A delegation of 14 Canadian producers will take part in the 4th Forum of the Canada-India Business Council that will take place in Mumbai on November 17 to 19 in Mumbai, and in the 8th Film Bazaar that will Goa on November 20 to 24 to activate the Canada-India Audiovisual Coproduction Treaty.
Telefilm Canada and the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) are spearheading the mission with support from the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi, the Consulate General of Canada in Mumbai and the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA).
In parallel, the 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) taking place in Goa from November 20 to November 30 will feature five Canadian films. Two Canadian directors, Mathieu Denis (Corbo) and Andrea Dorfman (Heartbeat) will be on hand to promote their films. The Canadian films Mommy by Xavier Dolan, Le regne de la beaute (An Eye for Beauty) by Denys Arcand and Maps to the Stars by David Cronenberg will also be shown.
The coproduction treaty between Canada and India, which came into effect on July 1st, 2014, will become a reality with this mission, which purpose is to develop relationships with India’s film industry and position Canada as a major player and key partner for coproduction.
The Canadian delegation will first attend the Canada-India Business Council Forum in Mumbai as part of a group of some 200 Canadian and Indian businesspeople. They will take part in a panel discussion entitled Activating the Canada-India Coproduction Treaty, and will have the opportunity to participate in business-to-business networking opportunities organized with Indian film producers. Canadian producers will then move on to Goa to attend the Film Bazaar, a major gathering for film industry development, distribution and production professionals.
Participating Canadian producers include:
Alfons Adetuyi, Inner City Films (Ontario)
Paula Devonshire, Devonshire Productions (Ontario)
Karen Franklin, Hill 100 Productions (Ontario)
Ralph Holt, Hill 100 Productions (Ontario)
Daniel Iron, Blue Ice Pictures (Ontario)
Mehernaz Lentin, Industry Pictures (Ontario)
David Miller, A71 Productions (Ontario)
Damon D’Oliveira, Conquering Lion Pictures (Ontario)
Rama Rau, Trinetra Productions (Ontario)
Sergio Navarretta, Platinum Image Film (Ontario)
Miranda de Pencier, Northwood Entertainment (Ontario)
Kelly Balon, Karma Film (Saskatchewan)
Anand Ramayya, Karma Film (Saskatchewan)
Vic Sarin, Sepia Films (British Columbia)
Travelling with the delegation will be Sheila de La Varende, Director of International Promotion at Telefilm Canada; Karen Thorne-Stone, President and CEO of OMDC; and Susanne Vaas, Vice-President, Business Affairs and Secretary Designate at CMPA.
Chris McDonald, President of Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival, conference and market, will also take part in the Film Bazaar and IFFI in Goa. Hot Docs is preparing a “Made In India” program for its 2015 edition to celebrate the country’s contribution to contemporary documentary cinema.
—ANI