Minds Eye Entertainment & BARNA-ALPER PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCE PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY ON THE TELEVISION MOVIE BETRAYED FOR CBC TELEVISION

• Television movie to be filmed on location in southern Saskatchewan and in the Canada-Saskatchewan soundstage in Regina
• Gemini Award-winning director Anne Wheeler (The Investigation, Better Than Chocolate) set to direct

July 11, 2002 – (Regina, SK) Producers Minds Eye Entertainment and Barna-Alper Productions announced the beginning of principal photography on Betrayed, a television movie chronicling a fictional small town suffering from an outbreak of severe water contamination. Directed by Gemini Award winning director Anne Wheeler (The Investigation, Better Than Chocolate), Betrayed will be filmed from July 23 to August 18 in southern Saskatchewan and in the new Canada-Saskatchewan soundstage in Regina. Betrayed will be broadcast on CBC Television in the spring of 2003.

The production is executive produced by Kevin DeWalt of Minds Eye Entertainment and Laszlo Barna of Barna-Alper Productions and is produced by Phyllis Platt.

“We are very pleased to bring Betrayed to Saskatchewan and to the new Canada- Saskatchewan soundstage in Regina,” says executive producer Kevin DeWalt of Minds Eye Entertainment. “The story is universal and will strike a chord with audiences in our own backyards and around the world.”

Betrayed is the story of a town suffering from an outbreak of severe water contamination. Set in the Canadian prairie, the fictional town under attack stands in for communities next door and around the world. Inspired by events in communities in Canada and abroad, Betrayed focuses on an issue that is becoming increasingly important to people everywhere: the safety of food sources and drinking water around the world.

“Betrayed is ultimately a drama,” says executive producer Laszlo Barna of Barna-Alper Productions. “We are interested in building a character drama that engenders a situation that is faced by billions of people around the world.”

“We looked for a director with a love for stories about people who confront extraordinary circumstances, and an eye for action that brings these stories vividly alive,” says producer Phyllis Platt. “Anne Wheeler’s masterful work on The War Between Us, The Sleep Room and her writing on The Diana Kilmury Story made her the perfect choice. She has a wealth of experience in telling stories that move audiences in profound ways.”

Established in 1986, Minds Eye Entertainment is a fully integrated production, post-production and distribution entity with offices across Canada. As Western Canada’s largest privately held film and television production company, Minds Eye Entertainment is currently in production with season two of 2030CE (YTV), season four of Mentors (Family Channel), season one of Just Cause (W network) and season two of Prairie Berry Pie (APTN). The Company website is www.mindseyepictures.com.

Barna-Alper Productions is one of Canada’s most prolific production companies. The Company is currently in production with season five of the award winning drama series Da Vinci’s Inquest (CBC) and season three of Blue Murder (Global). Barna-Alper has also received critical acclaim for their movies of the week, most notably for The Sue Rodriguez Story (CBC), Milgaard (CTV) and Scorn (CBC) - Gemini winner for Best TV Movie in 2001.

Betrayed is produced in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, with the participation of The Canadian Television Fund created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian cable industry, Telefilm Canada: Equity Investment Program, CTF: Licence Fee Program, SaskFilm, CanWest Western Independent Producers Fund, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit Program, Saskatchewan Film Employment Tax Credit, and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit Program.

Betrayed is distributed internationally by CBC International Sales.

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