Award-winning producer Andrea Calderwood (The Last King of Scotland) will take the stage as the opening keynote speaker at Strategic Partners 2016 next month.
Calderwood, of U.K.-based Potboiler Productions, most recently produced Trespass Against Us, starring Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs, Frank) and Brendan Gleeson (In the Heart of the Sea, Edge of Tomorrow), which screens this fall at TIFF and the Atlantic Film Festival in a special presentation. Presented by the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia from Sept. 15-17, Strategic Partners 2016 features Calderwood in conversation with Kyle Irving of Eagle Vision (Canada).
Always forward-thinking, and considered one of the U.K.’s most influential producers, Calderwood will offer distilled observations, evaluations, and true confessions of the decisions that have led to her most notable achievements.
From her early days as Head of Development at BBC Scotland, to her work at Slate Films – a production company that consistently delivered staggeringly beautiful stories by brilliant talent – and now in partnership with Potboiler Productions, Calderwood’s path has been diverse and impressive. Her producer credits include Hotel, Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, HBO’s acclaimed Generation Kill; Half of a Yellow Sun– starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Joseph Mawle and Anika Noni Rose – as well as Alan Rickman’s A Little Chaos; and Trespass Against Us. On the TV side, Calderwood continues to executive produce Scottish-set TV drama, including The Field of Blood and Iain Banks’ adaptation Stonemouth.
She’ll be joined in the spotlight by keynote speaker Marc Hustvedt, founder and CEO of Supergravity Pictures, a digital entertainment studio that finances, produces, markets and globally distributes entertainment. Backed by leading investors including Peter Chernin and AT&T's Otter Media / Gunpowder & Sky, Van Toffler and Larry Braitman, Supergravity released the award-winning documentary Gayby Baby in May. The studio has a deep pipeline of projects coming in 2016 and is in pre-production on the Trevor Stevens-directed Rock Steady Row, and post-production on a Ray William Johnson-hosted documentary feature film.
Hustvedt will address the continuous boundary-breaking in the distribution world, which has led to a boom in digital platforms such as OTT and SVOD, as consumers worldwide dramatically alter the ways in which they watch. When social-media buzz and a new crop of global online stars have no borders, the old territory model breaks down. So how are content producers and distributors finding success in a digital-first world?
“The program this year is dynamic, progressive, and mindful of the issues and opportunities facing producers across the globe. Our speakers are able to provide a unique perspective because of their background and experience, but they are living and breathing the very same challenges facing producers daily,” says Program Manager Laura Mackenzie.
Meanwhile, Finland’s Liselott Forsman (YLE) and Denmark’s Lars Hermann (DR), the powerhouses behind some of the most compelling Scandi drama making its mark on binge-watchers today, speak about the creative, economic and artistic forces behind their successes.
For those looking to partner or invest in high-level feature film and television fiction content, Strategic Partners 2016 offers a stellar slate of projects, producers and financiers. Projects selected for the event come attached to some heavy hitters, including Oscar Award-winning producers, and A-list actors, writers and directors.
Panels at Strategic Partners 2016 include:
Rewriting the Rules of Engagement in Feature Film Financing: Global leaders in feature-film finance and distribution examine the behaviours that impact their investment decisions, how they’re responding, and what producers need to know in order to develop content that has value in the marketplace. Panelists include: Naveen Prasad (EVP & GM Elevation Pictures), Laura Turner-Garrison (Head of Original Content, Vimeo), Steven Adams (Manager/ Producer, Buffalo 8 Productions). Moderator: Nicholas Tabarrok, Producer, Darius Films
The Entrepreneurs Guide to Selling Your Series Overseas: Globally, a laser focus is pointed towards unveiling the triggers that motivate audience viewing decisions. In a world where borders are disappearing as fast as SVOD’s proliferate, what are the identifiable trends across the globe? Panelists include: Simon Cox (Head of Acquisitions, Endemol Shine International), Tom Hastings (Director, Drama, Independent Productions, Bell Media), Cosima von Spreti (Sales and Acquisitions Manager, Tele München International).
“Together, as a delegation, they’ll navigate all of the most relevant issues facing the industry today, while working towards solutions that are not bound by borders,” says Mackenzie. Featuring a project-based slate, Strategic Partners 2016 has assembled an influential international delegation of broadcasters, distributors, financiers, sales agents and funding agencies, all looking to invest in the selected projects.
There are more than 100 projects selected to participate from 60 producers, with delegates hailing from 19 countries around the world, including those from this year’s spotlight countries: the Nordic region and the USA.
With a focus on dramatic feature film and television fiction content for new and existing platforms,Strategic Partners 2016, the co-production and co-financing market known globally for its ease and effectiveness, is a business-to-business event held in Halifax, Nova Scotia immediately following TIFF. This year the event has switched to a project-based slate, a move that has attracted an even stronger line-up of projects, producers and financiers. It will include a ‘best-in-class’ roster of officially selected feature film and television projects.
About Strategic Partners
Founded in 1998, and set against the backdrop of the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Strategic Partners is a one-stop shop for projects looking for partners. A global trendsetter, the event attracts producers whose projects represent fresh and innovative ways to tell stories, across all platforms. Priority is given to projects considered to have both commercial and international appeal. Strategic Partners provides a full agenda of 25-minute, pre-scheduled 1-2-1 meetings with investors/broadcasters/distributors/sales agents, participation in investor and co-production focused roundtable sessions, cutting-edge panels and visionary keynote speakers. The event’s two-day linear program is designed to provide unparalleled access to international co-production/ co-financing possibilities.
Strategic Partners is part of the Atlantic Film Festival family of programs. Today’s Atlantic Film Festival is a year-round celebration, growing beyond the eight-day cornerstone event in September to include: ViewFinders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth, the AFF Outdoor Film Experience, Reel East Coast (REC) and Strategic Partners. Receive the most up-to-date information about Strategic Partners and the Atlantic Film Festival, including sneak peeks and festival highlights via: