HALIFAX — Attendees of FIN Partners, Canada’s leading international co-production/co-financing market, were treated to some inspiring keynotes and discussions at the industry partnership event held last week in Halifax.
Coinciding with the beginning of the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival, happening this week in Halifax, FIN Partners occurred September 13-14 and featured keynote speakers Finola Dwyer of Wildgaze Films, the Oscar-nominated producer of Brooklyn and An Education, and Mark Slone, president of Pacific Northwest Pictures.
FIN Partners was attended by 154 delegates who came to Halifax in the hopes of securing financing for projects in development and to forge new co-production partnerships.
“I think in choosing partners you want to choose like-minded spirits,” Finola Dwyer said, regarding co-producing. “They are quite long and tense relationships, so finding the right partner is critical.”
Dwyer (pictured on left) opened the FIN Partners market with a keynote conversation hosted by Damon D’Oliveira (pictured on right) of Conquering Lion Pictures. With an eye for breakout talent, Dwyer discussed the process of casting Carey Mulligan in An Education, and Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn, and the value of nurturing quality partnerships. As one half of the first female producing duo (along with Amanda Posey) to be twice nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, Dwyer spoke of being drawn to stories with female protagonists, and the importance of reflecting the diversity of the audience in her work.
Mark Slone of Pacific Northwest Pictures, a leading Canadian feature film distributor and producer based in Toronto, kicked off the second day of FIN Partners with a keynote address on the state of distribution and theatrical exhibition.
“The number one question we get is ‘What are you buying?’” said Slone. “It’s harder to answer than ever before. It’s not what will they consume, but under what circumstances.”
Slone offered thoughts on how social media has allowed a multitude of communities to form where there used to be barriers and how this has changed the cinema landscape.
During an afternoon panel discussion focused on “Opportunities in Finance for UK Co-production”, host Karen Paré of Film Finances Canada directed the conversation to share strategies for working with UK financiers, and structuring complex multi-country co-productions.
“Most co-productions we have done are done for economic reasons,” said panel participant Natalie Coleman of London-based Head Gear Films. “You can shoot a movie anywhere and make it look like anything. Sometimes it’s important to the story. Sometimes it’s purely you want to claim as many tax credits and incentives as possible.”
The Independent Production Fund also brought delegates a panel discussion on “Possibilities and Priorities: The New OTT Landscape.” The discussion was hosted by Stephen Finney, development executive for Connect3 Media, and featured Gave Lindo, executive director for OTT programming at CBC, Tory Jennings, director of programming for Bell Media Pay & SVOD, and Anthony Jiwa, head of marketing for OUTtv. A push for short form content was a key part of the conversation.
“We’re in the market for great Canadian series as we’re building a destination for great Canadian stories. Short form content is something we really believe in,” said Lindo, who also mentioned CBC has commissioned more than 50 short form series and more than 100 short form documentaries so far for CBC Gem.
FIN Partners was presented by Telefilm Canada, with support from Bell Media and CTV, the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), and Super Channel.
Photo of Finola Dwyer and Damon D’Oliveira by Jackie N with Geworsky Imaging
