FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF CANADIAN ENTERTAINMENT,

MASTERWORKS SET FOR TORONTO, OCTOBER 26TH

TORONTO, August 23, 2006…MasterWorks, the annual awards to honour great works across the spectrum of Canadian entertainment, will be presented by the Audio Visual Preservation Trust of Canada (AV Trust) on Thursday, October 26^th, 2006 in Toronto.

Traditionally held in Ottawa, the 2006 MasterWorks ceremony will be staged in Toronto for the first time, at the Fairmont Royal York, after a full day of industry and public activities.

Launched as an annual event by the AV Trust at the turn of the millennium, the annual MasterWorks gala honours 12 jewels drawn equally from the annals of Canadian film, television, sound recording and radio. “The Audio Visual Preservation Trust of Canada has become a national voice for raising awareness of the importance of preserving Canada’s entertainment treasures before it’s too late” said David Novek, President of the AV Trust.

Selected by expert juries in each discipline, a MasterWork is designated for a work or body of work that is a critical or popular success, or influential in shaping its genre.  Where the work is in danger of being lost, the Trust steps in to ensure the restoration or preservation of the work for future generations. 

Past MasterWorks selections have included The Rowdyman, Anne of Green Gables, Mon oncle Antoine, J. A. Martin Photographer, La Famille Plouffe and the work of Barbara Frum. MasterWorks also acknowledge those associated with the selected work.  Past honourees have included Denys Arcand (Director, The Decline of the American Empire); Gordon Lightfoot (Composer, Canadian Railroad Trilogy); Marcel Dubé, (Writer/Creator, La cote de sable); Ted Kotcheff (Director, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz); Luc Plamondon (Creator/Writer, Starmania); Allan King, (Producer/Director, Warrendale) and Dave Thomas (Actor, SCTV).

The Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada is a national, charitable organization dedicated to the preservation and access to Canada’s film, television, radio and music/sound recording heritage.

MasterWorks, chaired by Stephen Ellis of Ellis Entertainment,  is one of the AV Trust’s main vehicles for raising awareness of preservation issues and the event will alternate between Toronto and Montreal annually.  Through a variety of programs and events such as MasterWorks, the AV Trust can help ensure that history is not lost by safeguarding, restoring and making available cherished works from the past.   

For more information on the AV Trust, its programs and MasterWorks 2006, visit www.avtrust.ca. 

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For further information:       
Jessica Gold, Holmes Creative Communications  
416-628-5613         jgold@hccink.com