Bugs! wins Prestigious Panda Award and reaches US$20 million in world wide Box Office.
Toronto, Canada, October 22, 2004 –Bugs!, a giant-screen journey into the amazing universe of tiny rainforest creatures, has been awarded the international Panda Award for Best Large Format Film at the 2004 edition of the Wildscreen Film Festival in Bristol, U.K. Toronto-based Shaftesbury Films Inc. created Bugs! in partnership with the UK’s Principal Large Format and is the worldwide distributor for the film through its large format division SK Films..
Bugs!, the 40 minute 3D documentary narrated by the distinguished British actress Dame Judi Dench, is the sole giant screen recipient of a Panda Award despite stiff competition from a significant number of large format films nominated for the bi-annual international awards. Wildscreen is an international charity committed to using the power of wildlife images to increase awareness about the threats facing our natural world and the urgent need to conserve it. Wildscreen’s Panda Awards are widely viewed as the “Oscars” of wildlife fimmaking. Shaftesbury President Jonathan Barker, who served as Executive Producer of the film, states, “We are thrilled that Bugs! has been recognizedwith this award. Having played a critical integral role in the creation of the film, and in handling all distribution worldwide, SK Films is proud to carry on the tradition of excellence in this film format that was created and nurtured in Canada. This honour is another important step in realizing Shaftesbury’s plans for growth and success.”
In the past year and half since the initial release of the film, Bugs! has become a major success as it continues to roll out to the worldwide network of IMAX and other large format theatres, recently moving over US$20 million at the box office worldwide. Box office receipts will grow further over a number of years as the film continues to play in many venues and has been contracted to open in many more in the future. In Canada, Bugs! has played to enthusiastic audiences and has grossed over C$1.8 million on only five screens in Quebec City, Montreal, Victoria, Vancouver and Halifax, with additional openings still to come.
Bugs! has won a number of significant awards. In addition to being named Best Film by the Large Format Cinema Association, the film has received multiple honours from the GSTA (Giant Screen Theater Association): Best Film for Learning, Best Cinematography and Special Achievement in Film (for the work of specialist photographer and systems designer Peter Parks). SK Films won the large format industry’s prestigious GSTA MAC Award for Best Marketing by a Distributor for its work on Bugs!
The tremendous success of Bugs! adds to Shaftesbury production and distribution momentum that includes ReGenesis, its new 13-part one hour drama series that premieres Sunday October 24 at 9:00pm on The Movie Network and Movie Central. ReGenesis is key part of Shaftesbury’s recent slate of production that includes Murder 19C: The Detective Murdoch Mysteries for Bravo, Mischief City and Dark Oracle for YTV, and Life with Derek that started production October 19 for Family Channel.
Bugs! is a39-minute live-action documentary short combines incredible footage with cutting-edge IMAX® projection technology to deliver an immersive, fantastically entertaining and enlightening experience about the little guys in life! Shot on location in the jungles of Borneo and in a purpose-built studio, the film is presented from a bug’s perspective, as theyweave their way through blades of grass in the tropical rainforests. These amazing images were then magnified up to 250,000 times their normal size for projection in 3D on the giant-screen.
Bugs! is an SK release of a Principal Large Format film in association with Image Quest 3D, co-produced by the UK Film and TV Production Company Plc, and financed by The Film Consortium in association with Film Council. The film is presented by Terminix. Bugs! was produced by Phil Streather and Alexandra Ferguson of Principal Large Format (England) and Executive Produced by Jonathan Barker of SK Films. Simon Relph and UKFTV’s Peter Fudakowski also served as Executive Producers.
SK Films Inc. was established by Shaftesbury Films Inc. and Robert Kerr, the co-founder and retired CEO of Imax Corporation. SK has become an industry leader in the production and distribution of large format films Jonathan Barker is President of Shaftesbury Films and SK Films. Founded in 1988, Shaftesbury Films is a privately held company based in Toronto and has established a reputation as one of Canada’s leading producers of high quality films and television.
To arrange for an interview with Jonathan Barker, to request images or for further information please contact:
Shane Kinnear Sue Baldaro
V.P. Sales & Marketing Communications Manager
SK Films Shaftesbury Films
skinnear@shaftesbury.org sbaldaro@shaftesbury.org
(416) 363-1411 ext. 123 (416) 363-1411 ext. 139
