From Oscar nomination to book publication to online distribution, the Bravo-FACT funded short film about an encounter with The Beatles' John Lennon is having a big impact.
“I MET THE WALRUS is a little film about big possibilities,” said Susanne Boyce, President, Creative, Content and Channels CTV Inc. “Embracing Lennon’s message of peace, it reaches out to the ambitious 14-year-old in all of us and takes us to a place where anything can happen.”
Produced with a $20,000 Bravo!FACT grant, I MET THE WALRUS had its world television premiere on CTV immediately following the Oscars broadcast and attracted an outstanding 1.5 million viewers, making it one of the most-watched original Canadian productions on television last year.
CTV’s Bravo!FACT (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent) funded short film ‘I MET THE WALRUS’ recently received nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award (New Approaches – Daytime Entertainment) and a nod from The Banff World Television Awards (Animation Programs).
Now, in addition to the acclaimed short film, producer Jerry Levitan’s story is a book, entitled I Met The Walrus - How One Day with John Lennon Changed My Life Forever. Published by Harper Collins, the book is launching in Canada, the US, and the UK next Tuesday, May 26.
This is not the first time that I MET THE WALRUS has received international attention; in 2008 it was an Oscar contender for Best Animated Short Film.
The film can be viewed online on demand at www.bravofact.com.
In May 1969, Levitan was a 14-year-old Beatles fan who invited himself into Lennon's hotel room and convinced him to do an interview. Forty years later, he parlayed this experience into a short film and now a book. I MET THE WALRUS officially launches on the 40th anniversary of the “bed-ins for peace.” The new book is Levitan’s full contextualized and illustrated account of his experience with Lennon, with all new illustrations from acclaimed illustrator James Braithwaite, who also illustrated the short film. The book also features never-before-seen candid photographs of Lennon and Yoko Ono, Levitan’s exclusive video footage, and the complete 30-minute soundtrack of the interview with Lennon. A complete, annotated typescript of the interview is included as well, plus Levitan’s memorabilia from that day – notes, drawings, and doodles from Lennon and more. The result is a spell-binding package: an immortalized up-close, one-on-one moment with Lennon, as well as a tribute to his extraordinary voice, boundless wit and timeless message.
The 2009 Banff World Television Awards will be announced Sunday, June 7 while THE 2009 DAYTIME EMMY AWARDS will be presented Sunday, Aug. 30.
CTVglobemedia Inc.'s Bravo!FACT (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent) was established in 1995 by the national cable arts channel Bravo!. The foundation is the largest funder of shorts in Canada. Thirteen million dollars have been awarded in grants for the production of over 1,200 shorts across the country during the past dozen years. The shorts are broadcast in Canada during the half-hour show Bravo!FACT Presents in prime-time on Bravo! and are often honoured at local, national and international film festivals.