OMDC selects 39 projects for fifth annual Financing Forum

The Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC)’s fifth annual International Financing Forum (IFF) will take place during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sept 12-13 with 39 producers selected to participate, 20 from Canada and 19 from the rest of the world.
 
The two-day event, which is now in its fifth year, is a competitive feature film co-financing market that brings together international and Canadian producers developing English language projects with high level industry executives including sales agents, financiers, distributors, agents and executives.
 
Included in the event are one-on-one producer meetings, panel discussions, roundtable meetings, a networking luncheon and an opening night networking reception.
 
Among the projects in the forum this year are Open City Films’ The Devil’s Pool from the US which is a period romance about Chopin with Julianne Moore and Kristen Stewart attached; Wajda, a coming-of-age story from Germany’s Razor Film which is the debut feature from Haifaa Al Mansour, Saudi Arabia’s first female film-maker; The Briss, a comic drama from Canada’s Submission Films which is written by Dennis Foon (Life Above All) and an untitled 70s punk drama from Al Clark’s Wellington Films which has the approval of The Sex Pistols.
 
UK director Christopher Smith (Black Death, Severance) has a project in IFF called Detour which is produced by Julie Baines, while Australia’s Rowan Woods (Little Fish, The Boys) has a project called The Flight Of The Crane produced by Charlie Doane.
 
A full list of projects is below.

Industry executives will be participating from companies including Wild Bunch, IFC, Haut Et Court, Magnolia, The Match Factory, William Morris Endeavor, Film4, ICM, Sierra Pictures, Cinetic, Aramid Capital, E1 and Fortissimo.
 
Mike Goodridge, editor of Screen International will moderate a panel entitled The Genre Trend: Is Drama Really (un) Dead?
 
Funding for IFF 2010 is supported by the returning partners Telefilm Canada and UK. Trade & Investment, and new partner, Astral’s The Harold Greenberg Fund. Two new sponsors - The Toronto Film and Television Office (TFTO) and Canada Film Capital – have also come aboard IFF this year.
 
PROJECTS SELECTED FOR IFF 2010
 
A Death in the Bullfighting Hills Producer: Pierre Sarrazin, Director: Martyn Burke (Canada)
A Guide To Magical Thinking Producer: Trevor Haysom, Director: Cushla Dillon (New Zealand)
Africville Producer: Robert Budreau, Director: Charles Officer (Canada)
Billy Bones: A Cautionary Tale for Adults Producers: Christina Piovesan, Alex Lalonde, Director: Debroah Chow (Canada)
Born Into This Producer: David Miller, Director: Emmanuel Shirinian (Canada)
The Boy Who Smells Like Fish Producer: Niv Fichman, Director: Analeine Cal y Mayor (Canada)
The Briss Producer: Andrew Boutilier, Writer: Dennis Foon (Canada)
Cold Storage Producer: Michelle Turner, Director: Ellory Elkayem (New Zealand)
Destroyer Producer: Angus Lamont , Director: Tom Shankland (UK)
Detour Producer: Julie Baines, Director: Christopher Smith (UK)
The Devil’s Pool Producer: Jason Kliot, Director: James Lapine (USA)
The Hell Within Producer: Benito Mueller, Dr. Wolfgang Mueller (Germany)
The Homing Producer: Andrew Bendel, Director: Keith Gordon (UK)
Ferrera is Dead Producers: Simone Urdl, Jennifer Weiss, Director: Sook-Yin Lee (Canada)
The Flight of the Crane Producer: Charlie Doane, Director: Rowan Woods (Australia)
Frank & Lola Producers: Lars Knudsen, Jay Van Hoy, Writer/Director: Matthew Ross (USA)
Fricky Producer: Lee Kim, Director: Richie Mehta (Canada)
Guru Hop Producer: Kimberley Wakefield, Director: Binky Mendez (Canada)
I Have Understood You Producer: Mark Johnston, Director: Frank Chiche (Canada)
Informal Citizen Producer: Jeremy Nathan, Director: Teddy Mattera (South Africa)
Involuntary Muscles Producer: Paula Devonshire, Writer: Merlin Dervisevic (Canada)
The Last Crossing Producer: Kevin DeWalt, Writer: Rob King (Canada)
League of Monster Slayers Producer: Jennifer Jonas, Writer/Director: Aaron Woodley (Canada)
LoopLine Producer: Georgina Pope, Writer/Director: Georgina Pope, Writer: Jack Nicklin (Japan)
Lotus Producer: Alan McAlex, Director: Gitanjali Kapila (India)
My Brother the Devil Producer: Christopher Simon, Director: Sally El Hosaini (UK)
The President and Me Producer: Fiona Copeland, Director: William Brandt (New Zealand)
Portraits of You and Me Producer: Julia Kwan, Director: Julia Kwan (Canada)
Schooled Producer: Bryce Mitchell, Director: Kris Booth (Canada)
St. Anne in the Field Producer: Ankica Juric Tilic, Director: Zvonimir Jurić (Croatia)
Sunset Sunrise Producer: Paul Scherzer, Writer/Director: Asghar Massombagi (Canada)
Sweet Jane Producer: Ziad Touma, Director: Ziad Touma (Canada)
Sweetness in the Belly Producer: Jennifer Kawaja, Julia Sereny (Canada)
Terror Station Producer: Steven Hoban, Mark Smith, Director: Grant Harvey (Canada)
Tracey’s Slumba Party Producer: Louise Alston, Director: Louise Alston (Australia)
Troll Under The Table Producer: Robin Crumley, Director: Brad Peyton (Canada)
Untitled Punk Movie Producer: Al Clark, Director: Wayne Holloway (UK)
Wajda Producers: Roman Paul, Gerhard Meixner, Writer/Director: Haifaa Al Mansour (Germany)
We Need To Talk Producer: Luis Angel Ramirez, Director: Andrea Martinez Crowther (Spain)