Back Alley Film Productions facts for kids

Back Alley Film Productions is a company that makes TV shows. It was started in 1989 by two talented women, Janis Lundman and Adrienne Mitchell. Their main offices are in Toronto, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Back Alley creates and produces many different TV programs that are watched in over 120 countries around the world!

Back Alley has made many popular shows. One of their recent hits is Coroner, which stars Serinda Swan. This show first aired in January 2019 on CBC in Canada. It was a huge success, becoming the most-watched new drama series on CBC in over four years, with more than a million viewers! It was also very popular in the UK. Coroner was so successful that it was renewed for a second season in March 2019.

Another show Back Alley produced is Bellevue, starring Anna Paquin. They also made Played, a police drama, and Bomb Girls. Bomb Girls was a special series about women working in a factory during World War II. It starred Meg Tilly and won an award for Outstanding Drama in 2013. Back Alley also created a TV movie called Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy, which won a Canadian Screen Award in 2015 for Best TV Movie.

Other shows from Back Alley include three seasons of the award-winning Durham County, which was sold to over 100 countries. They also produced the hip hop series Drop the Beat and Straight Up, which featured Sarah Polley.

Awesome TV Shows They Made

Popular TV Series

• Coroner
• Bellevue
• Played
• Bomb Girls & Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy (TV Movie)
• Durham County
• Drop the Beat
• Straight Up

Awards and Recognitions

The founders, Adrienne Mitchell and Janis Lundman, have won special awards for their excellent work in television. In 2017, Adrienne Mitchell received the Nell Shipman Award. This award recognized her efforts to help more women succeed in the entertainment industry.

Awards for Bomb Girls: Facing the Enemy

• Canadian Screen Awards
  • Best Dramatic Miniseries or TV Movie - Won by Janis Lundman, Adrienne Mitchell, Michael Prupas
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series - Nominated for Jodi Balfour
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Series - Won by Ali Liebert
• Leo Awards
  • Best Supporting Performance by a Male, Television Movie - Won by Antonio Cupo
• Directors Guild of Canada Award Nominations
  • Best Television Movie/Miniseries
  • Best Production Design, Television Movie/Miniseries - Aidan Leroux
  • Best Picture Editing, Television Movie/Miniseries - Tad Seaborn
  • Best Sound Editing, Television Movie/Miniseries - Peter Lopata, Jill Purdy

Awards for Played

• Canadian Screen Awards
  • Best Cross Platform Project, Fiction - Won for Played: Interference
• Leo Awards Nominations
  • Best Supporting Performance by a Female, Dramatic Series - Agam Darshi
  • Best Guest Performance by a Male, Dramatic Series - Serge Houde
  • Best Guest Performance by a Female, Dramatic Series - Camille Sullivan
  • Best Guest Performance by a Female, Dramatic Series - Kacey Rohl

Awards for Bomb Girls: Season 2

• Canadian Screen Awards
  • Best Costume Design - Won by Debra Hanson
  • Best Achievement in Casting - Won by Lisa Parasyn, Jon Comerford
• Canadian Screen Awards Nominations
  • Best Dramatic Series
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role - Meg Tilly
  • Best Achievement in Casting - Eva Coudouloux, Katerina Chovanec
  • Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series - Eric Cayla
• Directors Guild of Canada Award Nominations
  • Best Production Design Television Series - Aidan Leroux
• Leo Awards Nominations
  • Best Supporting Performance by a Male, Dramatic Series - Brett Dier

Awards for Bomb Girls: Season 1

• Canadian Screen Awards
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role - Won by Meg Tilly
  • Best Costume Design - Won by Joanne Hansen
  • Best Production Design or Art Direction in a Fiction Program or Series - Won by Aidan Leroux
• Canadian Screen Award Nominations
  • Best Dramatic Series
  • Best Cross Platform Project, Fiction - Bomb Girls Interactive
• Rockie Award Nomination
  • Continuing Series Programs, Scripted
• Directors Guild of Canada Award Nominations
  • Best Production Design Television Series - Aidan Leroux

Awards for Durham County: Season 3

• Gemini Awards
  • Best Achievement in Casting - Won by Marissa Richmond, Libby Goldstein, Andrea Kenyon, Suzanne Smith, Randi Wells
• Gemini Awards Nominations
  • Best Direction in a Dramatic Series - Charles Biname
  • Best Sound in a Dramatic Series - Steve Moore, Alex Bullick, Yann Cleary, Christian Cooke, Andrea Higgins, Jill Purdy, Marilee Yorston
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Lead Dramatic Role - Hugh Dillon
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Guest Role, Dramatic Series - Michael Nardone
  • Best Performance by an Actress in Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series - Benedicte Decary
• WorldFest-Houston Remi Awards
  • Winner of a Gold 2011 Worldfest Remi Award in the category of TV Series - Dramatic.
• Monte-Carlo TV Festival Awards
  • Nominated for 5 awards including: Outstanding International Producers (Janis Lundman, Adrienne Mitchell, Michael Prupas), Outstanding Actor (Hugh Dillon, Michael Nardone) and Outstanding Actress (Hélène Joy, Laurence Leboeuf).
• Interactive Media 2010 Award
  • Best in Class - Television for the Durham County - Season 3 Website
• WGC Screenwriting Award
  • Script for "Distance, Hunting and Home", written by Laurie Finstad Knizhnik, was chosen as a finalist

Awards for Durham County: Season 2

• Gemini Awards
  • Best Achievement in Main Title Design - Won by Kevin Chandoo
  • Best Achievement in Make-Up - Won by Eva Coudouloux and Adrien Morot
• Gemini Awards Nominations
  • Best Dramatic Series
  • Best Direction in a Dramatic Series - Adrienne Mitchell
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role - Helene Joy
  • Best Achievement in Casting - Andrea Kenyon, Wendy O'Brien, Marissa Richmond, and Randi Wells
• Monte-Carlo Television Festival
  • Winner of 2010 Golden Nymph Award
  • Outstanding Actress - Won by Michelle Forbes (Drama TV Series)
• Monte-Carlo Television Festival Nominations
  • Outstanding Actor – Hugh Dillon (Drama TV Series)
  • Outstanding International Producer – Janis Lundman, Adrienne Mitchell, Laurie Finstad Knizhnik and Michael Prupas (Drama TV Series)
• Directors Guild of Canada Award Winners
  • Best Direction - TV Series - Won by Adrienne Mitchell
  • Best Production Design - TV Series - Won by Donna Noonan
• Directors Guild of Canada Award Nominee
  • Best Picture Editing - TV Series
• EMPixx Awards
  • Platinum Award for Best National Cable Program in the Entertainment Category
• WorldFest – Houston International Film Festival
  • Winner of the Platinum Award - Best TV Series – Drama

Awards for Durham County: Season 1

• Winner of 5 Canadian Gemini Awards for Best Writing in a Dramatic Series, Best Direction in a Dramatic Series, Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role, Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role and Best Sound in a Dramatic Series.
• Winner of 2 Directors Guild of Canada Awards for Best Editing – Dramatic Series and Direction – Television Series.
• Winner of CFTPA Indie Award for Best Dramatic Series.
• Nominated for 7 Canadian Gemini Awards for Best Dramatic Series, Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series, Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series, Best Picture Editing in a Dramatic Program or Series, Best Costume Design and Best Achievement in Casting.
• Nominated for 2 Directors Guild of Canada Awards for Team Television Series – Drama and Production Design – Television Series.
• Nominated for the Writers Guild of Canada Award for Best Writing in a Dramatic Series.
• Nominated for 2 ACTRA Montreal Awards for Outstanding Female Performance and Outstanding Male Performance.
• Nominated for 2 Leo Awards for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series and Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series.

Awards for Drop the Beat

• Canadian Gemini Award Nomination for Best Dramatic Series

Awards for Straight Up

• Writers Guild of Canada Award
• Canadian Gemini Award for Best Direction
• Canadian Gemini Award for Best Youth Actor
• Canadian Gemini Award Nomination for Best Dramatic Series