Theupcoming 31st Toronto International Film Festival has inaugurated a producers'award supporting the Canadian industry in partnership with Canadian Film andTelevision Production Association (CFTPA) and the finalists of Telefilm CanadaPITCH THIS!

The CFTPAProducers' Award will honour entrepreneurial independent producers of aCanadian feature screening at the festival and carries a $10,000 prize. Thewinner will be selected by a jury and announced on Sept 8 at an industryfunction.

Thejury is chaired by producer David Hamilton, whose credits include last year'sfestival opener Water and Bollywood/Hollywood, and includes veteran Canadian film-maker Norman Jewison.

PITCHTHIS! competition returns to the festival for its seventh consecutive year andcomprises six finalists who are assigned pitch coaches to help them prepare forthe competition.

Theparticipants have six minutes to pitch their feature to an audience, includingthe Toronto International Film Festival Group's industry advisory committee, aninternational body of industry professionals, and up to 300 industry delegates.

TheCommittee then chooses the winner of the $10,000 prize. This year's finalistsare: Steven N Bray and Jessie Wallace for Widow's Row; Anthony Del Col for Outsourced; Sheldon Inkol for Once Upon A Revolution; Kerry Elizabeth McPherson for The Year Of The Moth; David Miller and Marcus Robinson for The Innocents; and Mark Montefiore for Little Red Turnbuckle. PITCH THIS! takes place on Sept 12.