BANFF celebrates French language programming with dedicated partnerships and content

The Banff World Media Festival is celebrating francophone content and the many contributions made by French and French-Canadian creators and producers at this year's Festival with a dedicated Master Class; by honoring Quebec filmmakers at the Rockie Awards; by announcing the Jean-Marc Vallée bursary recipient, and by hosting the Canada-France Series Lab producers for their first workshops.

BANFF, with Series Mania Forum, Telefilm Canada, and the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC), has announced the French and Canadian producers selected for the Canada-France Series Lab; an initiative aimed at developing new co-productions between Canadian and French producers for the international marketplace.

"BANFF is delighted to be the first official gathering of the Canada-France Series Lab participants and to be working with our partners -Telefilm, CNC and Series Mania to support a program that we hope will result in a number of great new series and further strengthen the relationships between Canadian and French producers," says Jenn Kuzmyk Executive Director of the Banff World Media Festival.

The four French and five Canadian producers were selected by a jury of international industry professionals that included; Christine de Bourbon-Busset, Producer -Lincoln TV; Sydney Gallonde, CEO & Executive Producer -Make It Happen Studio; Christina Jennings, President & Chairman -Shaftesbury; Daniela Mujica, Executive Producer - Productions Ocho, and presided by Emmanuelle Guilbart, Joint CEO & Founder - About Premium Content.

"I was delighted to host this first edition of the Canada-France Series Lab with an outstanding jury of recognized French and Canadian professionals. We focused on selecting projects whose stories were organic, with ambitions and the potential to be sold to broadcasters. We will have succeeded if one or several series were to go into production. I hope that this first edition will serve as a springboard for the following ones." — Emmanuelle Guilbart, Joint CEO & Founder, About Premium Content and president of the jury.

They will now start a year-long program designed to develop and prepare them for their series pitch presentation, in front of a global audience, at the 2024 Series Mania Forum which will take place in Lille (France) from March 19 to 21, 2024.

The power of music: “In Conversation With” Emmy-award winner Nora Felder

Stranger Things, Yellowjackets, Californication, What We Do in the Shadows, Better Things… get inside the brilliant mind behind the music that helped make these and so many more mega hits.

We'll sit down with 4x Emmy & 2x Grammy nominated Music Supervisor (2022 Emmy winner), Nora Felder for a talk on inspiration and collaboration, and her incredible career spanning from booking showcases and events for the Cure and INXS, to being VP of production for legendary music producer, Phil Ramone, where she worked on recording projects for artists ranging from Paul Simon, Sinead O'Connor, Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett, Malcolm McLaren, and Iggy Pop.

Moderated by: Matt Cansick, Senior Director, Creative Licensing, BMG Production Music

In partnership with: BMG Production Music

BAFTA award-winner Sharon Horgan joins BANFF's prestigious Summit Series lineup

This highly anticipated session will take place on Wednesday, June 14th.

Co-founder of the globally renowned production and entertainment company Merman, Sharon Horgan is an award-winning actress, writer, producer and director known for critically acclaimed hit series Catastrophe, Shining Vale, Motherland and the new Apple TV+ comedy thriller Bad Sisters.

"Sharon is one of the top creators, showrunners and performers in the business, and her addition to BANFF's lineup of keynote speakers underscores the Festival's prominence on the world stage," said Kevin Beggs, Chair of the Board of Directors for BANFF and Chair & Chief Creative Officer of the Lionsgate Television Group. "We are privileged to be partnered with Sharon on Motherland for the BBC and are beyond excited about its U.S. adaptation that recently received a pilot order at ABC. I'm thrilled that she will be joining us at BANFF."

"Sharon is one of the most prolific creators of our time, having produced hit after hit of critically-acclaimed content," said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director, Banff World Media Festival. "As an actor, showrunner, writer, producer and director, she's made a virtue of being a multi-hyphenate and continues to deliver honest, clever and wildly entertaining portrayals of women on screen. We're honoured to welcome Sharon to the BANFF stage to discuss her career and thoughts on the ever-changing industry."

The BANFF Summit Series is a curated, future-focused lineup of keynote sessions that was launched in 2019 in honour of the Festival's four-decade legacy. This powerful speaker roster features the global players who are shaping the future of the media industry.

Furthermore, Horgan will be presented with the Award of Excellence at the Rockies Gala taking place on Tuesday June 13th at the Festival. The Award of Excellence acknowledges exceptional achievement through a body of work over an extended period of time. Past honourees include Paul Feig, Jeremy Podeswa, Kenny Ortega, Eugene Levy, Carol Mendelsohn and David E. Kelley.

Industry titans coming to BANFF: Fremantle's Jennifer Mullin, World of Wonder's Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato + global entertainer Lilly Singh

"Each of these incredible individuals have changed the face of the industry in unique and important ways," said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director, Banff World Media Festival. "Jennifer Mullin will have us rapt with her vision of what it takes to helm one of the world's global content powerhouses. Lilly Singh is a Canadian-born superstar, and we're thrilled to be able to celebrate and explore what drives her talents in front of and behind the screen. And it's just impossible to quantify the good that Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have put into the world via the legendary global juggernaut that is Drag Race and many other productions."

CRTC's newly appointed Chairperson and CEO to keynote at the Festival

Vicky Eatrides began her career practicing regulatory law at a national law firm in 2000. She joined the federal public service in 2005 and held a number of senior executive positions at the Competition Bureau, Natural Resources Canada, and the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. Eatrides has experience across a variety of areas, including law enforcement, strategic policy, economic analysis, legislative affairs, and international relations.

"Chairperson Eatrides' BANFF debut comes at a pivotal time of critical examination and foundational change for the Canadian and international media industry," said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director, Banff World Media Festival. "We are honoured to host the new head of the CRTC at this year's festival, to participate in what is sure to be an illuminating and greatly anticipated keynote".

2023 Rockie Awards Nominees & Grand Jury announced

We are pleased to announce the incredible programs selected for this year's top honours across four streams and 27 categories in BANFF's flagship competition recognizing excellence in global screen content. This year's field saw entries from more than 48 countries, with 29 countries represented amongst the nominees.

SEE THE FULL NOMINEE LIST AND SCREEN CLIPS FROM ALL NOMINATED SHOWS

MEET THE ESTEEMED INDUSTRY EXPERTS
WHO WILL DETERMINE THIS YEAR'S OVERALL BEST IN CLASS

The Rockies jury includes 150+ senior international industry professionals covering all major genres. The Grand Jury determines the coveted Grand Jury Prize, selected from the top-scoring programs across the entire field of nominees.

Thank you to our Grand Jury, and our entire international jury. Each juror brings deep industry insight and an eye for greatness to adjudicate the selection of this year's nominees, winners, special prizes and Grand Jury Prize," said Jenn Kuzmyk, Executive Director of the Banff World Media Festival. "The Rockie Awards represent the best content in the world. We're excited to once again be celebrating with a fully live and in-person awards ceremony in Banff during the festival."

OTHER HONOURS TO BE BESTOWED THIS YEAR:

Rogers' Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content
Thanks to Rogers' generous support year after year, $25,000 in cash will be awarded to the producer(s) of the top-scoring Canadian entry. Highlighting the best independently, Canadian-created entertainment content, this award serves to foster domestic talent and invest in future content development from independent producers.

Emerging Talent Prize
Awarded to the jury's highest-scoring short fiction series, non-fiction series or short film video submission that was not funded by a streamer or network.

Prix Francophone
Awarded to the jury's highest-scoring French-language video submission.

2023 ROCKIES HIGHLIGHTS:

Leading nominations by company:
‣ British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) – 21 nominations
‣ FX Networks – 5 nominations
‣ National Geographic / Disney Branded Television – 5 nominations
‣ Warner Bros. Discovery – 5 nominations

Leading nominations by country:
‣ USA – 52 nominations
‣ UK – 41 nominations
‣ Canada – 37 nominations
‣ Germany – 8 nominations
‣ Australia – 6 nominations
‣ France – 6 nominations

+ Nominees from: Argentina / Austria / Belgium / Brazil / Chile / Czech Republic / Denmark / Finland / Israel / Italy / Japan / New Zealand / Norway / Poland / Portugal / Singapore / South Africa / South Korea / Spain / Sweden / Taiwan / The Netherlands / United Arab Emirates

SPOTLIGHT: Universal Studio Group presidents to outline vision at the Festival

Take the opportunity to hear directly from the presidents of Universal Television, Universal International Studios & UCP and Universal Television Alternative Studio as they outline their vision for 2023 and beyond, and share intel on how best to do business with them.

Universal Studio Group includes hit scripted television, unscripted premium docu-series, podcasts and graphic novels for multiple platforms. Collectively the studios produce over 3,000 hours of programming currently airing or streaming around the globe and own one of the largest libraries in the world with 130,000 episodes of television.

BANFF Spotlight are high-profile sessions that feature the mandates and strategies of top executives from leading global entertainment companies and organizations.

George Cheeks to keynote the 2023 Banff World Media Festival

First Summit Series Keynote speaker announced

President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS and Chief Content Officer, News and Sports for Paramount+ George Cheeks is confirmed to join the Festival's Summit Series, a premium keynote speaker lineup featuring the boldest voices and the world's most influential media leaders.

"George Cheeks has been an innovative business and creative force in the television industry for over thirty years," commented Kevin Beggs, Chair of the Board of Directors for BANFF and Chair & Chief Creative Officer of the Lionsgate Television Group. "We at the Banff World Media Festival are honored to have George give our keynote and share his views on the evolving industry."

George Cheeks oversees CBS-branded assets within Paramount Global, including the CBS Television Network, CBS Studios, CBS Stations, CBS Media Ventures, and more. As the Chief Content Officer, News and Sports for Paramount+, he is responsible for bringing CBS News and CBS Sports content to the streaming service, as well as for leading BET, Paramount Television Studios, and Paramount Global's free-to-air networks in the UK, Australia, Argentina, and Chile.

The BANFF Summit Series is a curated, future-focused lineup of keynote sessions that was launched in 2019 in honour of the festival's four-decade legacy. This powerful speaker roster features the global players who are shaping the future of the media industry. Past Summit Series speakers have included Bela Bajaria, Pearlena Igbokwe, Greg Berlanti, Ted Sarandos, Channing Dungey, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Paula Kerger, Sarah Barnett, Paul Feig, Kenan Thompson, Maverick Carter, David Linde, and Seth Meyers.

Leaders from Disney, Paramount Global, Crown Media, Blue Ant, Bell Media, APTN & more join BANFF's Content Advisory Board

We're proud to introduce this year's Content Advisory Board, an esteemed group of international industry leaders who will be working with our content team to help guide programming for the 44th edition of the Festival.