Acclaimed Canadian Director Lenses CTV Original Movie Tripping the Wire: A Stephen Tree Mystery, April 4 on CTV

-- Detective Stephen Tree fights to keep a past crime a secret as
he struggles to solve the brutal murder of a man set on fire --

Toronto, ON (March 17, 2005) – A man on fire, a stolen police gun, and an affair with his ex-wife complicate a street-smart detective’s latest murder investigation as CTV announced today the broadcast date for its next original movie, Tripping the Wire: A Stephen Tree Mystery. The two-hour murder mystery, lensed by acclaimed Canadian director Stephen Surjik, and featuring a compelling performance by Clark Johnson, will air Monday, April 4 at 9 p.m. ET on CTV (check local listings) and in High Definition on CTV HD East and CTV HD West.

** Media Note ** - Photography is available on-line at www.ctvmedia.ca.

Detective Sergeant Stephen Tree (Johnson) has a dark secret that threatens to destroy his life and those around him. Consumed with guilt, he has convinced himself that a lifetime of atonement will balance the karmic books. As Tree attempts to chase away the demons of his past, he must also evade Paul Small (Brendan Fletcher), a menacing criminal who is intent on revealing the detective’s past. Meanwhile, a new crime arises and Tree is soon consumed by yet another hot case: a whistle-blower in the Canadian military who turns up dead after exposing a shameful incident in Bosnia. With mounting pressure from his lieutenant, and spiraling attraction to his ex-wife, criminal psychiatrist Dr. Laura Wing, Tree must dodge an internal investigation while cracking the Canadian military’s code of honor.

The gripping fictional drama stars Johnson, who is no stranger to police procedurals. He directed the Hollywood blockbuster S.W.A.T. after getting his start on Night Heat on CBS, which culminated in his starring role in Homicide: Life on the Street on NBC. Starring alongside Johnson in the film are Alisen Down (Robson Arms, The Life) as criminal psychiatrist Dr. Laura Wing; Michael Sarrazin (La Femme Nikita, The City) as Tree’s ex-partner Denis Thibault; and Micheline Lanctôt (The Barbarian Invasions, Blood Relatives) as Tree’s boss, Lt. Hélène Peacock.

"Stephen Tree is a beautifully flawed and complicated hero,” said co-producers Anne Marie La Traverse and Francine Allaire. “As Tree, Clark Johnson brings warmth, humour and vulnerability combined with intelligence and fierce single-mindedness - all of which are at the heart of his character. His performance is spellbinding."

Also featured in Tripping the Wire are Peter Stebbings (Madison) as Barnaby Horne; Layne Coleman (This is Wonderland) as Ted Donovan; Brendan Fletcher (The Life and Death of Nancy Eaton) as Paul Small; and Al Goulem (Agent of Influence) as “Schultzy”.

Tripping the Wire was directed by acclaimed Canadian Stephen Surjik who found success working on Canadian hit series Kids in the Hall (1988) and Road to Avonlea (1989). He went on to make his feature film debut directing Hollywood blockbuster Wayne’s World 2, starring Mike Myers in 1993. For television, Surjik also directed the award-winning Little Criminals (1995) and the Emmy-nominated Weapons of Mass Distraction (1997), starring Ben Kingsley and Gabriel Byrne.

Tripping the Wire was produced by Anne Marie LaTraverse (The Eleventh Hour, Lucky Girl), who also helmed the creative development of the project and Gemini Award-winners Francine Allaire (Dr. Lucille: The Lucille Teasdale Story, The Blue Butterfly) and Arnie Gelbart (Cirque du Soleil Fire Within, 15/Love). The screenplay was created by writing partners Greg Spottiswood and Peter Smith (The Zach Files). Ronald Gilbert is the line producer.

Principal photography for Tripping the Wire took place in and around Montreal in September, 2004. The movie is the latest title in a series of CTV original movies and mini-series to air as part of its 2004/05 movie slate. Its airdate follows the Feb. 2 broadcast of Crazy Canucks, the most recent original movie to draw in excess of one million viewers (1.1M). Other CTV titles already broadcast this season include The Life, Lives of the Saints and Choice: The Henry Morgentaler Story. Upcoming movie titles still in production or post-production include Friend of the Family, One Dead Indian, Plague City, Spirit Bear, The Louise Arbour Story and The Man Who Lost Himself: The Terry Evanshen Story.

Tripping the Wire is a Quebec/Ontario co-production, produced by Montreal-based Galafilm Inc. and Toronto-based Pink Sky Entertainment in association with CTV. Lesley Grant is the CTV production executive for the movie. Bill Mustos is Senior Vice-President, Dramatic Programming for CTV. Susanne Boyce is President of CTV Programming and Chair of the Media Group.

For 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 entertainment producers with an expertise of national and 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. www.galafilm.com.

CTV, Canada’s largest private broadcaster, offers a wide range of quality news, sports, information, and entertainment programming. It boasts the number-one national newscast, CTV News With Lloyd Robertson, and is the number-one choice for prime-time viewing. CTV owns 21 conventional television stations across Canada and has interests in 14 specialty channels, including the number-one Canadian specialty channel, TSN. CTV is owned by Bell Globemedia, Canada’s premier multi-media company. More information about CTV may be found on the company Web site at www.ctv.ca.

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For more information contact:

Puelo Deir, Director of Communications
Galafilm Inc.
514-273-4252 ext. 230
pdeir@galafilm.com