Documentaries capture real life and projects it with a unique narrative.

THE ROCK & ROLL KID

Format: DV

Running Time: 42:30

Director, Director of Photography: Bob Fugger

Producer, Writer, Co-Director: Marsha Newbery

Executive Producer: John Ritchie

Editors: Tony Hrkac, Tim Wanlin, Trevor Mirosh

Photo Credit: Bob Fugger

Big dreams come in small packages.

They say he's the next Eric Clapton, or Jimmy Hendrix. They say he'll be the next guitar god. His parents say he has to be in bed by 10.

11 year old Danny Sveinson is from Surrey, BC but his resume already includes countless TV appearances, jamming with guitar legend Les Paul, and international performances at the famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York and for NBC in Colorado. Danny is on his way to becoming a star, but for his parents, raising a rock & roll prodigy is risky business.

The film follows Danny and his parents, Darwin and Jean, for two years as they struggle to balance a normal family life with Danny's rock & roll career. When Danny's father Darwin becomes Danny's manager, the pressure threatens to bring the whole dream tumbling down.

While everyone around him wrestles with band politics and marketing strategies, Danny grows up. Even though he's still just a kid - he finds a way to have his voice heard - and becomes a lesson for us all in being true to yourself.

Produced by Force Four Entertainment with Realize Entertainment Inc.(formerly Mars Entertainment Inc.) in Association with CBC Newsworld. Produced in Association with The Sundance Channel, the Knowledge Network and produced with the Assistance of the Canadian Television Fund, License Fee Program, Equity Investment Program, SCN, and Developed with the assistance of CBC British Columbia and B.C. Film.

Tailor Made

Documentary - 1 hour

Delivery: August 2007

Format: DV

Director: Len Lee

Producer: Marsha Newbery

Associate Producer: Deanne Esdale

Bill and Jack Wong have been tailors for almost 60 years and still run the small shop on Vancouver's Pender Street that was opened by their father in 1913. Modernize Tailors has been a cornerstone of Vancouver's Chinatown and fashion scene but it is all coming to an end in 2006. Director Len Lee follows their final year where they will take on their last apprentice, make their last suits for Vancouver's elite, and open a museum in their honor before they finally put away the scissors and retire.

TAILOR MADE is presented by Realize Entertainment and produced in association with CBC Newsworld. TAILOR MADE was produced in association with  Knowledge Network, and with the participation of The Canadian Television Fund: License Fee Program and Equity Investment Program, The Rogers Documentary Fund, Canadian Film & Television Tax Credit, British Columbia Film Incentive and developed with the participation of CBC British Columbia, Telefilm, and British Columbia Film.

Missing:
Sri Lanka's Silent Tsunami

Documentary - 1/2 hour

Format DV. Delivery format: Beta SP

Length:  28:00

Director, Writer: Aaron Goodman

Producer: Marsha Newbery

Award winning journalist Aaron Goodman investigates the legacy of a political wave of disappearances that took place during Sri Lanka's 30 year civil war; a wave that claimed twice as many lives as the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. As the country stands again on the brink of civil war, everyday families still desperately search for missing loved ones, some taking extraordinary journey's in their search for the missing.

Produced with the assistance of CBC, The BC Arts Council, The National Film Board, and International Development and Research Council.

NOT JUST A BAD DAY:
LIVING WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER

Documentary - 1 hour

Delivery: July 2007

Format: DV

Director: Gillian Hrankowski

Writer: Carolyn Schmidt and Gillian Hrankowski

Producer: Marsha Newbery

Associate Producer: Deanne Esdale

To the outsider, Mike, Erin, Mary-Jane and Martha appear to have little in common. But they are all living under the shadow of one of the most commonly misunderstood and misdiagnosed mental illnesses - Bipolar Disorder.

This party boy, young mom, executive and teacher also share a common goal: to live a normal life. This documentary details the personal struggles as they each cope with the emotional highs and lows of the disorder. Through hard work and the hands on support of their psychiatrist, they all begin to learn how to manage the extreme mood swings and lead productive, balanced lives.

Produced by Realize Entertainment Inc. (formerly Mars Entertainment Inc.) for Vancouver Coastal Health with the generous support of The Sutherland Foundation.

BRANDED: SAVING OUR TOWN

Documentary - TBD

Format:  HDV

Director:  Carolyn Schmidt

Producer:  Gillian Hrankowski

Co-producer: Marsha Newbery

Production coordinator:  Tracey Schaeffer

Director of Photography: Bob Fugger

Broadcaster:  Global Currents

Since the 1960’s, Canada has been experiencing a slow but constant exodus from rural communities. Children of the men and women who lived in their small town homes for generations continue to leave the communities in which they were raised opting for urban life. But not just for big city kicks…they’re also heading off out for financial and educational necessity. New immigrants arriving in Canada also flock to cities. In fact, between 1981 and 1996, only 2% of all immigrants moved to rural areas.

Canada’s prairie towns in particular have been hit hard from the flight out of the countryside.

BRANDED: Saving Our Town is a film that explores a solution…a phenomenon sweeping our country’s small town landscape. The strategy some have embraced to save their town from becoming a ghost town is called ‘branding’. Usually associated with a big corporation or running shoe, branding is more than simply labeling a product. It’s about providing – or creating - an identity thereby making something more interesting or attractive compared to its competitors. In this film, we’ll journey to small town Alberta and Saskatchwan and meet two towns whose experiences unfold very differently when faced with the notion of branding.