#FIRSTLOOK: HIGHLIGHTS FROM COMICON TORONTO 2025

Right in time for March Break, Toronto’s favourite celebration of fandom was back this weekend, March 14 to 16, 2025 at Metro Toronto Convention Centre! With over 400 exhibitors front and center giving guests a chance to buy rare collectibles, this was an opportunity not to be missed. We definitely saw the Demon Slayer effect with lots of swords on-display. Also, this was a chance for fans to meet some of their favourite Artists in person and get custom commissions done!

And if that wasn’t enough there were ample opportunities to purchase autographs and photo ops with some big stars! Just want to see them up close? No problem, there were intimate panels held as well, giving fans a chance to ask their burning questions. Names in attendance included: Jared Padelecki, Karl Urban, James Marsters, Antony Starr, Nathan Mitchell, Jim Beaver, recent Canadian Screen Radius Award recipient Manny Jacinto, and many more. And we confirm with the latter in a quick chat that he indeed will be attending festivities at the end of May.

Drawing the biggest queue was Marvel Television‘s DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN HELL’S KITCHEN booth, which drew attention to their recent collaboration with Mary Brown’s, the Hot Honey Sandwich, while also giving away free branded T-Shirts! Despite the wait being between three to five hours in some instances, a ticketing system allowed fans to go about their day and come back closer to their time. There also was an Arthur and D.W. meet and greet at nostalgic apparel maker Retrokid‘s booth, and also a 30-foot Stay Puft Marshmallow Man photo op.

And did we mention how Toronto keeps stepping-up its Cosplay game? We’ve never seen better costumes than this year! And it was so reassuring seeing guests asking Cosplayers politely for permission to take photographs, creating a safe space for one another. This is the Toronto I know and love.

Our Team was out and about this weekend. Some highlights from the weekend, including panels, celebrities and amazing Cosplay!

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Missed the fun? No to worry, FAN EXPO CANADA is just a few months away. Start planning now here.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong/D. Neves/R. Heaslip)

#FIRSTLOOK: 2025 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARD SPECIAL AWARD RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED

Today, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television (the Canadian Academy) announced a selection of 2025 Special Awards recipients, presented by the Canadian Screen Awards. Marsha Greene, Manny Jacinto, Ellis Jacob, Denise Robert, and This Hour Has 22 Minutes will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to the Canadian and international screen-based industries at the 2025 Canadian Screen Awards, taking place in Toronto from Friday, May 30 to Sunday, June 1, 2025.

“This year’s Special Award recipients have left an enduring impact on both the big and small screens, shaping Canadian storytelling with their creativity, innovation, and commitment,” said Tammy Frick, CEO, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. “These honourees represent the incredible talent and strength of our homegrown creative community, and we are excited to celebrate their achievements at the 2025 Canadian Screen Awards.”

“On behalf of the Canadian Academy’s Board of Directors, I am honoured to offer sincere congratulations to the Academy’s 2025 Special Award recipients — an exceptional group of hardworking, dedicated and talented professionals who have greatly contributed to Canada and have solidified their legacies in Canadian film and television,” said Thomas Santram, Board Chair, Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

The 2025 Special Award recipients are:

The Academy Board of Directors’ Tribute Award, honouring Canadian individuals for their extraordinary impact on the growth of the Canadian media industry, is presented to two titans of Canadian media: President and CEO of Cineplex Ellis Jacob and producer Denise Robert.

Ellis Jacob was appointed President and CEO of Cineplex in October 2003. Since entering the exhibition industry in 1987, his leadership has transformed the movie-going experience for Canadians. Before this, Ellis was President and CEO of Galaxy Entertainment Inc., which he co-founded in 1999. He was Head of Integration for Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., and held leadership positions with Cineplex Odeon Corporation, culminating as COO.

Denise Robert has produced over 45 critically acclaimed features that have won more than 130 awards, including an Oscar for Denys Arcand’s Les invasions barbares, with 33 of her films surpassing one million dollars at the box office. Denise believes in using documentary to highlight serious social issues, and her work has led to tangible change: Paul Arcand’s Les voleurs d’enfance led to Quebec’s youth protection law reforms, while Monic Néron and Émilie Perreault’s La parfaite victime led the Quebec government to create a court specialized in sexual and domestic violence, and Paul Arcand’s Dérapages raised road safety awareness in teenagers.

The Changemaker Award, presented by Insight Productions, which recognizes and honours those in the media community in Canada who are using their voice or platform to call out systemic racism and discrimination, supporting and amplifying the voices of those who are actively engaged in anti-racist work, and seeking structural transformations in media, film, and television in Canada that promote values of equity and inclusion, is presented to executive producer and writer Marsha Greene. Greene was recently the co-creator and showrunner of the Emmy-nominated series The Porter for CBC and BET+, which won a record 12 Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Drama Series and Best Writing, Drama Series. An accomplished executive producer and writer, Marsha previously served as a showrunner on Lifetime’s Mary Kills People, a co-EP on CBC’s breakout hit Coroner, a producer on the ABC series 10 Days in the Valley, and has staffed on shows such as Private Eyes, Departure, and Wild Cards.

The Radius Award, presented by MADE | NOUS, honouring an artist from Canada whose work is leaving a resounding global impact, is presented to actor Manny Jacinto. Jacinto most recently starred in the Star Wars series The Acolyte, Disney+’s second most-watched show in 2024. Up next, he can be seen starring as the male lead in Freakier Friday, and in the independent romantic comedy Love Language. Additional film credits include I Want You Back, Top Gun: Maverick, and Bad Times at the El Royale, and additional television credits include The Good Place, Nine Perfect Strangers, and The Romeo Section, for which he was nominated for a Leo Award.

The Sustainable Production Award, presented by CBC, is awarded to a production that has shown excellence in sustainable production and has had a measurable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and/or innovations in circularity and that has also contributed positively to the Canadian media landscape and local communities. This year, the award is presented to This Hour Has 22 Minutes, the longest-running TV comedy series in Canadian history. The integration of a Sustainability Department has fostered company-wide participation in green practices; its focus on the kinds of materials and services used, repurposing and repairing items, recycling and composting, ensuring a sustainable food service, donations to charities, and mindful travel and transportation practices have resulted in a carbon footprint that is significantly less than the industry average for a half-hour comedy episode, with content that reflects an environmentally friendly ethos.

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “BALESTRA”

Today we get a new Trailer for BALESTRA, coming to theatres August 9, 2024 via Elevation Pictures.

Synopsis:
A competitive fencer agrees to test an experimental device that lets her train within lucid dreams in which she meets a mysterious stranger who will upend her marriage, her psyche, and her path to Olympic gold.

Directed by: Nicole Dorsey
Starring: Cush Jumbo, Manny Jacinto, James Badge Dale, Christin Park, Luke Bilyk

BALESTRA is in theatres August 9, 2024

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)