MONTREAL: Canadian producers are being handed yet another sterling opportunity to network in the U.K., this time with leading commissioning editors and producers in the children’s and animation sectors.

The U.K. Industry Immersion for Canadian Producers Children’s Programming & Animation is scheduled for London, Nov. 17-21 with participation limited to 25 Canadian producers.

The children’s and animation program, the latest sequel to last fall’s rewarding Drama Immersion, and a second program, Docs Without Frontiers, a workshop set for Ebeloft in Denmark Aug. 7-10, are aimed at developing Canada’s coproduction relations with both U.K. and European partners.

‘There is high growth (in U.K. coproduction) at the moment, primarily in features, and we’re hoping to see it extend into television,’ says Deborah Drisdell, Telefilm Canada director, international relations.

The ’97 U.K. immersion program includes meetings with children’s and animation (youth and adult) decision makers at BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Channel 5 plus specialty cable and satellite channels executives from Nickelodeon, The Children’s Channel, Bravo and Paramount.

The program takes place at the exclusive Groucho Club in London and includes sessions on sectorial developments in terrestrial and non-terrestrial TV, adult animation, regional ITV stations, independent financing, merchandising and commercials, a day trip to Bristol and Cardiff and a reception hosted by the U.K. Producers Association of Cinema and Television (PACT).

The event is open to small and medium-sized Canadian producers with experience. Applications should be filed before the end of August and are available from Telefilm and the Canadian High Commission in London.

Sheila de La Varende, associate director, Telefilm/Europe, says Telefilm and the Canadian High Commission have committed substantial resources, but sponsors are neccessary.

Royal Bank may return as a sponsor, and de La Varende adds $3,000 corporate sponsorships are being suggested. The sponsorships include participation in the Immersion program, corporate display and other opportunities.

Docs Without Frontiers

On Aug. 7-10, Telefilm and the European Film College are hosting Docs Without Frontiers ’97, an intensive four-day workshop designed for filmmakers and producers seeking coproduction opportunities, cross-border financing and international marketing strategies with European partners.

Based in Ebeloft, Denmark, the European Film College organizes a wide range of seminars and workshops for film and TV professionals. Last year’s inaugural Doc Without Frontiers program was exclusive to Europeans.

‘This year they have opened it up with our partnership to the Canadian community and they are going to have a special focus on Canada-Europe documentaries,’ says de La Varende.

A number of applications have already been filed but participants will be limited to 10. Some 30 independent European-based producers are also attending, and workshop leaders include John Marshall, past secretary-general of DOCUMENTARY, Danish doc pitch specialist Sibylle Kurz and veteran U.K. producer Simon Nasht.

Organizers are promising privileged access to a wide range of mainly European, but also Canadian commissioning editors, including representatives from DocStar-Canal +, Explore International, ZDF in Germany, BBC and Discovery.

Drisdell says both Canada and the U.K. have great documentary traditions but interest in coproduction is still relatively new.

In the past, well-heeled European broadcasters have been largely self-financing, but Drisdell says, ‘Last year at international events I met with people from BBC, Channel 4, from Channel 5, who were saying ‘Let’s start talking, we need to coproduce.’ ‘

Coprods way up

Increase in coproductions in ’97 is phenomenal, says Drisdell.

Up to last week, 32 projects with cumulative budgets of $244.4 million, with 49% of the financing from Canada, had been certified by Telefilm, fast approaching the overall ’96 mark of 41 projects.

France is again our leading partner with 19 projects, five have been coproduced with the U.K. and two with Ireland.