Takaya: Lone Wolf Wins at the 2020 Leo Awards

The first night of the 2020 Leo Awards virtual presentation saw Takaya: Lone Wolf win four awards. The documentary was honoured in the following categories:

• Best Short Documentary Program — Martin Williams, Gaby Bastyra, Cheryl Alexander, Bruce Whitty, and André Barro
• Best Direction Short Documentary Program — Mary Margaret Frymire and Martin Williams
• Best Screenwriting Short Documentary Program — Mary Margaret Frymire
• Best Cinematography Short Documentary Program — Mike McKinlay and Cheryl Alexander

Takaya: Lone Wolf is the inspirational story of one animal’s resilience, adaptation, and survival. Set on a remote island archipelago off the coast of British Columbia, renowned wildlife photographer Cheryl Alexander chronicles her seven-year relationship with a lone wolf, revealing that humans can in fact co-exist with an animal perceived by some as a dangerous threat. Tragically, in March 2020, Takaya was killed by a hunter shortly after the documentary’s release, becoming one of the 1200 wolves killed recreationally each year in British Columbia and signaling the ongoing need for conservation initiatives.

Takaya: Lone Wolf is an international co-production with Talesmith, Cineflix, and MBM TV for BBC, CBC, and ARTE. The documentary is executive produced by Martin Williams for Talesmith, André Barro for Cineflix, and Cheryl Alexander. Gaby Bastyra serves as senior producer and the producers are Kim Bondi for Cineflix and Bruce Whitty for MBM TV. The documentary is produced with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, and the Province of British Columbia Film Incentive BC, Ontario Creates, and the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit. Cineflix Rights has exclusive worldwide distribution rights.

The documentarywas nominated for a Golden Sheaf Award at the Yorkton Film Festival and recently shortlisted for a Grierson Award for Best Natural History Documentary, as well as an Official Selection of the International Wildlife Film Festival and the Sunset Film Festival Los Angeles.

The Leo Awards are a Project of the Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation of British Columbia—a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to celebrate and promote the achievements of the British Columbia film and television industry through the presentation of an annual awards program.

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About Cineflix Productions
Cineflix Productions is a leading supplier of must-watch content for global networks and streamers. From its production and development hubs in Toronto and New York, the company’s talented creative teams produce some of TV’s longest-running international hits like American Pickers and critically acclaimed Mayday: Air Disaster, and developed one of the biggest TV franchises, Property Brothers. Cineflix Productions also has a slate of gripping true-crime series including The Clown and The Candyman and Hours to Kill, as well as TV movies like award-winning Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey and I Was Lorena Bobbitt. Cineflix Productions is part of the Cineflix Media group of companies.

About Talesmith
Talesmith specialises in ambitious, high-end natural history, science, and factual multi-platform content, designed to appeal to the modern generation across broadcast, digital, VR, and giant screen. Founded by leading producer Martin Williams, best known for his pioneering 3D and natural history documentaries with Sir David Attenborough, Talesmith’s team has won multiple awards including BAFTAs, Emmys, RTS Awards, Griersons, International 3D Society Awards, Broadcast Awards, Pandas, and an AAAS Science Journalism award. With a focus on new technologies, high production values, high-profile presenters, and international appeal, Talesmith’s credits include the Panda-nominated, Grierson-shortlisted The Real T.rex with Chris Packham (BBC/CBC/France TV), The Life of Earth from Space (Smithsonian/Zee), Hold the World with David Attenborough (SkyVR), Lion’s Last Roar (Theatrical), Panda-nominated Monkeys: An Amazing Animal Family (Sky), and Flyspy VR (Short, Theatrical). Talesmith also operates as Flyride Films in an SPV with Moonraker VFX, producing high-end immersive theatrical films including Flyride Changbaishan 4D and Flyride Five Mountains 4D (Legend Cultural Development, Beijing).

About MBM TV
MBM TV is a full service production company based in Vancouver founded in 2011. Helmed since 2014 by Producer Bruce Whitty, MBM TV offers independent creators, showrunners and producers from around the globe an ethical, flexible and dynamic Canadian partner. MBM TV offers complete production and post-production services working from early development to full technical delivery. Selected credits include the repeating true crime series “Very Bad Men” (ID), the animated series “Wishfart  (Corus/Teletoon), “America’s Wild Seasons” (Love Nature/Smithsonian), “America’s Wild Border: Northern Exposure” (Love Nature/Smithsonian) and Takaya: Lone Wolf (CBC).

For more information, please contact:

Vanessa Marra
Cineflix Media Inc.                                
+1 514 576 1796
vmarra@cineflix.com

Mark Ogle at OH Communications (for Cineflix Rights)
+44 (0) 7789 981561
mark@ohcommunications.co.uk