Telefilm Canada Celebrates Canadian Cinema at the 34th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival®
This year marks 10th anniversary of Telefilm Canada Pitch This! Competition
Toronto, September 10, 2009 – Telefilm Canada (TFC) is announcing its partnership with the 34th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival®, taking place September 10 to 19. A total of 21 TFC-financed films will be screened at this year’s event. Telefilm Canada Pitch This! Competition—where Canadian film teams present their feature film ideas to an audience of industry professionals—is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The 2009 edition marks Telefilm’s 20-year partnership with TIFF®.
“Telefilm Canada is delighted to partner with the Toronto International Film Festival® for the 20th consecutive year. Both organizations share common objectives such as helping Canadian films reach audiences locally and around the world,” stated Sheila de La Varende, Director, International and National Business Development, Telefilm Canada. “We’re also very happy with the high-quality, varied selection of Canadian films being screened at this year’s edition, as they reflect the diversity of our cinema and talent pool. The number of both Canadian and international industry professionals that come to network and exchange ideas increases every year, providing unique opportunities to this country’s creative teams.”
Industry initiatives
Celebrating its 10th successful year, Telefilm Canada Pitch This! will once again give six Canadian filmmakers the opportunity to present feature film ideas to a large audience of film industry professionals. One aspiring filmmaker or team will have the occasion to develop the “pitched” project and to shop it around at a major international festival of their choice. The majority of past winners have seen their project go into production and be released commercially. This year’s event will be taking place on September 15 at Stop33 in the Sutton Place Hotel.
The Match Club is a meeting hub for all industry delegates, and the nexus for the international and Canadian film industries. International consultants will be available on site to help set up meetings and offer assistance as required. Match Club is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from September 10 to 17, at 5th Elementt restaurant, located at 1033 Bay Street. This year’s Match Club consultants are Nancy Collett, Peter Belsito, Matt Toner and Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin.
The International Financing Forum brings together selected international and Canadian producers developing English language projects to meet and do business with high-level international industry executives including sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents, and executive producers. This year, the 45 selected producers represent the following countries and provinces: England, Scotland, Wales, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Russia, South Africa, Brazil, Ireland, the USA, Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec and Nova Scotia.
Last year, the International Financing Forum brought producers together with representatives from companies such as Aramid Capital Partners (UK), Bavaria Film International (Germany), Celluloid Dreams (France), Cinetic Media (USA), Endeavor Talent Agency (USA), Film4 (UK), Fortissimo Films (Hong Kong/Netherlands), IFC Entertainment (USA), Kinowelt International GmbH (Germany), Magnolia Pictures (USA), The Match Factory (Germany), Overture Films (USA), Paramount Vantage (USA), Participant Media (USA), William Morris Agency (USA) and more.
Telefilm Canada-financed films at TIFF® 2009
|
Title – Category |
Director |
|
A Shine of Rainbows – Sprockets Family Zone |
Vic Sarin |
|
All Fall Down – North American Premiere |
Philip Hoffman |
|
Cairo Time – Special Presentation |
Ruba Nadda |
|
Carcasses – Vanguard Program |
Denis Cote |
|
Cooking with Stella – GALA |
Dilip Mehta |
|
Crackie – North american premiere |
Sherry White |
|
Defendor – Special Presentation |
Peter Stebbings |
|
GLENN GOULD: THE INNER LIFE – VANGUARD PROGRAM |
Peter Raymont & Michele Hozer |
|
High Life – Contemporary World Cinema |
Gary Yates |
|
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist & Rebel – World Premiere |
Brigitte Berman |
|
Hungry Hills – north american premiere |
Rob King |
|
J’ai tué ma mÈre – English Canada Premiere |
Xavier Dolan |
|
La Donation – Masters |
Bernard Emond |
|
Leslie, My Name is Evil – Vanguard Program |
Reg Harkema |
|
Passenger Side – Contemporary World Cinema |
Matthew Bissonnette |
|
Reel Injun – Vanguard Program |
Neil Diamond |
|
Suck – Contemporary World Cinema |
Robert Stefaniuk |
|
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – GALA |
Terry Gilliam |
|
The Trotsky – World Premiere |
Jacob Tierney |
|
The Wild Hunt – world premiere |
Alexandre Franchi |
|
Year of the Carnivore – Opening Canada First! Program |
Sook-Yin Lee |
Developing and promoting the Canadian audiovisual industry
Telefilm Canada is a federal cultural agency dedicated to developing and promoting the Canadian audiovisual industry. Telefilm provides financial support to the private sector to create distinctively Canadian productions that appeal to domestic and international audiences. The Corporation also administers the funding programs of the Canadian Feature Film Fund, the Canadian Television Fund and the Canada New Media Fund. Visit www.telefilm.ca.
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For additional information, please contact:
Alejandra Sosa
Communications Officer and Press Attaché, Telefilm Canada
416-973-6436, ext. 2505 or 1-800-463-4607
sosaa@telefilm.ca