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On Film Magazine
1 February 2004

International Film & TV summit in April.
(Upcoming Event)
 

The 5th biennial World Summit conference of Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI) will be held in Auckland on April 21-24, and is is expected to attract around 350 delegates from WIF and WIFT chapters around the world.
WIFTI is dedicated to advancing professional development and achievement for women working in all areas of film, video, and other screen-based media, providing--among other things--networking and learning opportunities, scholarships, and a film finishing fund.

The summit organisers are WIFT New Zealand, while summit patron is Lucy Lawless. An anticipated highlight of the summit will be the presentation of a WIFTI Award for achievement in film and/or television. Based on the WIF Los Angeles Crystal Award, the as-yet-unnamed award will be given to a member of the local industry for outstanding achievement on an international level.

Summit topics include: "Audiences of the Future" (what will they be watching and how will they be watching it?); "Selling Ideas" (the art of the pitch); "The Indigenous Voice in the International Marketplace"; "Technology as Your Creative Partner"; "Social Responsibility in Storytelling"; and a series of on-stage interviewers with several prominent women film and television makers conducted by leading NZ women journalists.

In a series of sessions called "Doing Business", delegates will examine co-production, financial partnering and sales possibilities on a region by region basis, covering indigenous filmmakers, UK & Europe, Australia & New Zealand, Asia, Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean, the US and Canada.

There will be screenings of delegates' work, a focus on the nuts and bolts of setting up and running a WIFT chapter, and social and networking opportunities, both structured and informal.

Three will also be host nation promotions, including a "Showcasing New Zealand" luncheon in which promoters of the country as a location (Investment New Zealand, Film New Zealand) and a film and television-making nation (New Zealand Film Commission and New Zealand On Air) will present their case, and a special area will profile the history of women filmmakers in New Zealand

The 2004 WIFT International New Zealand Summit is presented in association with Investment New Zealand and the New Zealand Film Commission with contributing partners NZ on Air and Film New Zealand. Other sponsors and supporters include: Millennium, Copthorne, Kingsgate Hotels & Resorts, Film Auckland, Auckland City, Tourism New Zealand, Air New Zealand, South Pacific Pictures, Plan & Print, TVNZ and Kodak New Zealand.

For more info, including registration into, see: www.wiftnewzealand.org.nz
Note: the organisers have said that not only will men be welcome to the summit, they'll be an integral part of it.

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