KING GETS THE NOD AS NOMINEE FOR THE GENIE'S CLAUDE JUTRA AWARD

Released: December 9, 1999

(REGINA) At a press conference Tuesday in Toronto, Canada's Genie Award nominees were announced amidst a sea of national media attention.

The names on the 20th annual Genie Awards nominees were a virtual "who's who" of the country's leading filmmakers and actors, and for the first time, included a Saskatchewan director.

Rob King of Minds Eye Entertainment, and the director of Something More, the first "made-in-Saskatchewan" movie that has received broad national release, was nominated for the Claude Jutra Award.

The Claude Jutra Award for Direction of a First Feature Film, was established in 1993 to recognize talented new filmmakers. The late Claude Jutra is one of Canada's most celebrated filmmakers, renown for his movie masterpiece, Mon oncle Antoine (1971). Past recipients of the award include Don McKellar for Last Night and Thom Fitzgerald for The Hanging Garden.

A panel of 90 Canadian film professionals viewed 31 features and 24 documentaries and shorts. They included King as one of nine filmmakers in Canada who deserved special recognition.

"Claude Jutra was a groundbreaking filmmaker whom I greatly admire. To be nominated for this award, and be named along side the other nominees, is truly an honour."

King is best known for his debut as director of Something More, as the film was released on 55 screens across the country in the fall of '99. Additional selected credits for King include: director of the theatrical short Talker; director, writer and producer on the children's dramatic television series Incredible Story Studio; and, producer on Stranger in Town a family suspense thriller for television starring Harry Hamlin. Rob is a past board member of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild and Past President of the Saskatchewan Motion Picture Association (SMPIA).

Something More was produced by Minds Eye Entertainment and Eighty Seven Bear Images. Executive producer is Kevin DeWalt. Co-executive producer and screenplay writer is Peter Bryant. Kevin DeWalt and Maureen MacDonald are producers. Jon Kranhouse is the director of photography and Ken Krawczyk, c.s.c. is camera operator.

Something More is a present day romantic comedy about a group of 20-something guys bound by basketball, bars and their romantic pursuits and stars: Michael Goorjian (Do Not Disturb, Hard Rain) as "Sam"; Chandra West (Universal Soldier, Revenge of the Land) as "Kelly"; Jennifer Beals (Devil in a Blue Dress, Flashdance) as "Lisa"; David Lovgren (Beggars & Choosers, Poltergeist) as "Jim"; Thomas Cavanagh (Providence, Northern Lights) as "Harry"; Peter Flemming (Detox, Atomic Train) as "Dan"; Wendy Anderson (Sparkle, Incredible Story Studio) as "Joan"; Kurt Max Runte (Sweetwater, Millennium) as "Will"; and, Nathaniel Deveaux (The Jack Bull, Hoods) as "Louie".

King is presently at work on a new feature film as part of his company's recently announced "Saskatoon Initiative" which will see 8 features worth more than $18 million shot in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and surrounding area over the next two years.