Release:
Local film producer Christopher Zimmer was recently honoured by the Producers Guild of America as winner of the Producer's Showcase or ProShow.
He was chosen for his film Sable Island Radio, one of ten international films selected as winners, two of which were Canadian.
Winners were given the opportunity to attend the Produced By Conference from June 3 to June 5 in Los Angeles. The conference allowed winners to have one-on-one meetings with producers, studios, production companies, Hollywood financiers and film commissions.
Film Nova Scotia is a sponsor of the ProShow Competition, which opened up the program to producers in the province to participate.
"I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to attend the Produced by Conference through the ProShow Competition," said Mr. Zimmer. "I am proud to be a producer from Nova Scotia and I look forward to future opportunities it will provide."
The winning projects were selected by a panel of prominent Producers Guild members including David Friendly (Little Miss Sunshine), Richard Galdstein (The Bourne Identity), Gary Lucchesi (Million Dollar Baby), Lydia Dean Pilcher (Amelia), and Lauren Shuler Donner (the X-Men franchise).
"We are thrilled that Chris was selected as one of the winners of the ProShow Competition, " said Ann MacKenzie, president and CEO of Film Nova Scotia. "We strive to raise the awareness of our local talent at various markets and are pleased with the exposure and profile he received at the conference."
Mr. Zimmer started his own company, imX communications, in 1985 and went on to become one of Canada's leading producers, specializing in international feature film co-productions. He has been developing the Sable Island Radio script, a literary thriller based on an award winning novel, with support from Film Nova Scotia and Telefilm Canada.
For the second year in a row, Film Nova Scotia organized a business development trip to the Produced by Conference for nine local emerging producers. Through support from Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), they had the opportunity to attend the conference and participate in a series of workshops and meetings with producers, production companies, studios and networks. Local producers participating were Luke Conrad, Michael Ray Fox, Jason Levangie, Stephen MacLean, Stephan MacLeod, Richard MacQueen, Pardis Parker, Mark Purdy and Chris Turner.
"The Produced by Conference has always proven to be very beneficial for us, allowing us to have a finger on the pulse of the market and offering access to the who's who of Hollywood," said Ms. MacKenzie.
Film Nova Scotia is a provincial Crown corporation reporting to the Minister of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism. The corporation provides a wide range of programs and services to support the province's audiovisual industry. With an industry that employs almost 3,000 people and contributes upwards of $100 million to the economy annually, Nova Scotia is among the largest production centres in Canada.