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8/18/2008| Industry Programmes Offer Networking And Career Development Opportunities To Canadian Talent

Toronto - Industry Programmes at the 33rd Toronto International Film Festival continues its commitment to develop and support the Canadian film industry via innovative networking and career development programmes. Introduced last year, Meet With… features special guest speakers from all facets of the industry to discuss valuable business fundamentals and industry standards in informal and intimate information sessions. Returning to the Festival for its ninth consecutive year, Telefilm Canada PITCH THIS! is a live pitch competition with a $10,000 CAD prize to assist with project development. In its fifth year, Talent Lab welcomes 24 emerging filmmakers to build networks in a creative environment with some of the most esteemed filmmakers and artists in the world. The third annual Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) Producer's Award acknowledges the vision and entrepreneurship of an independent Canadian producer with a Canadian feature at the Festival. The Ontario Media Development Corporation's International Financing Forum (IFF) is a feature film co-financing event that brings together selected international and Canadian producers developing English-language projects. Filmmakers will be able to network at Match Club, the hub for all Sales & Industry and Guest Relations Office delegates. Doc Corner, held within Match Club, offers a relaxed venue for all documentary Industry delegates, sales agents, buyers, producers and directors. For more information on Industry Programmes' dynamic lineup at this year's Festival, running September 4 to 13, 2008, please visit tiff08.ca/industry or contact us at [email protected].

MEET WITH…

Meet With... will offer daily sessions at the Match Club from Friday, September 5 to Thursday, September 11, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., providing attendees with a unique opportunity to gain insight into the fundamentals of the business and craft of filmmaking from seasoned industry professionals. Match Club is open from Thursday, September 4 to Thursday, September 11, 2008.

Meet With…topics will include The Shifting Landscape of Theatrical Distribution in Canada; Alternative Distribution Channels; Case Study: The Omnibus; and Focus on Argentine Producers. Meet With… guest speakers include Sebastián Aloi, President/Producer, Aeroplano S.A.; John Bain, SVP Distribution, Maple Pictures; Paul Barkin, Producer/President, Alcina Pictures; Janet Brown, COO, Cinetic Rights Management; Matt Dentler, Head of Marketing and Programming, Cinetic Rights Management; John Galway, President, Astral Media The Harold Greenberg Fund; Jennifer Jonas, Producer, Toronto Stories; Michael Mosca, Senior Vice- President & COO, Les Films Équinoxe; David Weaver, Co-Director, Toronto Stories; and Shane Smith, Executive Producer, In-Flight Entertainment, Spafax.

Meet With... is open to all Sales & Industry and Guest pass holders.

TELEFILM CANADA PITCH THIS!

Telefilm Canada PITCH THIS! returns to the Festival for its ninth consecutive year. In a live pitch environment, six participant teams have six minutes to pitch their feature-film idea to an audience of over 250 industry professionals. The winner will be selected by a jury of international industry experts. The prize is $10,000 CAD to assist with costs related to project development. It will be hosted by Ennis Esmer, who starred in Young People Fucking (TIFF 2007).

This year's Telefilm Canada PITCH THIS! finalists are John Christou and Jeff Barnaby for Blood Quantum; Michael Mosca, Franca Visconti, Lori Elberg and Tanya Bershadsky for The Cinderellis; Pat Mills for Don't Talk to Irene; Eva Madden for Forever 15; Lanan Adcock and Daniel Perlmutter for Friends of the Museum; and Shernold Edwards for Horn. This year's Pitch Coaches are Anne Carey, producer, This is that; Joe Pichirallo, producer, The Secret Life of Bees; Robin Smith, founder, KinoSmith; and Howie Wiseman, writer, Barney's Version. Telefilm Canada PITCH THIS! will take place on Tuesday, September 9, 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Sutton Place Hotel, stop 33 (955 Bay Street). Open to Sales & Industry and Guest pass holders.

TALENT LAB
Don McKellar (Blindness, Childstar), one of the most prominent figures on the Canadian film scene, joins the two previously announced Talent Lab governors - celebrated French director Olivier Assayas (Chacun son cinema; Paris, je t'aime; Clean) and internationally renowned British producer Stephen Woolley (Breakfast on Pluto, The Crying Game). The critically acclaimed British director Terence Davies (Of Time and the City) and Iranian filmmaking prodigy Samira Makhmalbaf (The Blackboard, The Apple) are two of the guest speakers in the Talent Lab artistic development programme.

The following Short Cuts Canada selections come from Talent Lab alumni: Green Door by Semi Chellas (Talent Lab 2004), The Earring by Sheila Pye (Talent Lab 2005), Passages by Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre (Talent Lab 2007), Pat's First Kiss by Pat Mills (Motofilm for Talent Lab 2007), A Small Thing by Adam Garnet Jones (Talent Lab 2006), The Workout by Sami Khan (Talent Lab 2008) and Spoiled by Sherry White (Talent Lab 2007) and Cattle Call by Matthew Rankin (Talent Lab 2007).

CFTPA PRODUCER'S AWARD
The Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) Producer's Award acknowledges the vision and entrepreneurship of an independent Canadian producer with a Canadian feature at the Festival. Last year's recipient, producer Niv Fichman, will chair the 2008 jury and award a Canadian producer a $10,000 CAD cash prize. The CFTPA Producer's Award Presentation is held on Thursday, September 4 at 4 p.m. at the Match Club (5th Elementt restaurant, 1033 Bay Street).

INTERNATIONAL FINANCING FORUM
The Ontario Media Development Corporation's International Financing Forum (IFF) is a feature film cofinancing event that brings together selected international and Canadian producers developing English-language projects to do business in a relaxed atmosphere of brokered meetings and networking opportunities with international sales agents, distributors, funders, agents and executive producers. IFF 2008 will take place on Sunday, September 7 (afternoon only) and Monday, September 8.

IFF 2007 brought producers together with representatives from William Morris Independent (USA), Kinowelt International (Germany), Miramax (USA), Endeavor Talent Agency (USA), Bavaria Films (Germany), the BBC (UK), CAA (USA), Echo Lake Entertainment (USA), Film 4 (UK), HBO Films (USA), Ingenious Media (UK), Maximum Films (Canada), Paramount Vantage (USA), Trust Film Sales (Denmark), Warner Independent (USA), The Film Department (USA), Love Streams agnès b. Productions (France), HDNet Films (USA), Fortissimo Films (Hong Kong/Netherlands), Cinetic Media (USA), 120db Films (USA), Aver Media (Canada), Backup Films (France) and Cinema NX (UK).

MATCH CLUB
Match Club is a meeting space and lounge, the hub for all Sales & Industry and Guest Relations Office delegates, and the nexus for the international and Canadian film industries. International consultants are available on-site to help set up meetings and offer assistance as required.

Held within Match Club are daily Meet With... events that provide the opportunity to attend an intimate and informal session on the hottest topics in today's film industry. Please note that seating is limited and reservations are not accepted. Match Club is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, September 4 to Thursday, September 11, at 5th Elementt restaurant (1033 Bay Street), located just north of the Sutton Place Hotel. Match Club is open to all Sales & Industry pass holders as well as all Guest pass holders. For more information, please contact [email protected].

DOC CORNER AND DOC ROUNDTABLES

Doc Corner, held within Match Club, welcomes all documentary Industry delegates, sales agents, buyers, producers and directors. It is perfect for networking and holding casual meetings. Doc Corner is open 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Doc Roundtables sessions are held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, September 7 to Wednesday, September 10. At Doc Roundtables, filmmakers can meet leading industry figures - distributors, festival programmers, sales agents and consultants. This year, participants will include Matt Dentler from Cinetic Rights Management; Ira Deutchman from Emerging Pictures; Tom Quinn from Magnolia Pictures; Josh Braun from Submarine Entertainment; and Mark Ankner from Endeavor Independent.

Telefilm Canada PITCH THIS! is supported by Telefilm Canada.
Talent Lab is made possible through the generous sponsorship of Motorola.
Talent Lab participants receive support through the RBC Emerging Artist Bursary.
Thanks to Skillset and NOW Magazine for their support.
Match Club is generously sponsored by Astral Media The Harold Greenberg Fund and Telefilm Canada.
The OMDC's International Financing Forum is presented in partnership with Telefilm Canada, UK Trade
&
Investment and Canadian Heritage.
Special thanks to our major industry sponsors Bell and RBC, and major government supporters, the Ontario Media Development Corporation and Telefilm Canada.


Bell Lightbox
Currently under construction in downtown Toronto, Bell Lightbox is soon to be the world's leading destination for film lovers. This major new cultural institution on the Canadian and international landscape will be structured around five state-of-the-art cinemas celebrating film from around the world. Bell Lightbox programming will give context to films through innovative cross-media exhibitions, lectures, and film-related learning opportunities for all ages. Designed by innovative architecture firm KPMB, Bell Lightbox's fluid design encourages exploration, movement and play within its soaring atriums.

The campaign to build Bell Lightbox is generously supported by founding sponsor Bell. The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario each have contributed $25 million to realize Bell Lightbox. A gift of more than $22 million has been confirmed from the Reitman family - acclaimed filmmaker Ivan Reitman and his sisters Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels - and The Daniels Corporation, who together form the King and John Festival Corporation. The project is also supported by RBC as Major Sponsor and Official Bank, Visa†, Copyright Collective of Canada, NBC Universal Canada, The Allan Slaight Family, The Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation, CIBC, and many other individuals and corporations. The Board of Directors, staff and many generous individuals have also contributed to the campaign. The total amount raised to date is $147 million, three quarters of the total campaign of $196 million. For more information on the Bell Lightbox campaign, visit belllightbox.ca

We are a charitable, not-for-profit, cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. Our vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image.

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For information, contact the Communications Department at 416-934-3200 or email [email protected]


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