Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey, veteran director Gus Van Sant, acclaimed Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje and renowned Winnipeg filmmaker Guy Maddin head a lineup of creative mentors at this year’s inaugural Talent Lab Toronto. The program could prove to be the industry story of TIFF 2004, at least for the 21 filmmaking participants who have been selected for the intensive workshops, Sept. 10-12.

TIFF industry director Kelley Alexander says the program is talent-driven and very specific. ‘We wanted to provide an organized setting for a select group of filmmakers to discuss narrative and to lend inspiration to projects that they’re writing, developing or directing,’ she says.

The goal is to encourage the exchange of ideas and form a network of support between the filmmakers and the world-class professionals guiding them. ‘The artists and professionals approached to participate in the program have been incredibly enthusiastic about joining in,’ says Alexander. ‘It’s an intimate event, so they’re more than happy to trade their perspectives and share and act as inspiration.’

Talent Lab sessions will include: The Heart of the Creative Process, which offers an in-depth discussion with a filmmaker; Artistic Vitality, an exploration into the art of filmmaking and risk-taking; It’s Showtime, which will advise filmmakers on making and releasing films for the marketplace; and Intimate Rendezvous, which will facilitate individual meetings with industry professionals.

Winnipeg director Sean Garrity (Inertia) is one of the Canuck filmmakers selected to participate in Talent Lab. Garrity says that being from outside the major centers tends to put him at a disadvantage.

‘Everything that happens in film in Canada happens in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, to a certain extent,’ he notes. ‘We don’t have the connections as freely as filmmakers from the bigger cities, so one of the things that is going to be great for me personally is networking and shaking hands with these industry professionals.’

Governors picked to oversee the three-day session and act as mentors are Van Sant, Ondaatje, Canadian filmmaker Patricia Rozema and independent producer Bingham Ray (Code 46), former president of United Artists.

Guests include experts in a variety of crafts, including actor Spacey, director Maddin, Canuck docmaker Peter Mettler (Gambling, Gods and LSD), renowned DOP Chris Doyle (The Quiet American) and producer Ted Hope (21 Grams).

Industry program consultants Jennifer Weiss and Simone Urdl of Toronto prodco The Film Farm were responsible for selecting and securing Talent Lab guests and governors.

‘For the governors, we wanted people who were accessible, and who felt it was important to nurture emerging filmmakers,’ Weiss says. Adds Urdl: ‘We did some research and found that all four governors selected are people who want to give back to the filmmaking community.’

Garrity says he’s impressed with how organizers are taking advantage of the fact that so much top-tier talent will be in town promoting their own films at TIFF. ‘I don’t think there’s a person on the list that I couldn’t spend eight hours learning from. If I had access to just Bingham Ray for five days, it wouldn’t be enough to benefit from his vast experience,’ he says.

Apart from Talent Lab, there is the usual assortment of annual industry events on tap for TIFF 2004.

Fear and loathing in T.O.

Master Classes involve industry personalities who share anecdotes to shed light on the secrets of their success. Announced so far for a Master Class is inventive U.K. filmmaker Terry Gilliam, who directed Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Twelve Monkeys and helped pen much of the Monty Python material for film and television.

Veteran Hollywood producer/ director/actor Sydney Pollack (Tootsie) has also signed on to impart his vast expertise in another of the fest’s creative sessions.

The Mavericks Filmmaker Programme offers a behind-the-scenes look at the art of filmmaking with some of contemporary cinema’s true originals. Confirmed so far are writer/director/producer Gregg Araki (Splendor, Nowhere), Swedish writer/director Lukas Moodysson (Terrorists: The Kids They Sentence), indie director Todd Solondz (Storytelling), Canadian writer/director Bruce La Bruce (Come As You Are) and Capri Films producer Gabriella Martinelli (Between Strangers).

Telefilm Canada’s News and Views program returns with another slate of up-to-the-minute financing and craft news. Sessions include an overview of advances in 16mm and 35mm film that should help filmmakers keep costs low while shooting quality images, and creative financing, which will cover topics from branded entertainment to digital revenue-sharing models.

There is also a seminar called Book ’em, about the relationship among exhibitors, filmmakers, producers and distributors regarding Canadian movies. Scheduled to speak are Michael Kennedy, executive VP of Famous Players; Tony Cianciotta, president of Capri Releasing; Niv Fichman, producer at Rhombus Media; and Nell Campbell, COO of Landmark Cinemas of Canada.

In Telefilm Canada Pitch This!, six projects are chosen from across Canada to pitch to industry professionals in front of a live audience. After all the pitches are done, the international industry advisory committee selects one winner from among the competitors for the $10,000 award.

Project finalists are: Alpha Woo by Shawn Watson and Robert Sauvey; Charming Grace by Will Pascoe; Float by David O’Brien; Near Death by Paula Devonshire, Brian Morey and Sue Ridel; Old Girls by Andrea Dorfman and Jennifer Deyell; and Remembrance by Mark Ellis, Paula Fleck and Stephanie Morgenstern.

Also back for a third year is the Doc Salon program, supported by the National Film Board, which offers a space to meet and mingle with contemporary documentary filmmakers and discuss relevant issues. One of the sessions, dubbed The Buyers, will feature speakers Eamonn Bowles, president of U.S. indie Magnolia Films, and Mark Urman, head of U.S. distribution for ThinkFilm.

The OMDC Sales Office will again be set up at the Sutton Place Hotel to facilitate meetings among filmmakers, buyers, producers and sales experts. TIFF reports that 650 companies are registered so far, including 37 new participants from Australia, Europe, Asia and South America.

Schedule and location info for this year’s industry events is available on the TIFF website.

-www.tiffg.ca/industry