Montreal-base SevillePictures has the greenlight on a biographical drama about Canadian generalRomeo Dallaire, the commander at the helm of the bedeviled UN peace-keepingmission during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.

The Canada-South Africa-UKcoproduction, to be directed by LA- and Montreal-based Yves Simoneau, is one oftwelve features to receive backing from Telefilm Canada in the latest financinground of the Canada Feature Film Fund. Another Dallaire backer is Martin Katz's Prospero Pictures, which alsobacked Hotel Rwanda.

Other titles to receive the Telefilm nodinclude films by Francois Girard, Jeremy Podeswa, Jean-Francois Pouliot, BruceSweeney, Clement Virgo and Allan Moyle as well as Belgian-Canadian coproductionLaVie Extraordinaire De Soeur Sourire from Belgian director StijnConinx.

Both the Girard and Podeswa films are long-gestating projects; theformer's Silk, held up by financing woes, is produced by NivFichman's Rhombus Media; the latter's FugitivePieces, based on theaward-winning novel by Anne Michaels, will finally move into production throughRobert Lantos' Serendipity Point Films and Andras Hamori's H20 Motion Pictures.

Pouliot's Guide De La PetiteVengeance teams him again with Seducing Dr. Lewis producer Roger Frappier ofMontreal's Max Films and screenwriter Ken Scott.

Sweeney's American Venus is produced by Stephen Hegyes and ShawnWilliamson of Vancouver's Brightlight Pictures.

Virgo's Poor Boy's Game is produced by Virgo and Damon D'Oliviera'sToronto-based Conquering Lion Productions and Chaz Thorne of Halifax-basedStanding 8 Productions.

Pump Up The Volume director Allan Moyle's new title Weirdsville is produced byNicholas Tabarrok, Morris Ruskin and Jeff Sackman of THINKFilm, which willdistribute.