With B.C.’s film industry back in full swing, it’s no surprise that the focus at this year’s VIFF Industry Conference is on independent films and indie filmmakers.
The newly re-branded VIFF Industry Conference takes place October 1 to 4 during the heart of the Vancouver International Film Festival. The rebrand sees a renewed focus on those vital, over-the-border connections, drawing on Vancouver’s unique proximity to Hollywood. VIFF Industry sees an overall 15% increase of guests from New York and a 20% increase in guest speakers from LA, recruiting top North American executives to connect and collaborate with Vancouver’s local content makers.
October 1: Power to the Indie Day
VIFF Industry’s second edition of Power to the Indie: New Frontiers in Direct Distribution, Marketing & Engagement features leading experts in innovative technologies, new platforms and marketing strategies.
The digital program will be enhanced by a private lab featuring six BC-based filmmaking teams who will collaboratively explore new models of direct distribution, potential revenue streams, and strategies for engaging audiences, with the goal of defining best practices for independent films as digital platforms continue to evolve.
Who’s Coming
Star-struck? Here are some of the top speakers attending VIFF Industry 2014:
- Chris Collins (Exec. Producer & Head Writer), Sons of Anarchy
- Jack Amiel (co-creator), The Knick (HBO’s newest show)
- Jay Duplass (co-writer/co-director), Jeff, Who Lives at Home
- Adam Reed (creator), Archer
- Anthony Hemingway (director), Shameless, Treme, True Blood, Low Winter Sun, The News Room
- Other executives from VHX, Bond Strategy and Influence, Amplify Releasing, CineCoup, Film Presence, Seed&Spark, Indigogo, BitTorrent, Dotstudioz and Drafthouse Films
Top 5 Industry Sessions
STORIFY YOUR GAME – A video game writer’s dream guest!
- Corey May (lead writer Assassin’s Creed I, II & III, Director of Scriptwriters, Ubisoft Montreal)
MEET THE GATEKEEPERS – Heavy hitting TV executives come out to share their knowledge
- John Morayniss (CEO, eOne Television)
- Nicole Clemens (SVP and Head of Series Development, FX Networks)
- Steve Foster (Director, Development, HBO Films)
SPECIFIC VOICES – Leading TV writers/producers share experiences from within the writers’s rooms
- Chris Collins (EP and Head Writer, Sons of Anarchy)
- Jack Amiel (Co-creator, The Knick)
ALL KINDS OF FUNNY – Creator of ARCHER Adam Reed dissects on of the most entertaining, hysterical and adrenaline-fuelled shows out there.
GENRE SMASH! – How film and TV genres have expanded into sub-genres and hybrid genres, melding elements in new, compelling, and sometimes strange ways
- Simon Davis Berry (creator, Continuum)
- Nicole Perlman (screenwriter, Guardians of the Galaxy)
2014’s VIFF Industry Conference runs from October 1-4 at the Vancity Theatre. Tickets on sale now.
Vancity Buzz is a proud media sponsor of the 2014 Vancouver Film Festival.
Featured Photo Credit: Dramatic lit Director’s Chair from Shutterstock
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