(August 31, 2001)….Remembering the brave young men who fought for our country’s freedom, Mentors takes a trip back in time to WWII Normandy with distinguished guest star Mavor Moore (Killing Fields, Alfred Hitchcock Presents). Returning behind the camera is director Grant Harvey (Ginger Snaps). Produced by Anaïd Productions and Minds Eye Entertainment, Mentors is currently filming 13 episodes in and around Edmonton for its third season.

Mentors follows the adventures of young brother and sister team, Simon and Crystal Cates, after their cousin, Oliver, bestows his invention, VisiCron, to them. Using this ingenious computer program, Simon and Crystal zap historical figures into their 21st Century lives to help them solve a particular challenge they’ve encountered. Along the way, the mentors reveal surprising, little-known facts about themselves, adding new hues to their already colourful lives.

Mentors was created by Josh Miller of Minds Eye Entertainment who is producing the series with Margaret Mardirossian of Anaïd Productions with Kevin DeWalt of Minds Eye Entertainment as Executive Producer. The series features Stevie Mitchell (Snow Day, Real Kids – Real Adventures) as Simon, Samantha Krutzfeldt (Orange Seed Myth & Other Lies Mothers Tell) as his sister Crystal, Brian Martell (Texas Rangers) as their father Norm Cates and Jane Sowerby (The Young Person’s Guide To Becoming a Rock Star) as their mother, Peggy.

In this week’s episode, entitled Remembrance Day, Simon is less than thrilled at having to attend a veterans’ ceremony for his curmudgeonly Grandpa Cates (Mavor Moore). Curious about Grandpa Cates’ curt reaction to pictures of him from the war, Crystal attempts to bring back Grandpa’s war buddy, Alex D’Amico, to get some perspective on their Grandpa when he was a young man. But the concussion from an exploding mortar shell accidentally propels Crystal and Simon back to war-torn France. Lost and running for their lives, the kids are saved by two young Canadian soldiers – their grandpa and his buddy, Alex. After 36 hours in a war zone, dodging bullets and encountering many of the horrors of war, Crystal and Simon return to the present with a greater understanding of what their grandfather and men like him experienced. They also bring a gift from the past that helps their grandfather to finally exorcise his demons.

“Having Mavor Moore-- an icon in the Canadian Arts scene-- as this week’s guest star is a great privilege in and of itself,” says producer, Josh Miller. “However, we were overwhelmed when we learned that Mr. Moore is also a WWII veteran who served overseas with both the Militia and Army Intelligence. In a case of art imitating life, Mr. Moore brings a unique understanding to his role that will provide a rare connection between the actor and the character he will portray.”

Historic mentors include Frederick Banting (Matt Frewer in a Gemini Award-winning performance), Albert Einstein (Elliott Gould), Lewis Carroll (Thomas Cavanagh), Napoleon Bonaparte (Saul Rubinek), Ludwig van Beethoven (Henry Czerny), Daniel Boone (Roddy Piper), Dr. James Naismith (Joe Flaherty), Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (William B. Davis), Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Kidder), Casanova (Tony Rosato), Dave Thomas as Oliver’s science teacher, Al Sherman, William Shakespeare (Stephen Ouimette), William Randolph Hearst (Michael Moriarty), Vlad Tepes aka Dracula (Nick Mancuso), Confucius (Henry Chan), Annie Oakley (Megan Follows) and Mack Sennett (Mark McKinney).

Established in 1986, Minds Eye Entertainment is a fully integrated production, post-production and distribution entity with offices in Canada and the U.S. As Western Canada’s largest independent film and television production company, Minds Eye Entertainment has been instrumental in contributing to the country's thriving motion picture industry. Its award-winning feature films, television series, shorts and documentaries have been sold in more than 100 countries. The company website is www.mindseyepictures.com.

Anaïd Productions Inc. is an award-winning film and television production company focused on family programming and documentary series. Anaïd Productions Inc is a recipient of the CCA Rogers Communications award for the arts documentary Ronnie Burkett: A Line of Balance and Alberta Motion Picture Industries Awards for the comedy travel series, The Tourist.

Mentors is produced with the participation of The Family Channel Inc., the Canadian Television Fund created by the Government of Canada and the Canadian cable industry, Telefilm Canada: Equity Investment Program, CTF:Licence Fee Program, Shaw Children’s Programming Initiative: the Dr. Geoffrey R. Conway Fund and the Shaw Television Broadcast Fund, the Alberta Film Development Program, the CFCN Production Fund, CanWest Western Independent Producer’s Fund, Independent Production Fund, The Videon Fund, the Government of Canada Film Tax Credit Program and Minds Eye International.

International distribution of Mentors is provided by Minds Eye International.

Watch Mentors at 8:55 AM on Saturday and Sunday mornings (ET/PT) and Saturdays at 7:30 PM on The Family Channel (check local listings for times and days).

Visit our website at www.mentorstv.com

For more information/interviews, please contact:

Larissa Banting APR
Unit Publicity
(780) 438-8507