Montreal: This year’s 14th edition of the Craven A Just for Laughs Festival is hosting an impressive lineup of industry guests, including comedy and casting executives from virtually all the major studios and networks.

The ’96 event runs July 17-28 with a talent lineup of 600 comics from 14 countries showcased in 1,600 performances, including outdoor shows in the city’s Old Port, says Just for Laughs ceo Andy Nulman.

Last year, more than a dozen national major-market tv networks produced or broadcast specials and series from the festival.

Tributes are slated to go to For Better or For Worse strip-writer Lynn Johnston and movie producer Ivan Reitman (Stripes, Ghostbusters).

If Canada has been on the short end of producing popular homegrown sitcoms, because of prohibitive economics, Nulman says smaller-scale productions will grow as new domestic comedy specialty channels are licensed.

And the festival’s relaxed ‘turf-war-free’ atmosphere makes for easier business contacts, he says.

This year’s trade highlights include a business seminar, ‘The State of American Comedy Television – One Year Later,’ a follow-up on last year’s excellent vp panel, and a new tv sitcom competition.

Some 90 talent agents, producers, broadcasters and casting executives will attend the festival among them: George Anthony of the cbc, Gene Blythe of Walt Disney, Keith Cox of WB Television, Ivan Fecan of Baton Broadcasting, Carolyn Ginsburg of ABC Entertainment, Robin Green and Andrew Susskind of Castlerock Entertainment, Keli Lee of Disney, David Nevins of nbc, Nena Rodrigue of Witt-Thomas, Paula Rosenthal of USA Networks, William Sanders of Big Ticket/ Spelling Television and David Tochterman of Carsey-Werner.

The festival operates on a budget of over $12.5 million, tv included.