cineflix productions

Jonestown: Paradise Lost named Best Canadian Program

June 14, 2007

Jonestown: Paradise Lost, an acclaimed docudrama that made its Canadian television premiere on VisionTV, has earned one of the top prizes at this year’s Banff World Television Festival.

The feature-length production, co-produced by Montreal-based Cineflix, received the Playback Best Canadian Program award. Jurors praised the film for “retelling an already well-known story with powerful interviews and brilliant re-enactments.”

Jonestown: Paradise Lost chronicles the tragic final days of the People’s Temple cult. In November 1978, more than 900 People’s Temple members perished at Jonestown, their compound in northern Guyana – an act of mass murder and suicide ordered by the cult’s messianic leader, Jim Jones.

The film includes archival footage, exhaustively researched dramatic re-creations, and interviews with survivors and key witnesses, including Stephan Jones, son of Jim Jones.

VisionTV presented the Canadian broadcast premiere in March 2007.

Said Mark Prasuhn, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President, Programming for VisionTV: “We are immensely proud to have been part of such an extraordinary production: one whose essential theme – the terrible consequences of political and religious fanaticism – is as relevant today as it was 30 years ago. It has been VisionTV’s privilege to work with our very talented partners at Cineflix, and we extend to them our warmest congratulations.”

Added Greg Lanning, Cineflix Executive Producer: “It was an honour to work with so many talented individuals on such a gripping story. This award would not have been possible without the efforts of all our valued co-production partners and our team of producers, writers and editors. We would especially like to thank Stephan Jones, Sherwin Harris, Vernon Gosney and Tim Reiterman for helping us to tell their own personal and tragic stories of Jonestown.”

Jonestown: Paradise Lost was co-produced by Cineflix, Nextfilm, Galaxie and Film Afrika Worldwide in association with VisionTV, A&E History, France 3, Planete & Planete Choc and BSKYB.

The film was Executive Produced by Greg Lanning, Bernard Vaillot, Glen Salzman, Katherine Buck, Stephen Hunter and Andre Barro. Vlokkie Gordon and David Wicht are co-Producers, and Greta Knutzen is Associate Producer. Alberta Nokes was the Executive Producer for VisionTV. Jason Sherman wrote the script, and Tim Wolochatiuk directed.

VisionTV, an S-VOX company, is Canada’s multi-faith and multicultural broadcaster, dedicated to programming that celebrates diversity and promotes understanding and tolerance among people of different faiths and cultures.

Cineflix is a dynamic, independent television production and distribution company dedicated to entertaining audiences with innovative non-fiction programming. Its growing catalogue of over 300 hours of factual programming includes history, science, documentary and factual entertainment shows, viewed by audiences in more than 50 countries. Cineflix International, its sales and distribution unit headquartered in Dublin and with a sales office in London, oversees the worldwide distribution of the Cineflix catalogue and select third party programs.