Toronto speakers to include Kavanaugh, Werner, Ford, Hope

Toronto’s industry programmes will host speakers including Relativity CEO Ryan Kavanaugh [pictured], Fortissimo Films chairman Michael J Werner, IM Global’s Stuart Ford, producer Ted Hope, The Match Factory’s Michael Weber, Distribution Workshop’s Jeffrey Chan and Telefilm Canada’s Karynn Austin.

Industry sessions will explore topics including gaming, international co-production, costume design, crowdfunding, screenwriting, soundtracks and music scoring, funding, VOD distribution models, and the burgeoning Chinese film industry.

Filmmakers set to participate in the talks also include Bruce McDonald, Michael Dowse and Gary Hustwit.

The Doc Conference will be held Sept 12, featuring keynotes by Morgan Spurlock and Nick Broomfield, with speakers also including Karol Martesko-Fenster of ThoughtEngine/CineLAN, director Joe Berlinger, Participant Media’s Diane Weyermann, director Lucy Walker, and more.

In other initiatives, TIFF is partnering for the first time with online platforms Cinando and Festival Scope to offer sales companies the opportunity to stream their TIFF official selections with delegates. Cinando will offer Contemporary World Cinema and Canada First! titles, while Festival Scope will stream Discovery and Visions titles.

TIFF is also unveiling the new Nexus series that brings together the worlds of film, gaming and interactive media. That initiative will kick off on Sept 14 with a panel discussing the film/game crossover for Neuromancer.

Other Nexus events will include a session bringing together game developers and hardware hackers, an innovation day conference, a session devoted to children’s content and new media, and a game-making incubator for women, and collaborations between comics and game creators.

Shane Smith, Director of Public Programmes, TIFF, said: “We believe that gaming and interactive media share many potential opportunities with filmmaking and we hope that the exploration and dialogue encouraged by TIFF Nexus will help build upon the impressive reputation that Canada has across all three sectors.”

This year’s Filmmakers’ Lounge for filmmakers and industry will be located on the mezzanine level of the Hyatt, next to TIFF Bell Lgihtbox. Also based at the Hyatt is the TIFF Industry Centre, which houses theSales & Industry Office, Filmmakers’ Lounge, Guest Relations Office,  Industry Box Office, Industry Programming, National Promotional Agency Stands, On-site Registration and Pass Pick-Up, Programming Office, Protocol Office, meeting spaces, food services, and internet stations.