GALAFILM INC.


For over 15 years, Galafilm has been at the forefront of independent film and television production in Canada. Founded and helmed by Arnie Gelbart, the company has grown into one of Canada’s leading producers with a expertise of international co-productions. Synonymous with high-quality production values, Galafilm’s catalogue boasts over 200 hours of award winning and commercially successful entertainment content that aim to educate and entertain worldwide audiences. Galafilm’s diverse slate includes documentaries, youth programs, television dramas and feature films.

A pioneer in Canadian documentary production Galafilm built its reputation by producing close to 150 hours of cutting edge and socially reflective documentaries. Brian McKenna’s widely controversial The Valour and the Horror won three Gemini awards including Best Direction and Best Documentary Series. Since then, the company has earned numerous accolades for its documentaries resulting in a 2003 Primetime Emmy award for Cirque du Soleil Fire Within and a 2004 Prix Europa for TV Current Affairs: Television for the critically-acclaimed The Origins of AIDS. In 2004 and 2005, Galafilm won the Gémeaux Awards for Best Documentary Series for Marché Jean-Talon and Big Sugar.

Galafilm has been a hit with the kids since its first foray into children’s programming; the award winning Tale of Teeka. Following this success the company produced four seasons of the Canada/UK co-production and international hit The Worst Witch. Current youth programs include the highly popular 15/Love, co-produced with France’s Marathon International and Fungus the Bogeyman, produced with production partner Indie Kids based in the UK.

Galafilm’s feature film ventures are striking. The company has produced six feature films, each directed by one of Canada’s pre-eminent talents. Lea Pool’s The Blue Buttefly (2004) was the second highest domestic box-office English-language hit in Canada. Arto Paragamian’s Two Thousand and None (2000) was honoured at the Taormina International Film Festival. Thom Fitzgerald’s The Hanging Garden, was winner of the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival Audience Award for Most Popular Film and John Greyson’s Lilies (1996), won four Genie Awards (Canada’s Academy Awards) including Best Motion Picture. Galafilm's latest feature films include La Rage de l’ange, directed by Dan Bigras, and Steel Toes, directed by David Gow and Mark Adam.

As Galafilm’s production slate has expanded so has its creative pursuits. In the last few years, Galafilm has co-produced several successful television dramas. 2003’s Agent of Influence starred Christopher Plummer and Marina Orsini. This true-to-life story of espionage was sold in 130 territories worldwide. Bliss I-III, the groundbreaking erotic anthology series directed and told from a woman’s perspective garnered numerous awards and international recognition. Tripping the Wire: A Stephen Tree Mystery with Clark Johnson has been crowned Best TV Movie at the Geminis 2005. Directed by Charles Binamé, Hunt for Justice: The Louise Arbour Story featuring a stellar international cast including Wendy Crewson, John Corbett, William Hurt, Heino Ferch, Stipe Erceg and Leslie Hope will soon be broadcast on CTV.

Domestic and international broadcast partners include CBC, Radio-Canada, CTV, The Global Television Network, TVOntario, History Television, YTV Canada, Discovery Canada and Discovery US, Showcase, PBS, Bravo!, Bravo US, Oxygen, Channel 4, ITV, France2 and La Cinquième. International coproducers include Indie Kids (UK), France2, Marathon International (France), Multimedia France Productions (MFP) and Germany’s Tatfilm.