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The 22 nd Annual VIFF Film and Television Forum THE FORUM GETS DOWN TO SERIOUS BUSINESS Vancouver, B.C. — The VIFF's 22 nd Annual Film and Television Forum gets down to the serious business of financing and distribution with a world-class line-up of heavy hitters from the United States, Europe and Asia. From co-venturing with the U.S. to international co-productions with China and Europe, this year's seminars and tête-à-têtes explore the innovative new financing paradigms that are carrying the day in the radically shifting worlds of financing, distribution and exhibition. With its booming economy, China is rapidly becoming a major force in film financing worldwide, offering BC producers extraordinary opportunities to exploit an enormous potential market with vast capital resources. Bringing together some of the producers at the forefront of this lucrative new financing paradigm, Fortune Cookie — Doing Business with China delves into the strategies, benefits and pitfalls of pursuing the golden promise of business with Asia. From identifying the optimal strategic partner and selecting the right project to navigating government bureaucracies and structuring the deal, this seminar will shed new light on how to capitalize on our position as the gateway to Asia. A growing number of Canadian producers are also discovering the benefits of forming strategic alliances with large U.S.-based companies as our rising currency, combined with increased competition from within the United States, threatens B.C.'s production service industry. In Co-Venturing with the US, industry leading players including Regent Entertainment's Jeff Schenk and FOX 21tv's Brett Weitz lead a serious discussion about ways for Canadian producers to leverage their substantial tax credits and existing production service expertise to successfully co-finance film and television projects that can compete in the international marketplace. From Michael Moore's Sicko to Academy Award-winning An Inconvenient Truth, long form documentaries are back in back in business and making a significant impact at the box office. Exploring the opportunities and financing models behind this exciting new trend, Commissioning Editors and Funders: Long Form Documentaries brings together some of the world's leading commissioning editors and funders to discuss successful strategies for developing and financing long form documentaries. Getting down to the hands-on business of structuring actual deals, the wildly successful Tête-à-têtes Sessions bring together Western Canadian producers with top-tier international producers, distributors and sales agents in one-on-one meetings. These popular, highly focused private sessions will allow established Canadian producers to pitch specific pre-selected projects with the intention of finding the optimal strategic partner to propel their projects from development to fully financed and camera-ready. Similarly, this year's increased number of Speed Dating Sessions will allow emerging Western Canadian filmmakers to pitch their projects and find potential partners in private one-on-one sessions with some of B.C. most respected senior film and television executives. The 22 nd Annual Film and Television Forum takes place in the Rogers Industry Centre at the Vancouver International Film Centre and Vancity Theatre, 1181 Seymour Street, September 26-28 with New Filmmakers' Day on September 29 th . For more information, please phone: (604) 685-3547, Fax (604) 688-8221, email: forum@viff.org
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