Veteran producer Roger Frappier will present the opening keynote address at Strategic Partners on Friday, Sept. 18 in Halifax.

A co-founder of Montreal’s Max Films, Frappier is an internationally respected and award-winning producer.

He has worked on many of Quebec’s biggest films over the past 25-plus years (everything from Oscar nominee The Decline of the American Empire to box-office comedy hit Ding et Dong) and has been honored with major awards from festivals across the globe, including the 1998 Cannes Film Festival’s Hommage aux Producteurs. Last year, he was inducted into Playback’s Canadian Film and Television Hall of Fame.

An activist for the film industry, Frappier was recently in Cannes with a group of Quebec producers (dubbed Regroupement des producteurs indépendants de cinéma du Québec), lobbying for the Canadian government to ease international coproduction barriers.

Frappier’s latest project, Dédé, à travers les brumes, will screen as part of the Atlantic Film Festival on Sept. 17. Directed by Jean-Philippe Duval and produced by Frappier and Max Films partner Luc Vandal, Dédé tells the story of late Quebec musician André ‘Dédé’ Fortin and his band Les Colocs as they create their best-known and last album.

‘Roger Frappier’s keen understanding and passion for the coproduction market is unparalleled,’ says Jan Miller, SP director. ‘His vast experience and long list of successes have created an expert vision for the future of international coproduction.’

Also taking place on Sept. 18 at SP will be Stone Soup: Making Independent Films in a New Economy. Panelists Elisa Alvares of Future Film Group, P.C. Fueter of C-Films, Peter Graham of 120dB Films, Martin Larocque of the National Bank of Canada and Perrine Teze of PTZ International will be moderated by Kevin DeWalt of Regina-based Minds Eye Entertainment. This panel will explore the logistical and financial creativity needed for successful financing of indie films in today’s economy.