Screens get bankable
Although movies and banking may seem traditionally incongruous, Cineplex Entertainment and Scotiabank announced the national launch of a joint loyalty rewards program and the renaming of three Cineplex theatres, in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Montreal.

The new SCENE reward program ( www.scene.ca/ ) enables members to earn points that can be redeemed for movie tickets or concession combos, and SCENE Scotiacard debit and Visa cards will earn points when used for transactions.

While in Vancouver, Rick White, vice-president, brand and marketing programs for Scotiabank, explained in a phone interview that the program arose during negotiations between the two companies. "Cineplex approached Scotiabank about naming rights of some theatres and our response to it really was 'interesting, but we need to have a reason to be there'.”¦We determined that we had some good common interests. Cineplex had a need to build a database and change the business model they had”¦and we had a need at Scotiabank to find a way to reach younger people–and by young people I mean 14-to-30-year-olds–in a much more relevant way."

White said the program may expand beyond the movies, possibly into telecommunications and music.

On May 2, the Paramount Vancouver was renamed the Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver. As part of a five-year deal, Scotiabank acquired the naming rights for four Cineplex theatres. The renamed Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver joins a growing list of local entertainment venues that feature corporate names including the Scotiabank Dance Centre, Vancity Theatre, and Science World at the Telus World of Science.

> Craig Takeuchi

Minding the issues
Mental-health issues have pervaded recent local news stories, but public forums for discussion and clarification aren't always available. "I think it's one of the strengths of the festival," Frames of Mind Mental Health Film Festival director Harry Karlinsky said in a phone interview. "Because in the audience are not only cinephiles but also mental-health professionals, those who are there because they may be affected by whatever the issue is or perhaps a family member is, and you have the general public, and a very wide range of different perspectives."

Current issues are addressed by this fourth annual festival (May 10 to 14, Pacific Cinémathí¨que) with screenings like Healthcare 911: The Plight of Immigrant Medical Doctors , which is followed by a panel discussion with the director and the Association of International Medical Doctors of BC. "We're not taking full advantage of many individuals in the health-care system that come from other countries," Karlinsky said. "These folks have to go through hurdles unnecessarily to do what they've been trained to do. We need to do better as a system to sort of welcome and accommodate, not only immigrant doctors but also other health-care professionals."

While also topical, the scheduling of the film The Killer Within (including a discussion with the director) as the festival opener happened before the Virginia Tech massacre. In fact, Karlinsky said it was "more timely than we would like", yet recognizes that "it's a relevant issue regarding the recent tragedy."

On Mother's Day (May 13), the workshop Mommie Dearest: Good and No-So-Good Mothers in the Movies will examine how mothers are depicted in film, with clips shown. All mothers attend the workshop for free.

The full schedule is at www.cinematheque.bc.ca/framesofmind/.

> Craig Takeuchi

Whistler lab solicits western producers
The May 11 deadline for the inaugural Canadian Film Centre Go West Project Lab, happening at Whistler from June 18 to 22, is fast approaching. Up to six Western Canadian producers with a dramatic feature project with international marketability will be chosen.

"What we were looking for was projects that are going to venture out there a lot more aggressively in an international marketplace," CDC director of film programs Kathryn Emslie said in a phone interview from Toronto." There are a lot of other programs in this country that are doing extremely well in terms of feature-film development and packaging, and we didn't want to compete with them. We also looked at what Whistler had as an advantage, which was building very strong north-south relationships."

Successful applicants will have attendance, flight, and accommodations paid for, and will receive individual and project feedback from experts (sales agents, distributors) to help build funding and marketing strategies for their films.

Details are available at www.cfccreates.com/gowest/ . The Project Lab is one of several professional-development initiatives between the Whistler Film Festival and the Canadian Film Centre (whose partnership was announced on November 22, 2006).

> Craig Takeuchi