THE BANFF WORLD MEDIA FESTIVAL is launching four months of premium online content from May to September, following the cancellation of this year’s in-person festival due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Banff Virtual Edition program will connect the international media industry and help to ignite new projects and business development, say Banff organizers. The Rockie Awards (June 15) and Banff Day (June 16) will tentpole the season of programming, the majority of which will be offered to the global industry free of charge, says the news release.
International media companies already signed up to participate in sessions and exclusive networking offerings include: A+E Networks, Amazon, AMC Networks, BBC America, Bell Media, Blue Ant Media, CAA, CBBC, CBC/Radio-Canada, CBS All Access, CNN, Corus Entertainment, Disney, Endemol Shine, eOne, Hulu, ITV Studios, Keshet, Netflix, Lionsgate, OUTtv, PBS, Rogers Media, Starz, Tomorrow Studios, Groupe Media TFO, UKTV, Vice Canada, Warner Bros., WarnerMedia, YLE, ZDF and many more.
The Banff Virtual Edition content program kicks off Tuesday, May 26 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT with a master class featuring a sneak peek of the post-apocalyptic drama series Snowpiercer, produced by Tomorrow Studios (a partnership between Marty Adelstein and ITV Studios), which will air on TNT in the U.S. and internationally on Netflix (outside of the U.S. and China). This session will feature an in-depth conversation with Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind), Grammy and Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs (Hamilton) and Emmy nominee Alison Wright (The Americans), along with showrunner and executive producer Graeme Manson (Orphan Black), executive producer and CEO of Tomorrow Studios Marty Adelstein (Hanna, Cowboy Bebop) and Netflix vice-president of content Larry Tanz.
“We are thrilled to launch our program with Snowpiercer, and we look forward to welcoming the incredible talent that created this series to our virtual stage. Filmed in the Canadian Rockies, we can’t think of a more appropriate show to premiere as our first master class of 2020,” said Jenn Kuzmyk, executive director of the Banff World Media Festival, in the release.
Additional master classes, industry panels, interactive video sessions and online networking events will be announced in the coming weeks.
Individuals can register at banffmediafestival.com to access most of the program free of charge via a virtual pass. With the addition of a networking pass for $250, registered participants can access curated, online one-on-one meetings and small group sessions with top studio executives, agents, network buyers and streaming executives.
“We are pleased to provide an opportunity for the industry in Canada and around the world to join together for this virtual edition of Banff,” said Randy Lennox, president of Bell Media and chair of the Banff board. “While we’ll miss the mountains, this is a unique opportunity to connect, inspire, and support one another from a distance. Congratulations to the Banff crew for their commitment to delivering an engaging festival full of must-see programming and discussion.”
