The Alliance for Children and Television’s 1995 Festival and Awards of Excellence will be, in the words of director Kealy Wilkinson, ‘a celebration.’ It’s been a record year for award applications – with 65 English and 26 French programs nominated – and the festival will host the first Canadian market simulation specifically directed at producers of children’s programming.

Says Wilkinson: ‘We’re celebrating our tremendous achievements and track record, and we’re recognizing the growth and maturity of our industry.’

The 1995 Festival and Awards of Excellence will take place at Toronto’s Delta Chelsea Inn Oct. 27 and 28. A panel discussion on Saturday morning entitled ‘Interactive Media for Children’ will feature Bill Sweetman of Electric Eye Multimedia, Lisa Olfman of Portfolio Film and Television, Richard Brandow of Paradox, Bob Jones of RJD Consulting, and Andre Dery, an interactive television consultant.

Award-winning producer and ‘master of market simulations’ Pat Ferns will moderate the pitches to funders, distributors and buyers at the Children’s Television Market Simulation on Saturday afternoon.

Wilkinson expects 100 to 125 children’s producers to attend the seminars and says attendance has been up in recent years. ‘Many of the attendees are younger and newer to the industry, which is one of the reasons we put an emphasis on professional development. It provides an opportunity for some of the experienced people to rub shoulders with the newer people, and it’s one of the opportunities producers tell us they value the most.’

Joseph Motiki, Patty Sullivan and Kevin Brauch, hosts of tvokids, will host the awards gala dinner and presentation Saturday evening. Singer Nancy White will perform, with additional entertainment being provided by a lineup of ‘surprise guests’ from past and present Canadian kids’ tv.

The Awards of Excellence, the only Canadian recognition solely for children’s programming, are presented in six categories for both English and French productions. tvontario picked up three nominations (for McCabe Mysteries, Polka Dot Shorts and Bookmice) as did Cambium Film and Video (for A Sewerphone Symphony, Eric’s World and Nilus the Sandman).

While Wilkinson says the issues at hand for Canadian producers of children’s programming are always in flux, she can see a number of opportunities and concerns on the horizon for act.

‘Next year at this time we’ll be in a position to make comments on proposals and new services which may have been licensed by the (crtc),’ she says. ‘We’ll also certainly be in a position to begin evaluating dth and the impact it will have on markets for Canadian children’s programming. While we haven’t chosen the topic for next year, the impact of new technology may be woven in there somewhere.’