Ensemble at the Canadian Film Festival), web series WE ARE DISORDERLY, and short films THE GIRL NEXT DOOR (Cinefest Sudbury 2015) and BOXING (official selection of TIFF 2015). Lara Jean is also looking forward to filming Season 3 of X COMPANY in Budapest late this summer.

Her theatre credits include four seasons with the Stratford Festival, (most notably appearing as Drina in Peter Hinton’s The Swanne, and Katie in Quiet in the Land); Homechild opposite Eric Peterson (Canstage); Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Olivia in Twelfth Night, and Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden(Resurgence); as well as Arley-Rose in A Boy Called Newfoundland for critically acclaimed Toronto theatre company Theatre Smash.

A frequent globe trotter, Lara Jean (known to most as LJ) can often be found fuelling many of her personal passions of hiking, writing, volunteering with local Toronto animal shelters, relaxing with her cats at home, and sharing her love of Shakespeare with students from grades 2 through to university through workshops and speaking engagements.

Originally from Montreal and now based in Toronto, Jim is focused in episodic TV work shooting for such accomplished producers such as Epitome, Cinar, Avamar, 7-24 Films, Casablanca Films; and for networks such as CTV, CBC, MTV, CBS, LMN, NatGeo, Gaumont, Discovery, Fox Family, Nickelodeon and Showcase.

His third feature, 3 SAISONS, won multiple awards, including the Borsos for best Canadian feature at the 2008 Whistler Film Festival, and a best picture nomination at the 2010 Genie Awards. He won the 2013 Canadian Screen Award for Best Direction in a TV series for FLASHPOINT, “A Day in the Life”. His episode of CRACKED, “Ghost Dance”, was nominated for Best TV Drama at the 2014 DGC Awards. In 2015 Jim was tapped as directing showrunner on 2 seasons of the primetime French-language series entitled LE CLAN, for SRC (CBC). He is currently in prep on a new Québec-New Brunswick mini-series entitled LE SIÈGE for SRC and is in active development for television and feature film projects across the country.

Jennifer Jonas is an award-winning producer of 14 feature films. In 2013 she won the CMPA/TIFF Producer of the Year award. Her latest feature, BORN TO BE BLUE starring Ethan Hawke, Carmen Ejogo and Callum Keith Rennie premiered at TIFF 2015, was purchased by IFC and is currently in theatres in the US and Canada. GERONTOPHILIA, from writer/director Bruce LaBruce premiered at the Venice Film Festival and TIFF 2013 and won Best Canadian Feature at Montreal’s 2013 Festival du nouveau cinema. In 2012, she produced I’M YOURS by Leonard Farlinger, starring Karine Vanasse which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2011. In 2010, she produced Bruce McDonald’s TRIGGER starring Molly Parker and Tracy Wright selected as one of TIFF’s Top Ten films for 2010. She produced Reg Harkema’s LESLIE, MY NAME IS EVIL which won the Director’s Guild of Canada’s Best Feature Film Director prize. She produced Bruce LaBruce’s gay zombie movie, OTTO; or, UP WITH DEAD PEOPLE which premiered at Sundance and Berlinale 2008. In 2007, she produced ALL HAT starring Luke Kirby and Rachel Leigh Cook. She produced MONKEY WARFARE starring Don McKellar and Tracy Wright which won a Special Jury Prize at the TIFF 2006. She produced THE PERFECT SON starring Colm Feore and David Cubitt nominated for two Best Actor Genies. As 1st Assistant Director, Jennifer worked for François Girard on the Academy Award-winning THE RED VIOLIN and THIRTY-TWO SHORT FILMS ABOUT GLENN GOULD.

Jennifer has a BA Honours in English Literature from McGill University and a MA Honours in Comparative Literature from Cambridge University.

After three years in television production with Cambium Productions, Noah moved over to film distribution with New World – Mutual Films.

Noah spent 9 years at New World, (later re-titled Malofilm) rising through the ranks of the company to Vice President and General Manager. His responsibilities entailed overseeing Canadian Distribution activities for Malofilm’s new releases and catalogue titles in the Theatrical, Video and Television cycles.

Changing gears, Mr. Segal joined multinational BMG, the third largest entertainment company in the world, where he acted as Vice President of marketing for the music company’s Canadian operation.

In January of 1999, Noah rejoined the film business as Senior Vice President of Distribution with the then burgeoning entertainment company, Lions Gate Films. Rising to Executive Vice President, Worldwide Marketing, Noah ankled the company in August 2001 to form a new producing partnership entitled, “The 49th Parallel”.

In the course of two years, Noah executive produced 4 films including the GINGER SNAPS trilogy. Noah also executive produced the Cannes Film Festival 2004 award winning 3-D animated/documentary RYAN. The piece also went on to win an Oscar for best animated short.

After the partnership ended, Noah began Memento Pictures. Through this endeavor, Noah executive produced the remake of the cult classic, BLACK CHRISTMAS that was a wide release by The Weinstein Company. He followed that with exec producing chores on a series of successful rock documentaries with Banger films, including, METAL: A HEADBANGER’S JOURNEY, GLOBAL METAL, and RUSH: BEYOND THE LIGHTED STAGE.

Noah re-entered distribution heading up the home entertainment division of Alliance Atlantis Entertainment, the largest Entertainment company in Canada. When Entertainment One bought the company in 2013, Noah was installed as Co-President of Canada for the company. In his time with Alliance Films and Entertainment One, Noah executive produced 10 films and acted as an executive for the company in countless productions. This included his first foray into television with an executive producing credit on the hit reality TV show, UNDERCOVER BOSS: CANADA.

After eight years, Noah resigned his tenure to start up a new production company, Toyboat Pictures, a company dedicated to bringing new Intellectual property to the screen, be that the movie theater, the TV or the mobile phone screen.  Noah executive produced the Canadian multi-cultural box office hit, DR CABBIE and developed the animation feature EXTINCT with Arc Animation.

In 2014, Noah co-founded Canada’s newest full service film and TV distributor, Elevation Pictures with Laurie May and financier, Teddy Schwarzman.  In its short life, Elevation has quickly become the number 2 feature film distributor in Canada.

Steven Hoban is founder of the Toronto-based film and television production company Copperheart Entertainment. He has produced numerous successful feature films, the Academy Award winning computer animated short, RYAN and the world’s first Imax 3D animated film CYBERWORLD.

In post production is feature film A CHRISTMAS HORROR STORY, starring William Shatner, which is slated for theatrical release Christmas 2015. Recently completed films include science fiction thriller DEBUG written and directed by David Hewlett (RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, STARGATE: ATLANTIS) and action thriller WOLVES starring Jason Momoa and Lucas Till, written and directed by David Hayter (X-MEN, WATCHMEN), which was released in North America and internationally November 2014.

Past films include supernatural thriller HAUNTER starring Abigail Breslin and SPLICE starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, both directed by Vincenzo Natali, the comedy YOUNG PEOPLE FUCKING directed by Martin Gero (BORED TO DEATH, LA COMPLEX), the remake of the 70s horror classic BLACK CHRISTMAS directed by Glen Morgan (X-FILES, FINAL DESTINATION), and the cult hit trilogy GINGER SNAPS.

Upcoming feature films include the adaptation of the Stephen King/Joe Hill novella, IN THE TALL GRASS, to be directed to by Vincenzo Natali and the computer animated feature, ZOOMBIES, based on a story by Clive Barker to be directed by Academy Award-winner Chris Landreth. In television, DARKNET, created by Hoban and Natali, debuted on Netflix October 2014 and writing has begun on the HBO dramatic television series SHAKEDOWN with James Ellroy and David Fincher.