We are very pleased to tell you all that Driven has been selected as one of 27 international, documentary film projects to pitch at the 2011 Hot Docs Forum event in Toronto, on May 4th and 5th. Projects will be coming from countries all over the world, including Argentina, Denmark, Peru, Israel, Syria, USA, Canada, and the UK. View the full list here.
This is an amazing opportunity for us to introduce our wonderful story to a impressive list of "attending buyers". These are television commissioners, buyers, distributors, agents, funders and associations (see the list below - gulp!).
Producer Rob Fletcher and Director Jonathan Howells will be there in Toronto to pitch, and we hope to get some of these buyers excited about Driven. Last month, Rob and Jonathan attended the Engine Room Workshop, a pitching event associated with the Sheffield Doc Fest. Driven was a unanimous favourite among all in attendance, so we're optimistic for Hot Docs.
The Hot Docs Forum could help us find the funding we need to see Driven to the finish line, as well as connect us with the international film community, so wish us luck at the beginning of May everyone! We'll let you know how it goes.
International buyers at the 2011 Hot Docs Forum:
Argentina
- Infinto Hernan Topasso
Australia
- SBS Television Australia Ben Nguyen
- Screen Australia Julia Overton
Austria
- Autlook Filmsales Andrea Hock
- Autlook Filmsales Peter Jäger
Canada
- Astral Media Kathleen Meek
- Bogeydom Licensing George Ayoub
- BuzzTaxi Communications Inc. Jenna Bourdeau
- Canwest Broadcasting Christine Shipton
- CBC Michael Claydon
- CBC Bruce Cowley
- CBC News Network Andrew Johnson
- CBC News Network Catherine Olsen
- CBC Science & Natural History Unit Michael Allder
- Corus Entertainment Michael Harris
- Discovery Channel Canada Lindsay Cowan Dotchison
- Discovery Channel Canada Paul Lewis
- E1 Films International Charlotte Mickie
- Filmoption International Lizanne Rouillard
- Films Transit International Inc. Jan Rofekamp
- High Fidelity HDTV John Panikkar
- High Fidelity HDTV Daphne Vaz
- High Fidelity HDTV Craig Colby
- High Fidelity HDTV Andrea Harrick
- Interactive Ontario Ian Kelso
- KinoSmith Robin Smith
- Knowledge Murray Battle
- Knowledge Rudy Buttignol
- Maple Pictures John Bain
- Mongrel Media Caroline Habib
- Movie Central Julie Di Cresce
- RIDM Roxanne Sayegh
- RIDM Myriam Lisee-Castan
- SRC Société Radio-Canada Georges Amar
- Super Channel Justin Rebelo
- Super Channel Marguerite Pigott
- Super Channel Maureen Levitt
- TVOntario Jane Jankovic
- TVOntario Naomi Boxer
- TVOntario Linda Fong
- TVOntario Christine McGlade
China
- iDocs China Coraline Zou
Denmark
- CPH:DOX Daniellla Eversby
- Filmkontakt Nord Katrine Kiilgaard
- Filmkontakt Nord Karin Johansson-Mex
- Nordic Film and TV Fund Karolina Lidin
Finland
- YLE TV 2 Documentaries Iikka Vehkalahti
- YLE Current Affairs Nina Tuominen
France
- ARTE France Christilla Huillard-Kann
- ARTE France Nathalie Verdier
- ARTE France Karen Michael
- ARTE France Alex Szalat
- ARTE GEIE Olaf Grunert
- CAT&Docs Catherine LeClef
- Wide Management Anais Clanet
Germany
- NDR Patricia Schlesinger
Israel
- Channel 1 Israel Neil Weisbrod
- yesDocu Guy Lavie
Italy
- RAI Lorenzo Hendel
Japan
- NHK Takahiro Hamano
- NHK Tomoko Okutsu
Korea South
- Pusan Internatoinal Film Festival Hyosook Hong
Netherlands
- AVRO Marijke Huijbregts
- IDFA Ally Derks
- SND Films Sydney Neter
- VPRO Barbara Truyen
Norway
- FilmCamp Svein Andersen
Sweden
- SVT Hjalmar Palmgren
Switzerland
- First Hand Films Esther van Messel
United Arab Emirates
- Dubai International Film Festival Jane Williams
United Kingdom
- BBC Mark GoodChild
- Channel 4 Television Anna Miralis
- Channel 4 Television Simon Dickson
- Dogwoof Distribution Oli Harbottle
- Dogwoof Distribution Anna Godas
- Mercury Media Tim Sparke
- Mercury Media Calum Gray
United States
- 7th Art Releasing Udy Epstein
- A&E IndieFilms Molly Thompson
- Al Jazeera English Jean Garner
- American Documentary l POV Chris White
- American Documentary l POV Simon Killmurry
- Balcony Releasing Greg Kendall
- Balcony Releasing Connie White
- Catapult Film Fund Lisa Chanoff
- Catapult Film Fund Bonni Cohen
- Cause & Affect Ted Richane
- Cinetic Rights Management Emi Norris
- Crowd Starter Paola Freccero
- Crowd Starter Liz Ogilvie
- ESPN & ESPN Classic Mark Durand
- Films Transit International Inc. Diana Holtzberg
- Ford Foundation Orlando Bagwell
- Goldcrest Films Nick Quested
- Hamptons International Film Festival David Nugent
- Icarus Films Jonathan Miller
- Impact Partners Dan Cogan
- Independent FIlm PBS PLUS Kathryn Lo
- KETC (PBS - St. Louis) John Lindsay
- Link Media Lorraine Hess
- Magnolia Films Laird Adamson
- MSNBC Scott Hooker
- Naked Edge Films Jim Butterworth
- Naked Edge Films Daniel Chalfen
- National Endowment for the Humanities Sonia Feigenbaum
- Participant Productions Diane Weyermann
- PBS Interactive Eric Freeland
- PBS WGBH International Tom Koch
- PBS WGBH International Charles Schuerhoff
- Ro*co films international Sue Turley
- Shooting People Ingrid Kopp
- Shoreline Entertainment Sam Eigen
- Submarine Josh Braun
- Sundance Channel Ann Rose
- Sundance Film Festival Caroline Libresco
- Sundance Film Festival David Courier
- The Documentary Channel Kate Pearson
- The Documentary Channel James Ackerman
- Tribeca Film Institute Ryan Harrington
- True/ False Paul Sturtz
- True/False David Wilson
- Women Make Movies Debra Zimmerman
- Zeitgeist Films Ian Stimler