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Six producers from across Canada have been selected to participate in the Whistler Film Festival’s annual Feature Project Lab. An intense two-phase business and creative content development experience for Canadian producers presented by the Whistler Film Festival in association with Telefilm Canada, Phase I will take place over five days, which started on June 22 and will end on June 25. Phase I is followed by four months of ongoing feedback and project development with advisors, and includes follow up and meetings from December 1 to 4 during the Whistler Film Festival + Summit.

Focused on strengthening dramatic feature projects from script to screen, the Wff Feature Project Lab is intended to advance a producer’s dramatic feature project, facilitate relationships and investment in feature film projects that have U.S. and international appeal. It’s all about getting content made!

“The six projects chosen to participate in this years Feature Project Lab represent an eclectic mix of talent from across Canada. We are excited to launch our new two-phased program with such a strong group whilst connecting them to our industry experts for invaluable feedback to support their journey to screen,” said Angie Nolan, Wff’s Industry Programming Manager.

The six producers and projects selected for Wff’s 2015 Feature Project Lab include:

Michael Solomon, Apartment 11 Productions (QC) with young adult adventure story "Bonechiller" based on the novel by Graham McNamee and written by Imran Zaidi Siobhan S. McCarthy, red trike media inc. (BC) with heist psychological thriller/drama "Glendale" written by Wade Kinley Allison White, Away Films (Nfld) with action packed family thriller "Hammer" written by Christian Sparkes Ryan Reaney , Fear and Desire Productions (On) with smart and stylish horror film "Masks" written by Peter Genoway Laura Milliken, Big Soul Productions (On) with romantic comedy "Running Home" written by Zoe Leigh Hopkins Ralph Holt, Hill 100 Productions (On) with spring break surf film "Shred"written by Walter Forsyth Industry experts participating in Phase of Wff’s Feature Project Lab include:

-Andy Reimer, Partner & Co-Founder at Inception Media Group (La),

-Kevin Kasha , Head of Acquisitions, Starz,

-Elisabeth Costa de Beauregard Rose , Us & International Sales and Distribution Executive (La) and

-Nolan Pielak , Head of Canadian Operations, Svp International Sales.

Wff’s Feature Project Lab Marketplace Analysts and Facilitators include

-Tim Brown, Executive Vice President Feature Films, Breakthrough Entertainment (BC)

-Peter Wetherell , President, Magus Entertainment (La).

2015 marks the 15th anniversary of ‘Canada's coolest film festival' and 'Whistler’s Best Arts & Cultural Event’. Featuring innovative and original films from around the world and opportunities to connect with the people who made them, this year’s Whistler Film Festival (December 2 to 6) will be filled with a solid lineup of premieres, honored guests, lively celebrations and unique industry initiatives. For more information on one of our favorite festivals visit Here.

Inception Film Partners will be at Afm screening and selling international territories on the Tribeca world premiere starring the late Robin Williams.

Dito Montiel directed Boulevard from a screenplay by Douglas Soesbe about a gay man in a convenient marriage whose feelings come to the fore when he encounters a gay prostitute.

Kathy Baker, Bob Odenkirk and Roberto Aguire also star. Ifp has set screenings for 5pm on November 5 at the Broadway Cineplex 4 and 3pm on November 7 at the Ocean Avenue Screening Room.

“Robin Williams’ performance as a man in a heartbreaking struggle to find his place in the world is both heroic and poignant and Boulevard is an extraordinary coda to an indelible performer’s life,” said Inception Media Group partner Andy Reimer.

Reimer and Jim Harvey negotiated the deal on behalf of Ifp with joint Us rights holders Preferred Content and Wme on behalf of producers Camellia Entertainment.

Robin Williams’ final feature film, Dito Montiel’s domestic drama Boulevard, has been picked up for international distribution by Inception Film Partners and will be sold during the American Film Market next month in Santa Monica. Kathy Baker, Bob Odenkirk and Roberto Aguire co-star in the pic, which stars Williams as a lonely married man who begins to confront the emptiness that permeates his life. Williams officially joined the project in January 2013. Douglas Soesbe penned the script. Camellia Entertainment produced. “Robin Williams’ performance as a man in a heartbreaking struggle to find his place in the world is both heroic and poignant and Boulevard is an extraordinary coda to an indelible performer’s life,” said Inception partner Andy Reimer. He and Jim Harvey negotiated the deal on behalf of Inception, with Preferred Content and Wme on behalf of the filmmakers. Preferred Content and Wme are handling North American rights.

Jon Bernthal...

Our International Sales Agent (Isa) of the Day coverage is back again for this year's Cannes Film Festival. We will feature successful, upcoming, innovative and trailblazing agents from around the world, and cover the latest trends in sales and distribution. Beyond the numbers and deals, this segment will also share inspirational and unique stories of how these individuals have evolved and paved their way in the industry, and what they envision for the new waves in global cinema.

Isa of the Day Sam Blan is an Executive at the Los Angeles based Inception Film Partners. His intercultural perspective, worldviews and devotion to exploring new ways of reaching and understanding audiences through new platforms and technology makes him an asset and a shining example of where the new generation of the film industry is going. Beyond the ins and outs of business and numbers, Sam understands the importance of positivity and community in the film business. He connects his career and drive to the greater picture of the world, and sees film as a tool of understanding that can heal on the global scale and transform cultural barriers.

Sam shares more about his partners, Cannes and his inspiration:

Who makes up Inception?

The company is only made up of the people who work for it everyday. Inception Media Group is a parent company operated by partners David Borshell and Andy Reimer. I work most closely with Evp of sales and distribution, Jim Harvey, who has been in sales for over twenty-one years, and has worked for companies such as Myriad, Lakeshore, Bold and Summit. He has sold movies like Drive with Ryan Gosling, Rabbit Hole with Nicole Kidman, and Mr. Brooks with Kevin Costner.

I speak fluent Arabic, so having language skills is highly useful in our work. What really makes us different is that we don't just go to festivals. We'll go to consumer electronic shows, licensing expos; we're always thinking outside of the box of not just how to create content, but also how the content is being consumed. How is it being bought, and more importantly, what are the trends facing the future? That's the difference from many other companies. We'll go the extra mile to look at something to understand who is the audience and how they'll be reached.

What does Inception have at Cannes this year?

We have a big animation film called Almost Heroes 3D with Taylor Kitsch, James Woods, Jon Heder, Jennette McCurdy and Carla Gugino (and many others) at the market. We're bringing two new pre-sellable films called Sexy Criminals, and 1001 Bullets. As far as newer acquisitions, we have a hilarious film called May the Best Man Win, which came out of SXSW. It will be released theatrically in the United States. We have another film called VANish, with Maiara Walsh and Danny Trejo, that's in a similar vein to Reservoir Dogs meets Buried (See Inception's full Cannes lineup below).

How are sales this year?

So far, so good. I was part of a company called Strategic Film Partners for two and a half years and then Inception Media Group bought it and turned into Inception Film Partners. With the titles that we acquired like Almost Heroes and Barefoot (acquired from Wme), we're definitely in a solid place. We're growing and getting more and more traction.

Who are your buyers?

We deal with buyers from all around the world, but it just depends. It doesn't really matter as far as trying to get access to the buyers, especially when you have a seasoned veteran like Jim on your team. It's a matter of having the right content. We'll deal with everyone like Village Roadshow and BSkyB. We deal with all the major buyers including the studios, such as Sony (which we have done several deals with), mini-majors, and go all the way down to the smaller scale buyers.

We're obviously a newer entity, which comes with the trials and tribulations of any new company. We try to be as transparent as possible. In this business there's a lot of smoke and mirrors, and I'm upfront with what we're trying to create as a business. That's one of the things that we pride ourselves on; we're always going to be honest.

Our estimates are always a little more conservative, because we'd rather be as exact as possible. Window dressing estimates is rampant in our business, but a hard drama usually won't sell in Asia, for instance, so why put an inflated number? To get the movie or make it under false pretenses??? We tell people to make their film budget a little lower, and expect a number that's not going to necessarily be what they think. We want to be as pragmatic as possible. We normally over deliver on expectations because we started from a base that was realistic. Jim consistently exceeds those expectations.

Where does your drive come from and where do you see yourself going?

It beats going to law school, number one! I did really well on my Lsats, and much to my father's chagrin, I said I'm going to Hollywood. Aside from winning young author competitions and being in theater, I really knew nothing about the industry. Furthermore, I was watching television one day when I was 23 years old, and I just didn't like what I was watching. I thought to myself, "I can do so much better than that, and I think it's one of those things where we can't allow mediocrity to be the norm. "

Unfortunately, there's a lot of it in this industry. I'm as guilty of it as anyone else...working with things that are not to the standard of what we'd like to have out there, but I want to learn and grow as much as possible. I’m an autodidact, and will always be. I love and enjoy entertainment. I just want to share it, because storytelling is the conduit of life in our civilization.

One of my favorite quotes, from Martin Scorsese, is "Now more than ever, we need to talk to each other, to listen to each other and understand how we see the world, and cinema is the best medium for doing this." This quote always gets me, because cinema can transcend boundaries. I'm of Palestinian descent. I speak Arabic, and I travel to the Middle East and all around the world. I'm an interculturalist, and to be able to understand different cultures and use cinema to bridge those gaps is a phenomenal gift. I want to bridge the gap between the east and west and bring meaningful cinema to the world. In order to do that, you have to raise the bar for yourself and for everybody else.

Are there popular films that actually transcend cultural barriers?

At the end of the day, you have to look at one of the best selling genres: family, because it covers the universal themes: happiness, love and the importance of relationships with kith and kin. We all smile in the same language. Other genres such as action work as well. The Hunger Games worked worldwide. I've been a big comic book nerd my whole life, and I think a lot of those stories transcend really well. They come with universal themes. For example, when you talk about Iron Man, it's not just about a guy in a metal suit. It's about a guy who tries to use his power for good to advance the human race. Just look at someone who I admire, Elon Musk, as a real life example of who director Jon Favreau wanted to portray. Although, Marvel’s Iron Man was around way before Elon came on the scene. There are examples like this throughout our movie history. It's the same thing with Spiderman; a normal guy becomes a superhero, and most people can relate to that.

One of the best selling intellectual properties in the Middle East right now is actually about regular people becoming superheroes, and we had a similar show in the USA called Heroes. Everybody around the world can relate to stories when shared through the lens of the heroic journey. When you make it relatable to audiences, they buy tickets and jump on board.

I'm also excited for a lot of films coming out of the Middle East. Look at Omar that was up for the best foreign film in the Oscars. This film helped to explore the political discourse of Palestine and Israel.

Do you have any comments on the film business and its greater community and culture?

Let's help each other out. Every company is obviously in competition, but when I see someone create a good film or something else that's really awesome, I don't get envious of it. I applaud it. It's only good for the industry. When people create good content, it's good for everyone. A lot of people in the industry tear each other down and I think its Bs. It's high time that we all help each other out and rise together. That's what I hope to do in my career. I want to inspire people in my field. I want them to inspire me, and I think it needs to happen more.

Inception Film Partners' Cannes Lineup:

Almost Heroes 3D

Making the Best Man Win

Breaking the Rules

Vanish

Sexy Criminals

1001 Bullets

Barefoot

G.B.F.

More about Inception Film Partners:

Inception Film Partners is a worldwide motion picture and content sales, representation, distribution, finance and production company which has been in operation since 2004.

Ifp has experienced explosive growth in its eight years of operation, having distributed a tremendous number of pictures through major studios, TV networks and other independent distributors--both domestically and internationally.

Studios and other domestic and international distributors have come to rely on Ifp's steady flow of product to help fulfill their demanding release schedules. Through representing filmmakers and their films as well as producing their own content, Ifp has been able to provide a steady flow of pictures that consistently and repeatedly find their way onto the tops of industry sales charts. In addition to maintaining a core focus in global feature film distribution and production, Ifp is rapidly expanding to other areas including transmedia and branded entertainment.

Inception Media Group has signed a deal with iN Demand to handle its VOD and pay-per-view distribution.

“Having this direct relationship with iN Demand enables us to provide our content suppliers with a much broader and more immediate VOD solution,” said Andy Reimer, managing partner of Inception Media Group.

“iN Demand is the preeminent provider of entertainment content to the VOD marketplace and we’re thrilled to be in business with them.”

“Inception has gained significant momentum in a short period of time and firmly established themselves as a front line supplier of compelling entertainment content,” said iN Demand’s Emilio Nunez, svp of movies and original programming..

“The company has a strong team in place and we’re very much looking forward to working with them.”...

Making its first acquisition, Inception Media Group has picked up all U.S. rights to the action thriller "2:22" from Moonstoone Entertainment.

The film, which was directed by Phillip Guzman and stars Mick Rossi and Val Kilmer, will begin an exclusive theatrical engagement in Los Angeles June 18. It was produced by Lenny Bitondo and co-written by Guzman and Rossi.

Inception was recently formed by Andy Reimer and David Borshell.

At Sundance this year, more than usual activity immediately kicked in among the international buyers and the international sales agents bulking up in preparation for the Berlinale's Efm even as the Us distributors were slow to show much energy in acquisitions. First out of the gate for the Americans was Lionsgate's acquisition of Buried . Next came extended discussions with CAA and Apparition and its ancillary distributor partner Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquistions for Splice for what is rumored $2.5 million while an independent source supplies $20 million P & A. Next came Newmarket's $1 million acquisition of Hesher. The Oprah Winfrey Network acquired Family Affair. Own's documentary film club is being done in partnership with doc film distributor Ro*co Films International. Own, a co-venture between Winfrey's Harpo Prods. and Discovery Communications slated for a January 2011 launch, is planning to create communities nationwide that can screen the films together and participate in a live, moderated panel discussion.