Today the final episode, 26, of Almost Unsolved Season One airing in Canada on Super Channel. Thank you to all the great interview subjects (including police, forensics, and victim’s families), cast and crew that made this first season happen. We are looking forward to making Season Two but in the meantime R31 is already into production of Almost Unsolved: Heists. A 14-episode series that examines… Heists.
We nearly missed this final episode milestone because the life of a busy production company never slows down. This includes development, pre-production, production, post and then all the little delivery details like the labour film tax credit part. Lots of paperwork but well worth it in the end. It’s a crucial part of any film/television industry in North America.
Manitoba has the most generous tax credit for labour in film and video productions in Canada. As a result, since 1997 when the Progressive Conservative government brought it in, a thriving film-television industry has been established. It’s why you frequently see big movie rigs lining our streets doing all kinds of fun shows. The recent election in Manitoba that the NDP won (congrats to our first First Nations leader and Premiere Designate of Manitoba Wab Kinew) means that a big change could be underway. One of the NDP commitments was that “an NDP government would give a cash advance upfront to companies that come to Manitoba to make movies, instead of issuing refunds after the companies incur expenses.” This is a game changer and means that large and somewhat long-term financing will not be required if it goes forward.
Finally, there’s always a slate of wonderful projects, both series and one-off shows, in development at R31. While some of these never quite find their way into production… sometimes patience and persistence, combined with a great concept, pay off. One of them is a feature doc that’s been a passion of ours at R31 for some time.
The Devil’s Handshake is a concept that came into being in the aftermath of a film called The Paper Nazis. Produced in 2011 by Bottle Rocket World Entertainment and Farpoint Films (this is prior to Refuge 31’s creation), the film explored some uncomfortable truths about about Winnipeg during the pre-war period. During research and production, it was also revealed to filmmaker Andrew Wall there was a deeper connection of extremism to his Mennonite community. including his own family. After over a decade the film is unfortunately as relevant as ever and will begin filming in October. Locations will include New Zealand, Manitoba and Germany.
Stay tuned for more exctiing news in the Fall…