Regina Film Scoops Inaugural CineCoup Backing

Regina’s Wolfcop nabs innaugural CineCoup backing.

Vancouver film accelerator CineCoup announces first winner

A movie by three Regina filmmakers was selected yesterday at the Banff World Media Festival as the inaugural CineCoup Film Accelerator winner. Crime-fighting werewolf movie Wolfcop, made by Bernie Hernando, Hugh Patterson and Lowell Dean, will receive up to $1 million in financing and a guaranteed release in Cineplex theatres next year.

The announcement wraps up the inaugural 15-week CineCoup film accelerator program, during which 90 filmmaking teams from across the country pitched two-minute trailers to an online audience through the Vancouver startup engine. The audience then followed each filmmaker team’s progress as they engaged in weekly challenges, from finding new ways to use special effects to getting their project covered by local media. The audience weighs in along the way on who’s doing it best. Yesterday, the final five pitched their films to more than 200 industry movers and shakers, including Michael Kennedy of Cineplex Entertainment.

CineCoup Film Accelerator is a part of Vancouver’s GrowLab. Wolfcop, billed as a comedy-horror, will go into production in the next few months for its 2014 release.