Governments of Canada and Atlantic Provinces
Support for Atlantic Film Festival Means New Opportunities for Industry

Financial support from the Federal Government and Atlantic provinces is helping to showcase impressive artistic talent as the 28th Atlantic Film Festival gears up to bring the best of film, television and music to Halifax. The festival, to run from September 11-20, is recognized as one of Canada�s premier film events and the foremost marketing and trade activity for the region�s film industry.

�The Government of Canada recognizes the cultural importance of our artists, the economic contributions they make and their tremendous success both at home and around the world,� said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). �We believe it�s important to support initiatives like the Strategic Partners Conference at the Atlantic Film Festival because they open doors to the global marketplace for our region�s cultural industries.�

Strategic Partners, is a three-day conference hosted by the Atlantic Film Festival. It brings together key industry professionals and artistic promoters from across Canada and around the world. The conference is designed to provide an environment for exploring new business contacts and partnerships, reinforcing current relationships, securing financing and signing new contracts in order to strengthen and build the region�s film and television industries in their respective markets.

�Newfoundland and Labrador�s culture is celebrated globally and has led to the emergence of a film community that is garnering international recognition,� said the Honourable Trevor Taylor, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development. �The Atlantic Film Festival provides the forum for our local talent to connect with members of the international film community, build and expand on existing relationships, and ultimately encourage greater investment in the province�s film industry.�

A total of $150,000 in financial assistance for the Atlantic Film Festival�s Strategic Partners Conference is being provided through the Canada/Atlantic Provinces Agreement on International Business Development (IBDA). The IBDA is a leading component of a pan-Atlantic effort by the federal and provincial governments to foster business relations, to attract foreign investment and to nurture technological co-operation.

Contributions to Atlantic Canada�s cultural industry create economic benefits in domestic and export markets with spin-offs that benefit the entire region. Potential long-term benefits of the 2007 Atlantic Film Festival�s Strategic Partners Conference are estimated at $165 million worth of film deals.

�The ongoing economic impact in Atlantic Canada from the Atlantic Film Festival, the Strategic Partners Conference, and our international film and television co-productions, is in the hundreds of millions of dollars,� said Gregor Ash, Executive Director, Atlantic Film Festival Association. �With support from government programs like IBDA we are able to continue offering these industry events that channel so much back to our own region.�

The IBDA is a federal/provincial agreement between the Government of Canada (ACOA, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, and Industry Canada) and the four provincial governments in Atlantic Canada. The IBDA assists Atlantic Canadian businesses to enter, explore and succeed in international markets.

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2008 09 04                              4:35 p.m.