Horizon Online

SEASONS GREETINGS

2011-12-12T15:15:00.000-08:00

With another year coming to a close, I am looking forward to time with family and friends and spending some quality time developing film and television projects for 2011.

MATCHING BLUE and DEAD STILL with Massey Productions and STRAIGHT AND NARROW with Reunion Pictures are three films I will Executive Produce in 2012 as well as writing episodes of the human interest series ENVIRONS and pilot PAPPY.

2012 will also be the year of Damon Vignale's THE EXHIBITION, the story of painter Pamela Masik's creation of paintings of Robert Pickton's victims.

AFM TIME

2011-10-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

With the continuing changes in demand for film rights, I have made changes to Horizon’s business plan with a focus on television rights licensing, executive production services for theatrical pictures, direct to VOD releases of what was previously described as “direct to video” titles and all rights distribution in Canada.

Indeed the videocassette/dvd business has turned out to be a “bubble”. The invention of the videocassette got me into the film business with Vestron from television at CBC and got me producing films like By The Sword with R. Murray Abraham and Managua with Louis Gossett Jr. and I am thankful for that – but time to move to the next opportunity.

The safest way to avoid piracy is to produce and sell directly to tv , release home entertainment titles directly to VOD and make damn sure your theatrical pictures are indeed that – something that people will go to see in the theatre and thereby make up for the losses due to piracy with the increased value of TV and legitimate VOD.

Film markets are for the theatrical films and the TV markets for tv product and I will reduce my attendance at these in order to increase the return to my filmmakers by reducing distribution expenses. It is time to reduce the carbon footprint of film and television distribution in any case.

So to my good customers and interested parties, you will hear from me in the electronic medium and attendance at Cannes, the Toronto International Film Festival, Whistler, Banff and MIP.

I will be approaching international theatrical distributors as an executive producer, not as an agent, and look forward to talking to those of you who share my vision of what makes a picture theatrical.

SHARKWISE

2011-04-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

Earth, Air, Fire or Water, Marc Sluszny has tested his bravado in them all.

Daredevil, extreme athlete, adventurer, motivational speaker, Mark approaches life with daring and panache and looks to excel at what he does. His motto is "It is not how good you are, only how good you want to be".

With a life much like an award winning tv series, his life episodes include competitions, awards, records and prizes in everything from bungee jumping to fencing using every machine as a partner for adventures in between.

The film SHARKWISE is his latest thrilling episode.

What does it mean to be "sharkwise"? We are hearing more and more about the plight of the world's sharks and that is part of it, but the most important part of being sharkwise is understanding that this is not just our world. Compared to the shark we are newcomers.

With great power, SHARKWISE, will let you experience in a very powerful way what it is like to recognize that both humans and sharks are equally vulnerable to their environments, and humans respecting sharks is as important as respecting each other. Everything is interconnected.

The climax of this film will leave you without doubt of this truth.

MUSIC FROM THE BIG HOUSE

2011-04-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

The "House" in Music From The Big House is full of metaphors about life. Just being in prison cements one's understanding about the meaning of life, as in the case of these mostly black men, who are there for life.

But with music brought to their lives you see love, joy and happiness - not despair, hate and fear. "Music helps me escape" says one - "A new soundtrack is being born" says another. And for award winning blues artist Rita Chiarelli a dilemna - how can these be men to love and attach to when there are so many victims of their crimes?

You will find a viewing of this film a very powerful and musical experience.

The graphic for this film says something about how these men are notes in a composition that is our lives, and some of us are key notes and some of us are sharps and flats.

Rita Chiarrelli is a Juno award winning recording artist known as The Canadian Goddess of the Blues.

Producer Erin Faith Young is an Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee for her short documentary "Hardood" (2006)

Director, Bruce MacDonald (Hard Core Logo) is one of Canada's best.

HOW TO BOIL A FROG - A Primer on "Overshoot"

2011-04-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

Time to pay attention folks. Actually we are in OT already. As soon as we accept that all decisions are environmental decisions the healthier we all will be.

But with Jon Cooksey's , FROG, we can at least have some fun understanding and making these important decisions.

Put yourself front and centre like Jon when it comes to these decisions and lets save all the frogs.

In the film, Cooksey proposes 5 solutions you can actually do to save the planet. I'm going to give you one: Stop buying stuff! Buying used, recycling, reclaiming, repairing and repurposing is good for the planet and sends a message to companies that create stuff that we are responsible consumers who are sick of them filling the world with breakable garbage. To find out the rest, you'll have to watch the film!

www.howtoboilafrog.com

Bong Of The Dead

2011-04-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

So you want this to be fun and you won't be disappointed.

The film works great.

Loony stoner buddies, hot girl zombie warrior, great zombie attack, robots, monster pot plants, asteroids, red blood and green goo!

Filmmaker Thomas Newman had his career dream of being a Best Buy salesman shattered when the economic downturn got him laid off - so he decided to become a filmmaker instead!

Check out this news story:

Lucky for us - he would have had to overcharge us at Best Buy but instead has created this very entertaining film at exceptional value.

Made in Thomas' Vancouver basement for about $5000, the film has "party" written all over it. Meaning you should have one, and with whatever mind bending add on you like, watch the film and enjoy the story and filmmaking.

Coming right up is Bong of the Dead - The Sequel, where the zombies get organized with the help of a robot creator who clones them all to protect their now mega commodity "green goo" - and their heads and brains! It will be the brains of the stoners that are damaged from the mega pot.

NINJA'S CREED aka ROYAL KILL

2011-04-07T14:11:00.000-07:00

If you have checked out the trailers you probably know why Gail Kim is described as a WWE Diva! But just in case you need a bigger clue:

This film is also beloved character actor Pat Morita's (Karate Kid) last film. He passed away shortly after the film opened on AMC screens as the lowest budget film ever released on AMC screens, (budget was just under $1m) and did a $5200 per screen average the first week and a $3500 per screen average over its three week run. Lion's Gate released the film on DVD under the title Ninja's Creed where it shipped in volume nationwide to Blockbuster and Walmart.

You also would have noticed that the film is based on true events. This refers to The Nepali royal massacre which occurred on Friday, June 1, 2001, at a house in the grounds of the Narayanhity Royal Palace, then the residence of the Nepalese monarchy, when the heir to the throne, Prince Dipendra killed nine members of his family and himself. The dead included King Birendra of Nepal and Queen Aiswarya, Dipendra's father and mother. Prince Dipendra became de jure King of Nepal upon his father's death and died whilst in a coma three days after the act. Gyanendra then became king.

A surviving princess who fled to America is the target of an asassin played by Gail Kim in this fictional spin on the massacre.

The film features some top flight foot and sword fight sequences. I think you will enjoy it.

Olympic Opening Ceremonies

2010-02-15T12:21:00.000-08:00

For those of you that missed it and those of you that didn't see what I saw, here is what I sent to my son about the power and relevance of the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

This theme was presented with some very strong performances and staging that really did rival Beijing.

In particular the performance of KD Laing who with her unique appearance was able to represent us all.

"Dear Evan,

You mentioned that some of your school friends thought the First Nations participation in last night’s ceremony was overdone. Maybe today after thinking about the theme of last nights ceremony they will change their mind.

Our world is made up of many different people that populate a global consciousness. The strength of this consciousness comes from acceptance of all people and their cultures. I was proud at the way that all groups in our culture were represented. The ceremony changed “politically correct” to simply correct as it allowed Aboriginal Canadians, French Canadians, New Canadians, Women, Gay and Lesbians - a more prominent place than the current reality. The understanding that this is correct is what will bring peace to the world.

And the one minute of silence for the Georgian athlete, a man just your age, allowed an opportunity to understand how powerful global consciousness is to the health of all people in the world. His life blessed this understanding."