Conquering Lion Pictures

Conquering Lion Pictures (CLP) is an independent Canadian film production company founded by Clement Virgo and Damon D'Oliveira.[1] Virgo and D'Oliveira met in 1991 while studying at the Canadian Film Centre (CFC), and formed CLP while working on Rude, their first feature film at the CFC.[1]

CLP have produced or co-produced a number of noteworthy films. Their first feature film, Rude (1995), was the first feature film produced by an African-Canadian director,[2][3] and premiered at Cannes to critical acclaim.[1] Poor Boy's Game (2007), directed by Virgo, premiered at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival as a "Panorama Special Selection", and was later presented as a Special Selection at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.[4] Lie with Me (2005) premiered at the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival as a "Panorama Selection". It caused a stir at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival for its portrayal of explicit sexual themes,[5] and has since been distributed internationally in over 30 territories and sold to Showtime.[6]

CLP's latest project is The Book of Negroes, based on the Lawrence Hill novel of the same name.[7] Hill's novel won the 2009 Canada Reads contest as well as the Commonwealth Writers' Prize in 2008.[8] CLP's six-part miniseries adaptation premiered on BET in February 2015 and won nine Canadian Screen Awards in 2016, as well as an award for best miniseries by the NAACP.[9][10][11][12][13]

Other upcoming feature projects include the lesbian western I Shot the Sheriff, and an urban music drama, Enter the Cipher, which was selected for the 2010 Tribeca All Access program.[14]

In 2017, Clement Virgo and Damon D'Oliveira were award the Canadian Film Centre's Award for Creative Excellence, for their filmography created at Conquering Lion Pictures.[15]

In September 2018, it was announced that CLP, along with fellow Canadian film company Hawkeye Pictures, had acquired the rights to Brother, an award-winning novel by David Chariandy.[16]

  1. ^ a b c "Honouring Damon D'Oliveira and Clement Virgo of Conquering Lion Pictures". cfccreates.com. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  2. ^ "OMDC SUCCESS STORY: Conquering Lion Pictures". www.ontariocreates.ca. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  3. ^ "Why the film pioneers behind Book of Negroes have always struggled with feeling 'Canadian' | CBC Arts". CBC. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  4. ^ Robinson, Marcus. "Virgo thinks globally with Poor Boy's Game". Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  5. ^ Walker, Susan (25 September 2005). "Lie with Me". Toronto Star.
  6. ^ Lie with Me at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
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  7. ^ Punter, Jennie (19 August 2009). "Lion nabs 'Name' film rights". Variety.
  8. ^ Barber, John (19 August 2009). "Lawrence Hill's Book of Negroes set for film". The Globe and Mail.
  9. ^ "ABOUT". Conquering Lion Pictures. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  10. ^ "Book of Negroes big winner at Canadian Screen Awards". Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  11. ^ International, Radio Canada (2016-03-10). "'The Book of Negroes' wins at the Canadian Screen Awards". RCI | English. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  12. ^ Lowry, Brian (2015-02-12). "TV Review: BET's 'The Book of Negroes'". Variety. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  13. ^ Report, Electronic Urban (2016-04-12). "'The Book of Negroes' Licensed by eOne to Hulu". EURweb. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  14. ^ "Tribeca All Access Sets 24 Projects for Seventh Edition". 22 March 2010.
  15. ^ Evans, Ferrin; Walker, Heather (February 2021). "Conquering Lion Pictures Fonds". University of Toronto Exhibits. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  16. ^ McNary, Dave (2018-09-06). "Toronto-Based Family Drama 'Brother' to Be Developed as Film". Variety. Retrieved 2018-10-15.