– Among the American Hot Docs! attendees is a&e’s Amy Briamonte, who will be scouting for the Sunday Night Specials and Investigative Reports strands.

For the Specials slot, she looks for high-concept ideas fitting into a two-hour format which can be orchestrated with top-notch production values. ‘The entertainment quotient’ is crucial, she says. The stories are also epic in scope. ‘We tend to take subjects viewers are somewhat familiar with and explore them in depth.’

She says the specialty network is currently interested in contemporary subjects as opposed to the historical fare it is known for. In the past, a&e steered clear of point-of-view docs and programmed more journalistic fare, but Briamonte says they are now pursuing these types of films with new interest.

The Investigative Reports block programs one-hours and subjects vary from war and crime to the sex trade.

a&e is currently considering opening up its schedule to new strands and Briamonte will be scouting for one-offs and limited series ideas – ranging from six to 13 eps and running the range of themes and subject matter. ‘I am looking to be surprised,’ she says.

a&e prefers to commission projects outright and take North American cable rights, although it does become involved in coproductions. Finished films are rarely acquired.

– Cable Ready’s specialty is selling non-fiction and how-to programming to American cable, and via an alliance with Unipix International, its titles are distributed worldwide.

President Gary Lecoe is seeking series projects at the development phase or one-off projects which have episodic potential and transcend geographic boundaries.

‘We work with filmmakers to tailor their projects to the needs of buyers,’ says Lecoe. ‘Most producers are lousy salespeople so we work with them to bring their ideas into a salable form.’

With the growing appetite for information and doc programming at u.s. cable outlets, Lecoe says new talent who can produce programs at affordable rates is needed, and he is hoping to meet with many writers and directors in Toronto. Cable Ready’s deals have ranged from us$500 an episode for an acquisition up to $150,000 per ep for coproductions and acquisitions.

– CNN Productions’ Jennifer Hyde programs docs with a current affairs/news hook and says her slate is evenly split between commissions, acquisitions and coproductions. She is particularly on the lookout for one-hour specials slotted in the Sunday night primetime CNN Perspectives strand which are rebroadcast on CNN International.

– New York-based Odyssy Channel is a cable network reaching 30 million American households. Its niche is a blend of spiritual and family-oriented docs, dramas and series. Non-fiction strands include The Unbroken Circle (religious and spiritual topics), World Religions, Keepers of the Earth (environmental), Jewish Chronicles (Jewish life, faith, traditions) and Heroes of the Heart (inspirational stories of people who have made a difference or overcome adversity).

Maya Blume will be attending Hot Docs! for the company to acquire finished hours and half-hours for these strands. A limited number of presales are considered, she says.

– While Discovery Europe’s Chris Haws says he’s unable to make the trip to Toronto due to prior commitments, Discovery Canada reps will be at the festival, and he says the pan-European service – reaching 16 million homes across Northern Europe – is interested in commissioning and acquiring directly from Canadians as well as working via coproductions with its Canadian sister channel.

Acquisitions for Discovery Europe run about $10,000 per hour and the fee scale rises on copros and prebuys, up to $50,000 an hour. Higher budgeted projects require additional international partners, says Haws.

Principal strands are science, natural history, wildlife, history and archaeology, and adventure and exploration. Both one-offs and series can find a home in these slots, he says.

– Seeking social issue docs for the educational market is New York-based First Run Icarus Films’ Jennifer Houlihan. The company does hold some home video and theatrical rights, but sister company First Run Features’ primary focus is this market.

– Other u.s. attendees include Catherine Scheinman of Readers Digest, Tapestry International’s Nancy Waizog, and representatives from National Geographic and Turner Network.

– Canadian companies participating in this year’s festival include Avalon Releasing, Cambium Releasing, Cantar Trading, Catalyst Distribution, Filmoption International, Great North Releasing, History Television, Multimedia Group of Canada, Reseau de l’information, scn, Radio-Canada, tvontario-tfo, The Discovery Channel and wtn.

* * *Also in this report:

– Hot Docs! brings in international players p. 36

– A sampling of Canada’s emerging doc directors p. 36

– Opportunities at the NFB doc studio p. 37

– An indie filmmaker chronicles his Seven Days in Cambodia p. 38

– Nominees for the fifth annual Hot Docs! awards p. 47