TORONTO – Development money and a host of new, internationally-funded pitching programs worth more than $100,000 are in place for the 28th Banff World Television Festival, organizers have announced.
In addition to the continuing support of Canadian partners CTV, and the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, new BWTVF pitching opportunities will be offered in partnership with Canadian, U.K. and U.S. networks at this year’s event, which takes place at the Banff Fairmont Springs, in Banff, Canada, from June 10 to 13, 2007.
CTV Inc. is once again sponsoring the CTV Canadian Documart pitch, with $60,000 in development funding to be awarded to the top three documentary pitches, while the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund returns to present iPitch 2007 – Where Television Gets Interactive with a $10,000 development prize. The winner and runner up of this year’s iPitch, will also win scholarships and tuition at the Banff Centre’s New Media Institute’s Interactive Screen Program to the value of $5,500.
As part of the Festival’s all-new Pitch It! program, the best pitch in the Youth Drama category will receive a US$10,000 prize that is sponsored by Nickelodeon’s nighttime network for teens, the N. The winner of the Youth Drama pitch will also receive a $5,000 motion picture film product grant as prizing for this year’s Audience Choice Award which is provided by returning sponsor Kodak Canada Inc.
The best pitch in the Pitch It! Lifestyle category will receive a £5,000 cash development prize that is sponsored by UKTV Style – one of multi-channel provider UKTV’s 10 channels, and the best pitch in the Comedy category will receive a $10,000 prize that is sponsored by CTV Inc.’s Comedy Network in Canada. U.S. network fox 21 is also offering a development deal, for the first time, for the winner of its reality pitch.
“Banff is excited that so many high-profile broadcasters have come onboard to support our pitch competition,” said BWTVF’s director of content, Jennifer Harkness, in a release.
Offering valuable exposure to a wide audience of commissioning editors, producers, financial executives and other industry representatives, selected pitch finalists will have the opportunity to turn their concepts into productions when they pitch their ideas to commissioning editors before a live audience in a career-making moment.
Canadian and international producers interested in pitching projects at the Festival can complete an online submission form before the individual pitches’ various April deadlines.
