Toronto Film Festival Announces Participants In Four Industry Programs

The 36th Toronto International Film Festival announced the participants in four industry programs today – returning programs Telefilm Canada PITCH THIS!, Talent Lab, and Producers Lab Toronto, and new initiative Rising Stars.

Talent Lab

A line-up of esteemed governors and 24 filmmaker participants will be taking part in this year’s Talent Lab running September 7-10. Two of this year’s governors, who will mentor the participants, including distribution veteran and October Films founder Bingham Ray and director Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Juno, Thank You for Smoking). The Lab is run by Strada Films producers Sandra Cunningham and Brad Fox. Talent Lab leads participants in group discussions on a range of topics focused on the artistic side of filmmaking – sharpening the skills and confidence of a new generation of filmmakers while providing emerging talent with the opportunity to build networks and to learn from some of the most accomplished filmmakers and artists in the world.

The 2011 Talent Lab participants are: Paul-E. Audet, Kaz Cai, Jordan Canning, Jonas Carpignano, Catherine Chagnon, Ron Eyal, Sol Friedman, Tess Girard, Sarah Goodman, Danis Goulet, Ian Harnarine, Matt Johnson , Cameron Labine, Mauricio Leiva-Cock, Nadia Litz, Johnny Ma, Omar Majeed, Moon Molson, Nimisha Mukerji, Halima Ouadiri, David F. Shamoon, Mark Slutsky, Sara St.Onge and Sam Voutas.

Telefilm Canada PITCH THIS!

Telefilm Canada PITCH THIS! is hosted by Canadian actor Ennis Esmer (Wipeout Canada,The Listener, Young People F***ing) and will take place on Tuesday, September 13 in TIFF Bell Lightbox. The winning team, selected by a jury of international industry experts, is awarded $10,000 from Telefilm Canada to further develop their project.

The 2011 Telefilm Canada PITCH THIS! finalists are: This interpretive biopic highlights the eccentric genius of 19th century Canadian Surrealist photographer Hannah Maynard. Following a number of deaths in her family she developed a surreal vision, a world obsessed with children and death but also with the possibilities of duality and the infinity.

Pinweight – Lynne Kamm, Rahnuma Panthaky, Marc Almon A hot-headed Muslim tomboy and a quiet Hindu cleaning lady strike an unlikely friendship over their shared dream of becoming champion fighters in a country that considers female boxing a sacrilege.

Producers Lab Toronto

Producers Lab Toronto (running September 7-10) will include pitching sessions, round table meetings and case studies. European producers and their Canadian counterparts will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and knowledge and to discuss concrete co-production opportunities between their two regions. Producers Lab Toronto is a creation of European Film Promotion (EFP), in collaboration with the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Financial support for the initiative is provided by the new MEDIA International Programme of the European Union.

Sarah A. Friedman: Deja Vu

MISSION: To empower Artists to mind their Business. I am a Photographer, Business Manager and Creative problem solver. Born in "The Cleve" and living NYC since 1989. I've tought Photography courses for the last 12 years at my alma mater The School of Visual Arts. My true passion is making sure Artists are informed with practical information to ensure their financial health and success.

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