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CTV Canada AM
Interview
Director/producer Leslie Bland
Director/producer Ian Ferguson
WATCH HERE
CTV News
Victoria Film Festival Preview
WATCH HERE
CTV Interview
with Graham Neil
Director/producer Leslie Bland
Actress/singer-songwriter Tracy Thomas
CTV News at Five
Interview
Director/producer Leslie Bland
Actress/singer-songwriter Tracy Thomas
CTV Morning Live News
Interview
Director/producer Leslie Bland
Actress/singer-songwriter Tracy Thomas
City Breakfast TV – Entertainment City
Interview
Director/producer Leslie Bland
Actress/singer-songwriter Tracy Thomas
Global TV
Review
Director/producer Leslie Bland
Actress/singer-songwriter Tracy Thomas
The Globe and Mail –
“Documentary Gone South looks at the Canadian presence
in Hollywood”
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Times Colonist: “Documentary looks at Canadians who have made it in Hollywood”
Read MoreEdmonton Journal article –
“A conversation with Shannon Tweed – Reality TV star featured in new film at Edmonton International Film Fest”
READ HEREVue Weekly article –
“Southward bound – A look at Canadians in Hollywood is one of 130 films at the Edmonton International Film Fest”
READ HEREEdmonton Sun article –
“Canadians in Hollywood subject of documentary”
READ HEREGig City article –
“Shannon Tweed on Hollywood”
READ HEREMarket Wired Press Release –
“Canadian Hollywood Documentary Heads South for World Premiere at Florida Documentary Film Festival”
READ HERESunSentinel article –
“Documentary film fest comes to Boca this weekend”
– Marci Shatzman
READ HERESouthFlorida.com article –
“Florida Documentary Film Festival has moviegoers seeing stars”
– Phillip Valys
READ HERECanCulture: “How Canada created Hollywood”
– Rachel Surman
Gone South champions Canadian culture by arguing that without Canadian influence, Hollywood would be unrecognizable as it is today.
“It reminds Canadians that for years and decades we have punched above our weight in Hollywood,” says Bland. “Canadians have a great track record of success, with not only developing culture within Canada, but internationally as well.” Bland cites famous Canadians in Hollywood such as the Warner brothers and Louis B. Mayer, the film producer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in its golden years. Out of the first four Academy Award winners, three of them were Canadian, including “Americaʼs Sweetheart” Mary Pickford.
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Times Colonist: “Making documentary on Canadian stars a joy for Victoria filmmakers”
– Michael D. Reid
Years after retiring as longtime host of Let’s Make a Deal, Monty Hall still lives up to its title with charm to spare.
So says Ian Ferguson, recalling his visit with the creator of the iconic TV game show, and Marilyn, his wife of 66 years, at their palatial Beverly Hills home. Hall, 92, made Ferguson and co-producer Les Bland an offer they couldn’t refuse before they shot material for Gone South: How Canada Invented Hollywood, their light-hearted documentary about the influence Canadians have had on pop culture.
“First, you should have some coffee, muffins and fruit,” said the Winnipeg-born showbiz veteran who wasn’t the only legendary Canadian-born game show host the Less Bland Productions partners met while in Los Angeles.
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Times Colonist: “Victoria partners’ film focuses on Canada’s star exports”
– Michael D. Reid
“Canadians south of the border tend to support each other and that’s what we’ve experienced,” Bland said in an interview. “As the story travels through the Timbits grapevine, more and more Canadian stars are getting wind of it and want to be involved.”
Ferguson, an award-winning author and humourist, and Bland, a University of Victoria theatre instructor and former artistic director of Kaleidoscope Theatre, are heading to Hollywood next month to conduct interviews and shoot Canadian stars in action. They also plan to fly to New York to film famous Canadians who live and work there.
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Times Colonist: “Filmmakers aim to take lighthearted look at Canada’s influence on Tinseltown”
– Michael D. Reid
Like the South Park song says, blame Canada.
That’s what Ian Ferguson and Leslie Bland are doing – tongue-in-cheek, naturally – with Gone South: How Canada Invented Hollywood, their documentary to be launched next year with publication of Ferguson’s book of the same name.
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