Blue Pinion Films (BPF) Inc is a for-profit media company formed in 2009 by Ruth Lawrence and Baptiste Neis to create and produce the memorable short musical film, Sweet Pickle. Renée Hackett joined the company in 2020.

Since the company’s inception, their long list of NL based productions and co-productions include 12 short films, two documentaries, two features, and five web-series. Many projects have won festival awards in Canada, the US and the UK.  Known for creating award-winning work, the innovative company is named after a resettled community near St. Jacques in Fortune Bay, NL.

TRACK RECORD

We have co-produced on two features directed by Ruth Lawrence, the prestigious 2020 Borsos prize winner for Best Canadian Feature, Little Orphans, and the upcoming comedy Party Pirate, which premiered on the opening night of the 2023 St. John’s International Film Festival and won Best Feature & Best Director at the Battle of the Sketches comedy film festival in Austin, TX. Blue Pinion Films produced A Lot of Love in the Room, a half-hour CBC TV documentary on the 30th Anniversary of the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, in 2022, and a half-hour AMI documentary episode of Taking the Stage, about Paul Power’s theatre initiative to get artists with disabilities on the stage, for the Our Community TV Series in 2023.

Since 2021, we have produced four short form series for Bell Fibe 1- Santiago Guzmán’s We Are Here, a series on early immigration to Newfoundland and Labrador; The Adventures of Gary and Lou, a children’s puppet series created by 16-year-old Jake Thompson; What Odds, Renée Hackett’s award-winning comedy series and, most recently, the drama series Only The Night Knows starring Mary Walsh, Ruth Lawrence, Alex Spencer and Mav Adecer.  We also co-produced 3 other short form series: Tales from the Floordrobe, Isthisanology?, and Beers with the B’ys. Our first web series was Buy the Boards, written by Luke Lawrence and Matt Wright in 2014.

The company also creates commissioned projects such as Her Own Boss, a video for the Women’s Economic Council, and two videos linked to Canadian Mental Health Association-NL’s 100th Anniversary: Think Twice and Your Light, a music video with The Ennis Sisters.

Press

Press
Newfoundland and Labrador’s Film and Television Industry Receives Multiple Canadian Screen Awards Nominations

This week, Newfoundland and Labrador-based film and television productions, as well as a number of individuals working in the industry from this province, were nominated for Canada’s top honours in film and television.

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Local Feature Opens St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival

The stars were out in the capital city as the 34th annual St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival kicked off with a red carpet event.

Filmmakers, industry giants, politicians and moviegoers alike strutted the rouge at the Majestic Theatre, packing the house for the festival opening.

The night saw the world premiere of “Party Pirate”, directed by Ruth Lawrence and written by and starring her son Luke.

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St. John's International Women's Film Festival rolls from Oct. 17-21

There's something for everyone in a curated program with a 'genre-spanning array of narratives'.

The 34th annual St. John's International Women's Film Festival is happening at the Majestic Theatre in downtown St. John's from Oct. 17-21. The CBC asked executive director Jenn Brown to weigh in on this year's festival.

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Local Comedy Series Set to Hit Bell Fibe TV1

A new local comedy series is coming to Bell Fibe TV1.

“What Odds”, written and created by Renée Hackett, is the story of defeated actress, Betty, who returns home to Newfoundland after years of disappointment in Toronto. On her 45th birthday, she finds her archnemesis from Toronto is helming a new show in St. John’s as the executive producer. She gets a job as her enemies assistant and is determined to impress in the hopes of getting on the show.

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Filming Begins on Local Mystery Series

Cameras are rolling on a new mystery series as Bell/Fibe TV continues to bolster their catalogue of local content.

“Only the Night Knows”, a new limited series by Newfoundland-based Blue Pinion Productions, tells the story of Laura Noseworthy, who returns to her outport hometown to settle the estate of her estranged father, but has to unravel the truth when her sister’s killer is found dead.

The show stars a number of prominent local artists including Mary Walsh, Ruth Lawrence and Joel Thomas Hynes.

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Renée Hackett: Be honest about what brings you joy

“What Odds is a short form TV series (6 X 10-minute episodes) for Bell Fibe TV. I like to call it a cringe comedy. You know, the kind of show that makes you go NO! to the television when you watch the lead make the wrong decision, the one that’s not the best for them. It’s very influenced by the life I’ve lived, with some fiction thrown in for good measure.”

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