What Sherry White appreciated most about last year’s Talent Lab at the Toronto International Film Festival was that there were so ‘many contradicting and contrasting points of view’ from the participating established filmmakers.

‘It was a fantastic experience, and like a sponge, I soaked up all kinds of information,’ says the writer/director/actress from St. John’s, NF. ‘It was great connecting with the high-caliber filmmakers [including Don McKellar, John Sayles and Jason Reitman] who spoke to us about the art of filmmaking – not about the business and deals – but about the art and the inspiration.’

The Talent Lab, now in its fifth year, is a publicly funded, four-day intensive program aimed at allowing new filmmakers to learn from veterans and to get some hands-on experience in mobile moviemaking using video-capture phones.

‘The Talent Lab is set up to inspire emerging filmmakers. Participants have to already be in the industry, and can’t just be out of school,’ explains Karen Black, acting director of TIFF’s Canadian Initiatives.

McKellar, French filmmaker Olivier Assayas (Paris, j’taime) and British producer Stephen Woolley (The Crying Game) are the veteran participants who will develop this year’s workshop itinerary.

As well, British director Terence Davies (The House of Mirth) and Iranian filmmaker Samira Makhmalbaf (At Five in the Afternoon) are guest speakers.

Twenty-four filmmakers chosen from about 160 applicants are participating in the 2008 Talent Lab, run as part of TIFF’s industry program. Most participants are from Canada, but the U.K. will be funding four filmmakers of its own.

A pre-selection committee – overseen again this year by Toronto-based Strada Films – narrows the pool of Talent Lab contenders to 60 based on the five-minute reel submitted by each applicant. Then, a jury of a dozen industry professionals chooses those who will ultimately participate.

White will also be screening her short Spoiled at TIFF, while seven more Talent Lab alums have films in this year’s Short Cuts Canada program.

‘The Talent Lab wasn’t about learning skills, but I was certainly encouraged to trust my own voice and develop my own style – and this second short film is more of an exploration of that,’ she says.

New this year, two of the Talent Lab participants will receive funding to bring their next film to any festival under a $25,000 initiative funded by RBC.

‘Whether you’re working on a $200,000 or $50-million production, you realize from the Talent Lab that there are still a lot of the same struggles,’ White notes. ‘I’m based out of Newfoundland, which is a small community, and it’s important to connect with the bigger filmmaking community in the country.’

While Talent Lab will focus on the art of filmmaking, the Meet With… sessions (Sept. 5-11) will address the business and craft sides, with special emphasis on changes in the distribution landscape, and will involve local and international players. Sessions take place at Match Club, located within the 5th Elementt restaurant, which is the hub for sales and industry delegates.

Docmakers, sales agents and buyers can converge at Doc Corner at Match Club, while Doc Roundtables (Sept. 7-10) will allow filmmakers to meet top industry figures.

The annual Telefilm Canada Pitch This! (Sept. 9), meanwhile, will see six teams pitch their feature-film ideas to more than 250 industry pros and a jury that will award $10,000 to the winner.

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