Ah, the Banff Television Festival. Another glorious week in the mountains with the best and brightest of the little screen. Um, right?

Well, maybe not quite as glorious as before, but at least the festival is still on, which was not at all certain just two months ago, when the Grizzly Bear of Bankruptcy knocked down the cabin door, sending organizers into court for creditor protection and into a shotgun marriage with a Toronto investment firm. Since April, the festival’s new bosses at Achilles Partners LLC have been busy propping up the fest’s sagging finances and working to ensure that the 2004 festival, its 25th anniversary edition, goes ahead more or less as usual.

So will it? Achilles’ Robert Montgomery, the new CEO at Banff, admits that this year will not be a high point in its history, but believes that the most important elements of the festival have survived. The Rockie Awards, the pitch sessions and master classes, the panel talks, the Lake Louise tour, and the CFTPA lunch are all still there in one form or another, although they are squeezed into a tighter schedule. The fest now runs over four days, June 13-16, down from six.

Montgomery acknowledges that registrations dropped off following news of the bankruptcy, but they have recovered somewhat since then, although he didn’t have any hard numbers. Last year’s festival drew some 1,600 people, down from 1,800 in 2002, pushing its parent foundation – which had over-expanded by launching other, similar conferences, including Newsworld, nextMEDIA and the World Congress of Art Producers and Performers – deep into the red. The foundation dissolved and reformed, passing both its assets and a 10-year licence to operate the festival to Achilles. Jonathan Bulkeley, a colleague of Montgomery’s at Achilles, is also now on the Banff team.

‘I have no doubt we’re going to be down [on attendance] from last year, but that, to me, is less important because we took over this thing with less then two months to go until the event,’ says Montgomery. ‘The most important question is: are the core groups coming from the constituencies that are most important? I’m satisfied there will be those core groups.’

Banff recently booked a team of attendees from South Korea, and Montgomery is expecting a respectable turnout of reps from other major territories, including the U.K., the Americas and elsewhere in Asia. A significant delegation is also on its way from Japan’s NHK, and the festival includes lunch sessions with reps from Ireland, Singapore and Austria.

The U.K. is also coming in strong to the Rockie Awards, to be handed out June 13, with full or part ownership of 33 out of the 87 nominated programs. (For a complete list of nominees, see the fest website.) The Great White North will get special attention the next day during the Salute to Canada, hosted by Steve ‘Red Green’ Smith.

Gemini-winning writer Hart Hanson (Traders, Cold Squad) is among the talent holding court at the master classes this year, along with U.S. writing team Cindy Chupack and Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City) and legendary documentarian Albert Maysles (Gimme Shelter, The Life Aquatic).

There are fewer panel talks this year, but on June 15, Telefilm Canada will host a discussion, sure to be colorful, about the difficult relationship between the media industries of Canada and the U.S. Although Telefilm head Richard Stursberg has to bow out because of another commitment, producer and CFTPA chair Laszlo Barna will be onstage along with moderator Peter Mansbridge (see story, p. B3).

Gone, however, is the Great Canadian Barbecue, a BTVF favorite that for years was the laid-back, well-fed and somewhat drunken finale to the fest. It has been replaced with an opening golf tournament that Montgomery believes will bring about better networking.

The best on short notice

‘It’s all about trying to give the people the best event we can. We haven’t had much opportunity to impact that, but, in a modest way, I think the golf tournament improves that.’ (See story, p. B7.) Montgomery has repeatedly said that better and more networking opportunities will be a hallmark of the new festival. Indeed, the 2004 schedule favors less formal, more open-ended social events, such as a dinner and drinks 25th anniversary party on June 15 followed by karaoke.

The usual array of awards will be presented again this year. The Lions Gate Innovative Producer Award will be given to Chris Bartleman and Blair Peters, founders of Vancouver animation house Studio B, makers of Yvon of the Yukon and What About Mimi? Meanwhile, HBO, currently the hottest U.S. network for drama, will be recognized with the Global Television Outstanding Achievement Award.

In terms of individual prizes, Women in Film and Television – Toronto has announced producer Sally Blake of Chocolate Box Entertainment as the winner of this year’s Warner Bros. Canada Banff Mentorship Award. There will be no 2004 recipient of the Sir Peter Ustinov Award for comedy excellence, named after the late actor. Organizers had eyes on a particular candidate who had to decline due to personal scheduling.

-www.banff2004.com