The Whistler Film Festival has announced the names of the six Canadian producers who will take part in the festival’s first ever Feature Project Lab.
The lab is an intense four-day program to support Canadian filmmaking by immersing producers in how the business works and the role of the movie marketplace. It takes place over the festival, from Dec. 3 to 6.
Participants work on their current features with the aim of getting them from script to the screen, “by facilitating feedback as well as collaboration on and investment in film projects that have U.S. and international appeal,” said the film festival in a release.
The six producers and their projects are:
• Daniel Domachowski, Domogeneous Creative Film (B.C.) with hockey drama HELLO, DESTROYER written by Kevan Funk;
• Geordie Sabbagh, Geordie Sabbagh Productions Inc. (ON) with alien comedy TWO GUYS written by Randall Lobb;
• Jordana Aarons, Cedar Avenue Productions Inc. (ON) with crime thriller NEEDLES written by Riel Stone;
• Josh Epstein, Motion 58 Entertainment Inc. (B.C.) with coming of age comedy PUBLIC SCHOOLED written by Josh Epstein and Kyle Rideout;
• Laura Perlmutter, First Love Films (ON) with the crime drama, TENZIN written by Joshua Reichmann and David Young;
• Peter Harvey, Peter Harvey Films (ON) with coming of age drama TALK LIKE A WHITE BOY written by Natty Zavitz.
“We are pleased to have a good range of projects participating in our Feature Project Lab, and we look forward to connecting them with our industry experts to help move their projects from script to screen,” Angie Nolan, WFF’s programming manager, said in the release.
Industry experts participating in the 2013 Feature Project Lab include Ellen Pittleman, president of Hybrid Entertainment; Mimi Steinbauer, president of Radiant Films International; Ariel Veneziano, president of Recreation Media; and Jon Gerrans, co-president of Strand Releasing.
Marketplace analysts and facilitators include Peter Wetherell of Magus Entertainment and Tim Brown of Joker Films.
Support for the new lab has come from Telefilm Canada, which is also sponsored by The Harold Greenberg Fund, Creative BC, the Canadian Media Production Association – BC, and the Westin Resort and Spa Whistler.
WFF’s schedule is now available at www.whistlerfilmfestival.com. The festival’s online box office is open for early bird industry registration and festival passes until Oct. 31.
See Pique Newsmagazine for interviews on Thursday, Oct. 31 and online at www.piquenewsmagazine.com.
