The Toronto Documentary Forum, a program inaugurated at last year’s Hot Docs festival has proved successful with more than 50% of the projects pitched having raised additional financing in the past eight months.

In total, more than $1.4 million was raised by the forum’s 19 successful projects since the two-day event took place in May 2000, confirms an exit poll.

The tdf, a format based on Amsterdam’s forum for international cofinancing of documentaries, brings together a wealth of international financiers in Toronto to hear socially relevant documentary pitches from an international array of filmmakers.

Some of the deals struck as a result of the inaugural tdf include: an a&e licence for the Canadian doc Ark Angels from Paradigm Pictures; a CBC Newsworld presale for the Danish doc Alison’s Baby from producer Bente Milton; a ctv commitment to Montreal-based La Fete’s Undying Love; and financing from History Television, Canal D and National Geographic International for Way of the Warriors, a project from Montreal’s Ideacom Int’l.

This year’s tdf will take place May 2-3. It is presented in cooperation with the Amsterdam forum and the European Documentary Network.

Hot Docs’ eighth annual edition will take place April 30 to May 6, 2001, with a showcase of more than 80 non-fiction films from around the world. •

-www.hotdoc.ca