A series of boat cruises attended by an international creative and production contingent at the 1999 Cannes International Advertising festival gave Toronto’s filmblanc the chance to build on the presence it established at last year’s show. filmblanc used the show as an opportunity to create new coproduction alliances and get a lead on new international directors available for work in Canada.

The shop, launched about a year and a half ago, has positioned itself as an internationally-focused production entity, offering directorial talent from around the world to Canadian agencies, and providing international clients access to Canadian production locations and resources.

filmblanc president Noemi Weis says the company hosted representatives of 25 different commercial markets at Cannes. The trip helped to ‘plant seeds’ for future production prospects as well as solidify existing relationships, she says. The shop emerged from the trip confident it would add new talent to its existing roster of about 25 international and Canadian directors. The company also developed a pan-Americas production alliance with production companies from Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico and l.a.

The trip also helped the shop establish contact with Canadian creatives and convey a global message, says Weis, citing the shop’s ability to communicate with international talent in a number of languages. ‘The message is that (creatives) are able to work with international talent that is not necessarily more expensive but that could give them a different angle on their creative.’