Montreal: Highlights at the 6th edition of the Multimedia International Market include the attendance of 20 ‘international gurus’ from the world of digital convergence and the introduction of film, tv and games, and theme park pavilions.

The trade show takes place at Place Bonaventure in Montreal, Sept. 15-17, and features over 400 international exhibitors, conferences on technological innovation, a young creators forum, a multimedia and Internet summit, and an awards program.

MIM ’99 is dedicated to broad developments in digital convergence in six major industry sectors: computing, Internet, telecommunications, cinema, television and entertainment, the latter made up of games and theme parks.

Keynote mim conference speakers include Francis Fox, chairman, Rogers Cantel (Eastern Canada); Rene Monory, chairman of Futuroscope, France; Doug Lowenstein, chairman of E3 and the Interactive Digital Software Association in the u.s.; John Holland, head of BBC Digital Interactive tv, u.k.; Steve Billinger, head of interactive tv, BSkyB, u.k.; Josh Bernoff, principal analyst, Forrester Research, u.s.; Kevin Wall, vp, IXL Enterprises, u.s.; Hans Donner, designer, TV Globo, Brazil; and Davina Lloyd, ceo, Channel Four Learning, u.k.

New to mim this year is the tv and Cinema Pavilion sponsored by Telefilm Canada.

mim’s founder and chairman Herve Fischer says the emerging digital markets are growing ‘in between’ traditional markets, and unlike vertically structured established media, he says the new digital media is horizontal. Examples, he says, include the development of digital tv channels dedicated solely to interactive entertainment games and similar developments in educational broadcasting.

‘And for cinema, we are going to see movies on the Internet. That’s what I mean by `in between.’

‘Technological innovation is driving, creating and changing this market. As such it’s important to be aware of the latest changes,’ Fischer says.

Fischer is also associated with tv program and scientific website distributor Science TV Distribution and the Telescience Festival and Market. The festival’s 10th edition, with Radio-Canada as its principal sponsor, is set for Dec. 2-12 in Montreal.

mim (www.mim.qc.ca) is produced in association with Martin International, a trade show and conference organizer.