Welcome!
The IFA presents IFF, International Funding
Forum, at TIFF's opening day and 99th Floor
Films, production company, owned by Anthony
Miceli and Alison White.
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IFF (International Funding Forum) at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival)
by Anya Wassenberg
TIFF won its high profile reputation as a film goers'
mecca, and even hardened critics like syndicated
columnist Roger Ebert have gushed over the city's
ardent film fans. For film makers, however, reaching
the audience is the reward after a long process, one
that begins long before any screenings, and one that
depends on much more mundane concerns like
finding the money.
This fall, at the 31st TIFF, there was talk of a new
push towards making the Festival as much a
marketplace as it is a showcase for film, perhaps
mindful of last year's bidding frenzy for Thank You
For Smoking. 2006 saw the inaugural staging of IFF
the International Funding Forum held on
September 8, TIFF's opening day.
Although the format and name were new, though,
the idea was the result of an evolution. Previous
TIFF's have seen what was dubbed the Match Club,
an endeavour to bring producers and financiers
together. But, a bigger push was needed, and
suggested by the Ontario Media Development
Corporation (OMDC). Explains OMDC's James
Weyman, Manager, Industry Development, OMDC,
and Executive Producer of IFF, Our mission is to
create new business. We're always looking to create
new opportunities for Ontario future film producers.
In the past several years, we've worked with an
agency of the British Consulate, and have brought
over British film producers. We wanted to build on
that concept, he continues. Looking at other
events, Berlin and Cannes have moved towards
creating more business and networking opportunities
for co-productions. Weyman also cites the
tumultuous financial climate in British film making as a
reason for expanding on the premise of getting film
makers and potential financial partners to talk
business.
September 8's event, hosted by OMDC in partnership
with Telefilm Canada, RBC Royal Bank and UK Trade &
Investment, took place at Toronto's posh Sutton
Place Hotel's Stop 33 restaurant, overlooking the city
from the 33rd floor. We wanted to keep it relatively
small and high level, Weyman states. Small and high
level means a group of about 40 producers pitching
projects at various stages of completion from all over
Canada, the US, Australia, the UK, South Africa,
Italy, Finland, Switzerland, China, Brazil and Spain.
The VIP financier side included Thorsten Ritter,
head of Bavaria Film International, reps from William
Morris Agency, the UK's Spice Factory, and Capri
Films, Jane Wright, Head of Business & Legal Affairs
for the BBC, and Kristin Jones, SVP of Production &
Acquisitions for Miramax. The international mix
makes good business sense. Independent financing
often means multiple partners, Weyman
notes. We're trying to create an international co-
production market involving fairly senior partners.
Part of what made it special too, is the presence of
Americans.
The morning of the 9 am to 4 pm forum featured one
on one sessions a minimum of five meetings for
each producer, with breaks the included
presentations from organizations in Canada, the UK,
South Africa and Australia on funding opportunities.
A bit like the speed dating concept, if you will,
producers had a short time to make that all important
pitch. Damon D'Oliveira of Toronto's Conquering Lion
Pictures attended to pitch two projects, Enter the
Cipher, and the Collectors, both feature length
dramas. I think the most productive aspect is that
it's a very strategic meeting point at TIFF, he
states. That very focused one on one is its biggest
benefit.
D'Oliveira also took part in the lunch time event,
an interview with Howard Gertler, producer of
Shortbus. Shortbus, a largely improvised film starring
Sook-Yin Lee and Paul Dawson, explores the comic
and tragic intersections of love and sex between
several characters who eventually converge at an
underground art/politics/sex salon in NYC. The film,
which features real sex acts on camera, was a
sensation at Cannes, and had TIFF media abuzz. It
was more of a discussion of creative producing, says
D'Oliveira of the interview, how to make a film that
has strong sexual material. He likens it to his
experience with Clement Virgo's Lie With Me. It's all
in finding the right partners as D'Oliveira notes,
both Lie With Me and Shortbus found US distribution
through the same company, THINKFilm.
For D'Oliveira, the controversial subject matter is a
sign of the times. The international market is over
saturated at the moment, he explains, you really
need something that sets you apart and sex sells!
he laughs. Directorial flair, and strong subject
matter set you apart. As proof, he notes Lie With
Me sold in over 30 markets. He counts IFF as a
worthwhile experience already. They brought in a
number of Canada's key co-production partners, he
notes. I came out of there with a very good up to
date idea of co-production opportunities. As to
funding of future projects, naturally, nothing in the
film business happens overnight, much less in an
afternoon. It's all in the follow up now, he says.
It takes a while for things to percolate, Weyman
remarks, but he reports extremely encouraging exit
comments from the participants. One of the early
responses has been that a film looking for additional
funding and distribution is very close to signing a
deal, he reports. Paul Barkin, a producer with Alcina
Pictures, is also enthusiastic. Due to the IFF, we
are imminently close to signing an international sales
deal for Bruce McDonald's new project, the Tracey
Fragments, starring Ellen Page. In some cases, the
view is longer term. Says Jodi Zuckerman, VP
Creative Affairs for Participant Productions, IFF
delivered high quality producers with solid projects.
It is clear to me that there will be opportunities for
Participant to work with some of these producers in
the future. All participants are required to report
back on their progress to more effectively gauge the
IFF's effectiveness.
We're trying to add to what TIFF does, Weyman
says. I think ultimately IFF reflects the TIFF
festival it's a bridge from Europe to North America.
I think we achieved that.
Find out more....
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Starting with Success - 99th Floor Films
by Anya Wassenberg
In early September, what with line-ups all over
downtown and fevered sightings of J.Lo and Brad
Pitt sans Angelina your average Torontonian
might be forgiven forgetting that everything to do
with film doesn't begin and end with TIFF. For
Toronto based partners Anthony Miceli and Allison
White and 99th Floor Films, their production company
(www.99thfloorfilms.com), however, the film festival
experience came a little farther east, and a week or
two earlier.
Peephole, 99th Floor's d but short, was an official
selection of the Montreal World Film Festival
(www.ffm-montreal.org) and screened on the
Festival's closing weekend, September 1 & 3. It
was fantastic, enthuses White of the
experience. The Friday night audience was, in
particular, very responsive.
Of course, the allure of festival exposure includes
much more than the invaluable exposure to
audiences there's the networking, the
schmoozing. The Festival people were very
welcoming There were lots of parties! she
notes. The Montreal World Film Festival really is an
international festival, she adds, very respected
internationally.
99th Floor Films first took shape when White and
Miceli met as students in the film programme at
Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, an affluent
suburban community half an hour west of Toronto.
Allison arrived to study cinematography and editing
after studies at Memorial University in St. John's,
Nfld, and Miceli came to Sheridan's highly regarded
programme after studying at the New York Film
Academy. After completing a film together as
students, the two recognized an essential working
compatibility and shared vision. We both love the
idea of making films that are provocative and
accessible, says White. Hollywood bashing may be
de rigueur in indie circles, but White is hopeful of
being able to bring quality work to the
mainstream. They still make some good films in
Hollywood we want to contribute to that.
A shared work ethic came into play during the
shooting of Peephole, a 3 long day, 2 location
extravaganza, complete with 25 person crew. We
had a fantastic crew, she acknowledges. Peephole
is based on White's short story, with Miceli
collaborating on the screenplay version. Shot in
November of 2005, it screened in Montreal in less
than a year. We sent rough cuts to festivals in
December, White says, but we had the absolute
finished product in spring.
Peephole tells the story of Jack, who watches the
world and his beautiful neighbour from the safety
of his apartment, behind the peephole, until one day
when he sees something that compels him to leave,
with unexpected results. Judging from Peephole, and
excerpts from Plasticity, a psychological thriller
currently in development, 99th Floor's strength and
penchant lies in a talent for creating moody,
emotional visuals; claustrophobic hallways, or lonely
barren winter landscapes, of finding a surreal edge in
the banal. Both pieces are characterized by finely
tuned acting and a compelling visual point of view
that can shift from normal to nightmarish,
undoubtedly what attracted the organizers of
Montreal's Film Festival.
99th Floor is currently shopping Peephole with a view
to further screenings, along with working on several
feature scripts. We're very busy writing! says
White.
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Sincerely,
IFA
Independent Filmmakers Alliance
phone: 1-866-959-FILM
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