Today, Prime Video revealed the first look images and character descriptions for Season Two of American Rust: Broken Justice. All 10 episodes will be available on March 28, 2024, exclusively on Prime Video in the U.S., UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

Returning from Season One:

Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom) returns as Detective Del Harris. A complicated and compromised Pittsburgh detective who is desperately trying to make up for past wrongs but can’t seem to avoid danger at every turn.

Maura Tierney (The Affair) returns as Grace Poe. A strong-willed and brazen woman from a devastated Pennsylvania town whose loyalty to her boyfriend, Del Harris, leads her to both cover up and commit crimes of her own.

David Alvarez (West Side Story, 2021) returns as Isaac English. A young man struggling to find himself following the death of his father. His quest for happiness takes a sharp and sinister turn when a mysterious lover enters his life.

Alex Neustaedter (Colony) returns as Billy Poe. A former football star who recently served time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He’s reeling from the violence he experienced behind bars, struggling internally to overcome the fear and stress caused by his trauma.

Julie Mayorga (Rare Objects) returns as Lee English. A young paralegal who finds herself working for a large fracking company that she suspects is conducting nefarious business practices. Her righteous nature leads her to defy her client, ultimately putting herself in danger.

Mark Pellegrino (Supernatural) returns as Virgil Poe. Grace Poe’s philandering ex-husband and father to Billy. He takes over the town pub and makes it his mission to guide his traumatized son to closure through revenge.

Rob Yang (Succession) returns as Chief Steve Park. Buell’s newly minted Chief of Police, he’s taken the reins from Harris but has serious suspicions of his former boss’ past actions and potential crimes. Steadfast in his skepticism, he makes it his mission to bring Harris down.

Kyle Beltran (Inventing Anna) returns as Detective Fisher. A detective from Pittsburgh PD who came to interview Del about the death of his former partner Chuck Castellanos in the Season One finale and will continue digging in Season Two.

Joining the cast for Season Two:

Luna Lauren Velez (Dexter) is Detective Angela Burgos. A sharp Pittsburgh Homicide detective with a short fuse and caustic wit, she’s Del Harris’s new partner.

Nick Sandow (Orange Is the New Black) as Mike Orr. An irreverent department veteran, Mike throws his weight around to meet his needs – cutting corners and secret handshakes.

Britian Seibert (A Murder at the End of the World) as Cynthia Frazier. A working-class police officer, Cynthia takes her work seriously, despite difficult personalities and trying circumstances.

Marc Menchaca (Ozark) is Vic Walker. Cynthia’s boyfriend on the Force, this seemingly-genial cop has a dark side — and he’s a member of Mike Orr’s squad.

Christopher Denham (Billions) as Russell Wolff. A management-level employee at Landwill Energy. He can easily occupy two worlds, and is equally comfortable around executives in the C-suite and blue-collar workers at a job site.

Amelia Workman (FBI) as Rinna Bransford. Rinna is a smart, well-dressed attorney with an upscale law firm. She’s handling the Landwill Energy case, and she and her mentee, Lee English, are getting buried in paperwork.

Leon Addison Brown (The Knick) as Chief Bolt. A tough precinct chief with the Pittsburgh Police Department.

Sara Lindsey (High Desert) as Maya Park. Artsy, smart, and self-assured, she is the wife of Steve Park.

ABOUT THE SERIES

American Rust: Broken Justice takes us back to the fictional small town of Buell, Pennsylvania. Del Harris (Daniels) and Grace Poe (Tierney) try to rebuild their lives after the harrowing events of Season One. Season Two picks up with a string of seemingly unrelated murders, hinting at a much larger conspiracy that threatens everyone in this small, tight-knit town.

Based on Philipp Meyer’s critically acclaimed novel of the same name, the first season of American Rust premiered on Showtime, exploring the tattered American Dream in a Rust Belt town in southwest Pennsylvania through the eyes of police chief Del Harris. Harris becomes compromised when the son of the woman he loves (Tierney) is accused of murder, and he is forced to decide what he’s willing to do to protect him.

American Rust: Broken Justice is executive produced by Dan Futterman, Adam Rapp, Jeff Daniels, Paul Martino, Michael De Luca, Ivan Schneeberg, David Fortier, Nick Nantell, Katie O’Connell Marsh, and Elisa Ellis.

American Rust: Broken Justice is produced and distributed globally by Boat Rocker.

About Boat Rocker:

Today, Prime Video announced it has ordered Benito Skinner’s Overcompensating to series. Skinner (pictured above, left) will write, star, and executive produce with Jonah Hill, Matt Dines, and Ali Goodwin of Strong Baby. Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Charli XCX (pictured above, right) will produce original music for the series. Overcompensating is co-produced by A24 and Amazon MGM Studios and set to stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Overcompensating is a college-set ensemble comedy about the wild, chaotic journey of Benny (Skinner), a closeted former football player and homecoming king, as he becomes fast friends with Carmen, a high school outsider on a mission to fit in at all costs. With guidance from Benny’s older sister and her campus-legend boyfriend, Benny and Carmen juggle horrible hookups, flavored vodka, and fake IDs. Deeply funny and personal, the show explores the lengths to which we all overcompensate while on the path to finding out who we really are.

“The moment we heard this story from Benny, we knew it was an irresistible, bold story that would captivate and inspire our global Prime Video customers,” said Nick Pepper, head of U.S. SVOD wholly owned development, Amazon MGM Studios. “We look forward to Benito’s laugh-out-loud series coming to life with original music from Charli XCX and all the talented teams involved at A24 and Strong Baby who consistently deliver beautifully executed storytelling.”

“I am so honored and excited to be partnering with Prime Video, A24, and Strong Baby to bring you Overcompensating,” said Skinner. “I wrote this pilot four years ago in an attempt to make people laugh, feel a little less alone, and maybe to work through some residual college trauma. Since then, the project has found the perfect partners and we are all so excited for people to see this show we love so much. I also want to thank Charli XCX for not being freaked out when I asked her if she would do the music before even introducing myself. Highly recommend! Mom and Dad… I’m going back to college!”

Skinner can be recognized from his viral characters and sketches under the name Benny Drama, where he has collaborated with Jennifer Aniston, Kourtney Kardashian, Drew Barrymore, and others. One of Variety’s “Comics to Watch,” he will next be seen co-starring alongside Chelsea Peretti, Amy Poehler, Kate Berlant, and Meg Stalter in the feature film First Time Female Director. Skinner also recently completed a nationwide live-theater tour of his beloved podcast, Ride, alongside co-host Mary Beth Barone. Other television appearances include Queer as Folk and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Benito Skinner created the series, will write, and executive produce. Jonah Hill, Matt Dines, and Ali Goodwin will executive produce for Strong Baby, and Charli XCX will serve as executive music producer. The series is produced by A24 and Amazon MGM Studios.

Today we get the brand-new Canadian Trailer for THE WATCHERS directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan.

Synopsis:

From producer M. Night Shyamalan comes “The Watchers,” written and directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan and based on the novel by A.M. Shine. The film follows Mina, a 28-year-old artist, who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night. You can’t see them, but they see everything.

“The Watchers” stars Dakota Fanning (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Ocean’s Eight”), Georgina Campbell (“Barbarian,” “Suspicion”), Oliver Finnegan (“Creeped Out,” “Outlander”) and Olwen Fouere (“The Northman,” “The Tourist”). The film is produced by M. Night Shyamalan, Ashwin Rajan and Nimitt Mankad. The executive producers are Jo Homewood and Stephen Dembitzer.

Joining writer/director Shyamalan behind-the-camera are director of photography Eli Arenson (“Lamb,” “Hospitality”), production designer Ferdia Murphy (“Lola,” “Finding You”), editor Job ter Burg (“Benedetta,” “Elle”) and costume design by Frank Gallacher (“Sebastian,” “Aftersun”). The music is by Abel Korzeniowski (“Till,” “The Nun”).New Line Cinema presents “The Watchers,” set to open in theatres in Canada on June 7, 2024; it will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Today we get a new Trailer about Carol Doda Topless at the Condor. Doda is known as the first ever topless dancer in America and the Documentary explores her fascinating story. This is part of THE IMPACT SERIES.

Synopsis:

Against the backdrop of the 1964 Republican Convention, a San Francisco cocktail waitress became one of the city’s most popular entertainers after making her debut as America’s first topless dancer. The new documentary feature Carol Doda Topless at the Condor tells the story of the fresh-faced girl next door who defied convention and the law by gyrating atop a white baby grand piano and turning a North Beach nightclub into the city’s second-most-popular tourist attraction after the Golden Gate Bridge. Meanwhile, Doda’s very public use of silicone to enhance her breasts launched a new industry. Directors Marlo McKenzie and Jonathan Parker share an unprecedented look at Doda’s life and legacy, as well as a behind-the-scenes tour of the vibrant, sometimes outrageous and always entertaining world of North Beach.

CAROL DODA TOPLESS AT THE CONDOR arrives in theatres in the following cities on April 5, 2024:

Toronto
Vancouver
Ottawa
Waterloo
Edmonton
Montreal (TBC)

It opens in Victoria on April 12, 2024.

Cast and crew from Netflix’s Code 8 Part II descended upon the TIFF Lightbox this evening for the film’s world premiere, followed by a lively Q&A. Fans cheered as Robbie Amell, Stephen Amell, Jeff Chan, Aaron Abrams, Jean Yoon, Alex Mallari Jr. and Sirena Gulamgaus, among other cast members, walked the red carpet; celebrating this Canadian-made film in the city where the Code 8 universe first came to life.

Filmed across the GTA, Hamilton and Kingston, Code 8 Part II releases globally on Netflix February 28, 2024.

Photos from the Premiere by George Pimentel:

(Photo/video credit: Netflix Canada/George Pimentel)

Paramount+ celebrates the triumphant return of iconic Latina heroine Dora the Explorer with the reveal of the official trailer and key art for the upcoming original preschool series DORA. Produced by Nickelodeon Animation and featuring 26 CG-animated 11-minute episodes, DORA will premiere on Friday, April 12, exclusively on Paramount+ in Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and Australia.

With all-new CG animation and imaginative character-driven storylines, the upcoming DORA series follows everyone’s favorite bilingual explorer, Dora (Diana Zermeño), and her best monkey friend, Boots (Asher Colton Spence), as they embark on epic adventures in a fantastical rainforest. Guided by trustworthy Map (Anairis Quiñones), Dora and her friends must work together to overcome many obstacles while being challenged by the sneakiest fox, Swiper (Marc Weiner). Kathleen Herles, the original voice of Dora the Explorer, returns to the new series as Mami, and Mike Smith Rivera joins the cast as Papi.

In addition to Zermeño’s breakout role as Dora, previously announced cast members joining DORA include Maria Canals-Barrera as Abuela; Danny Burstein as Grumpy Old Troll and The Fiesta Trio’s Frog and Marmoset; Katarina Sky as Backpack; Donovan Monzon-Sanders as Tico; Tandi Fomukong as Isa; Quintún Muñoz as Benny; Chris Gifford as Big Red Chicken; and Quiñones as The Fiesta Trio’s Armadillo. Featured guest stars this season are Taboo as Quickatoo and Kate del Castillo as Ale the Alebrije.

DORA is produced by Nickelodeon Animation in Burbank, California. Rich Magallanes, Chris Gifford and Valerie Walsh Valdes serve as executive producers. Henry Lenardin-Madden serves as co-executive producer, and Alejandro Bien-Willner serves as story editor. Marielle Kaar is Nickelodeon’s Executive in Charge of Production for the series. DORA THE EXPOLORER was created by Chris Gifford, Valerie Walsh Valdes and Eric Weiner.

Also launching this spring is DORA’S RECIPE FOR ADVENTURE, Nickelodeon’s brand-new podcast for preschoolers and families, which centers on Dora and celebrates culture, food, family and the importance of embracing oneself. Featuring all-new music, the 10-episode audio series follows Dora and Boots on their exciting expeditions through the rainforest as they search for the missing ingredients for some of her family’s favorite dishes, such as caldo de piedra (stone soup), arroz con huevos (rice with eggs) and maduros (fried sweet plantains). DORA’S RECIPE FOR ADVENTURE will be available wherever listeners get their podcasts.

Since its launch on Nickelodeon on August 14, 2000, DORA THE EXPOLORER quickly emerged as a global pop culture phenomenon, and nearly 25 years later, it’s still one of the most-watched preschool shows of all time. Dora has crossed social, racial and language boundaries and stands as a hero and friend to millions of children around the world. The series currently is seen in more than 150 countries and territories and translated in 32 languages through Nickelodeon channels, Paramount+ around the globe and syndication. Over its eight-season run, which is currently available to stream in full on Paramount+, DORA THE EXPLORER received countless accolades, including Emmy, Peabody, NAACP, Alma, Imagen, Latino Spirit, Gracie Allen, Parents’ Choice, Common Sense Media and Television Critics Association awards.

Today, Prime Video announced that it has ordered The Runarounds to series. Produced by Skydance Television and created by Jonas Pate (Outer Banks, Aquarius), with a teleplay from David Wilcox (666 Park Avenue, Fringe), The Runarounds is a fictional YA drama, inspired by the real band of the same name. The new eight-episode series will premiere on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

The fictional series stars the real-life band’s members—William Lipton, Axel Ellis, Jeremy Yun, Zendé Murdock, and Jesse Golliher—along with Lilah Pate and Kelley Pereira.

The series follows a tight-knit group of young adults from all walks of life who come together to form a rock band the summer after graduating from high school. Against the backdrop of Wilmington, North Carolina, The Runarounds will have to choose between succumbing to the pressures of real life, or risking it all to become the greatest band of all time.

“When we first met with Jonas and Skydance about The Runarounds, it was immediately clear that they brought us a special show featuring an incredibly talented cast and real-life band,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios. “We are very much looking forward to sharing the exhilarating journey of The Runarounds with our global Prime Video customers.”

Jonas Pate, who directed the pilot episode which was shot in 2022, will also serve as executive producer of The Runarounds, along with David Wilcox, Joon Yun, Josh Pate, Shannon Burke, Lisa Mae Fincannon, and Scott Lambert, with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Matt Thunell for Skydance Television.

“I am thrilled to reunite with Jonas, David, Josh, and Shannon on a show that is so personal to them, and so brimming with heart and soul. We are grateful to Amazon for their partnership, and we can’t wait for the world to meet The Runarounds,” said Matt Thunell, president, Skydance Television.

The series marks Skydance Television’s fifth project with Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video following the hit series Reacher and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, as well as the upcoming Cross and the recently announced action-adventure series starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham.

Canadian Music Week, which has selected the conference’s spotlight country this year as India, is pleased to announce the 23^rd annual Jim Beam® INDIES on June 6, 2024, at Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall, with a headlining set by Canadian-born chart-topper AR Paisley. 

The rising rapper, whose Spotify monthly listeners leapt from 1.1M to 3.2M since December, won Hip-Hop/Rap Artist of the Year at last year’s INDIES.

The awards, sponsored by Jim Beam® and SiriusXM, are a celebration of new music and the artists and teams who inspire the independent spirit, both nationally and internationally. The evening will include award presentations interspersed with live performances by select nominees. 

AR Paisley, who has a top 10 hit in Canada with a feature rap on the posthumous single “Drippy” by his friend and mentor the late Sidhu Moose Wala, will take the stage for a full set to cap the night. The winner of the 2024 Jim Beam® National Talent Search will kick off the INDIES.

Tickets will be on sale at Ticketmaster on Tuesday Feb 27^th 10:00 AM, 2024.

Born into an Indo-Canadian Punjabi Sikh family, in Mississauga, Ontario, Paisley, whose real name is Amarit Rehal, conveys raw vulnerability through his explosive verses. Taking his stage name from the street he was raised on (Paisley Boulevard), he turned to creating music after a turbulent grade 12. In 2018, he started releasing singles including “Beat the Odds” and “Lavish,” then dropped his debut mixtape, Screwface, which gained over five million streams. He followed it up with Timeless, which included “Cost Ya,” which racked over a million streams and put him on the Toronto music map in 2019. That year, he toured with Sidhu Moose Wala.

2020 saw Paisley refine his craft with AR Paisley vs. AR Money and the reflective single “Still Grateful.” Collaborating with another Punjabi superstar, AP Dhillon, on “Takeover” expanded his reach to global audiences. In 2022, Paisley and Moose Wala collaborated on “Love Sick,” to date his most popular song on Spotify. Shortly after, he performed at Rolling Loud and opened for Dhillon’s arena tour before embarking on his own solo tour in 2023. In June, he was named Hip-Hop/Rap Artist of the Year at the Jim Beam® INDIES.

Since then, Paisley has signed 91 North Records, a joint venture between Warner Music Canada and Warner Music India, and dropped the single “What’s Beef” and the Wala track, “Drippy.”

Nominations for the 23^rd Annual Jim Beam® INDIES are being accepted through indies.ca until Feb. 27, 2024. Artists or their representatives can submit their nominations to be considered for the 2024 Jim Beam® INDIE Awards, with national music release dates that must fall between the eligibility period of January 1, 2023, and April 1, 2024. For complete nomination details, eligibility criteria and award categories, see “criteria” on the INDIES’ website. 

ABOUT CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK: 

Canadian Music Week is the leading annual event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country’s music, media and entertainment industries, combining multifaceted, information-intensive conferences, a trade exposition, awards shows and the nation’s largest new music festival.

Disney Branded Television, BBC Studios Kids & Family and Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) have announced that the next installments of“Bluey,” including an extended length special, will premiere this April, marking the series’ first global rollout. The first new episode, “Ghostbasket,” will premiere on Sunday, April 7, teeing up the debut of the 28-minute special, “The Sign,” premiering a week later on Sunday, April 14. Both episodes will air first via ABC Kids in Australia and then roll out globally the same day across Disney+, Disney Junior and Disney Channel in Canada and all other available regions (with the exception of China and New Zealand).

“The Sign”marks “Bluey’s” longest ever episode. “Ghostbasket” is a standard-length episode. Both episodes are penned by series creator and writer Joe Brumm, directed by Richard Jeffery, and produced by Ludo Studio. Ten new episodes of the series premiered on Disney+ in January and will begin rolling out on Disney Channel and Disney Junior beginning March 25 – April 5.

Since launching in Australia in 2018, “Bluey” has gained millions of fans around the world, widely lauded for its heartfelt and funny portrayal of family life and celebration of play. The series follows Bluey, a loveable and inexhaustible Blue Heeler dog who lives with her Mum, Dad and little sister, Bingo.

A global ratings hit, the critically acclaimed serieshas been recognized with numerous awards, including a fifth consecutive AACTA Best Children’s Programme award, International Kids Emmy^® Award, the Television Critics Association Award, BAFTA Children & Young People Awards, Kidscreen Awards, Critics’ Choice Award nominations and many more.

Jointly commissioned by ABC Children’s and BBC Studios Kids & Family, “Bluey”is created and written by Joe Brumm and produced by the multiple Emmy Award-winning Ludo Studio in association with Screen Queensland and Screen Australia. The series streams to Canadian and global audiences (outside of Australia, New Zealand and China) across Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney+ through a global broadcasting deal between BBC Studios Kids & Family and Disney Branded Television.

Canadian Film Fest (CFF) presented by Super Channel, the indie-spirited festival dedicated to celebrating Canadian filmmakers, today announced its lineup for the 2024 edition. New this year, CFF is extending the Festival to six days and expanding its shorts programming by screening six dedicated Homegrown Shorts programs, including a spotlight on Toronto filmmakers. CFF will return to Cineplex’s Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto, showcasing 11 features and 45 shorts and will take place March 18 – 23, 2024. Tickets go on sale March 4 and can be purchased at canfilmfest.ca.

CFF will transport cinefiles across Canada with feature films from Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia. The Festival will kick off with Ian Harnarine’s Doubles, executive produced by Spike Lee, about a Trinidadian street vendor who travels to Toronto to decide if he will help save his estranged father from dying. The film is adapted from Ian’s acclaimed short Doubles with Slight Pepper, which won Best Canadian Short Film at TIFF 2011 and Best Live Action Short Drama at the 2012 CSAs. Other festival highlights include Audrey Cummings’ Western Place of Bones starring Heather Graham and Tom Hopper about a bank robbery gone wrong in 1876; Anna Fahr’s compelling Valley of Exile, about two sisters seeking refuge in Lebanon after fleeing their home during the Syrian civil war; Winnipeg director Sean Garrity’s moving film The Burning Season chronicling an affair unfolding backwards in a reverse narrative; and the deeply personal documentary WaaPake (Tomorrow) where director Dr. Jules Arita Koostachin shares the impact and suffering of residential school Survivors.

“We are so proud to continue uniting film lovers with an outstanding lineup, celebrating Canadian stories that resonate with people across the nation. From heartfelt narratives to bold cinematic visions, this year’s program champions fresh new voices that will captivate and inspire. At CFF, we have a rich tradition of amplifying Canadian talent exclusively, and we can’t wait to welcome new and returning audiences and filmmakers to the festival to share some of the most innovative works our country has to offer,” said Ashleigh Rains, Festival Director, Canadian Film Fest.

In addition to each feature film being preceded by a short, the CFF will also present six Homegrown Shorts programs. These enlightening and diverse stories dive into an array of subject matters such as addiction, identity, cultural heritage, rebellion, cosmic disasters and more. Highlights include Aaron Hong and M.R. Horhager’s animated short Three Trees, narrated by Whoopi Goldberg about three young trees who learn about themselves, friendship and their place in the world; Christopher Yip’s Fish Boy a tender meditation on religion, queerness, and polyamory through the eyes of an Asian American teenager; Katie Uhlmann’s When You Know You…Know? about how social media affects our everyday lives; Eva Thomas’s Redlights where an evening outing takes a dangerous turn for two Indigenous women; and Katia Café-Fébrissy’s Still Waters about a young queer couple coping with the loss of their child.

CFF is proud to partner with Super Channel, Scotiabank, Heritage Canada and other generous sponsors and granting agencies and grateful for their ongoing support of the festival, Canadian film, and artists.

BY THE NUMBERS:

56 Total Films
11 (20%) Features
45 (80%) Shorts
35 (63%) Toronto Shorts
35 (63%) BIPOC Filmmakers
33 (59%) Female/Non-Binary Filmmakers

Click here for the complete festival schedule or visit canfilmfest.ca.