New Pitching Event to Be Held in Japan

ADVERTISEMENT

TOKYO: The Tokyo TV Forum (TTVF), a new three-day pitching event in Japan, is launching on December 12, with a total of 21 projects to be presented to 20 commissioning editors and other experts from around the world.

Almost 60 proposals were submitted to present to the panel for the inaugural TTVF, with 21 selected, featuring themes such as nuclear issues and girls’ fashion. The panel includes Nick Fraser (BBC), Axel Arno (SVT), Tom Koch (PBS Distribution), Luc Martin‐Gousset (Point du Jour), Zhao Qi (CCTV), Ling Leland (LIC China), Ahn Tyro (KBS), Catherine Alvaresse (Arte France), Barbara Biemann (NDR/ARD), Vikram Channa (Discovery Networks Asia Pacific), and Mathieu Bejot (TFI). A Best Pitch Award will be given to several projects on the final day of the event and the winning projects will receive an opportunity to present at the Asian Side of the Doc in March 2012.

In addition to the pitching event, there will be panel sessions and workshops designed to familiarize the Japanese industry with international broadcasting markets. Panelists include Yutaka Shigenobu, the CEO of TV Man Union; Minoru Toizumi, the president, of Hokkaido Television Broadcasting, Hiroshi Takahashi, the president, of Toei Animation; and Akihiro Arai, the senior director of Fuji Television Network. TTVF will be hosted by the Association of All Japan TV Program Production Companies (ATP) in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and other media organizations.

Yukihiko Amagi, the director of the Tokyo TV Forum, said: “One of the most effective ways to transcend borders and bring TV programming to the world is international co‐production. Japan has been a rather self‐contained market so far. But as the need for international co‐production is increasingly being recognized in Asia and around the world, Japanese producers are responding. I’m excited about the role that will be played by the TTVF in bringing Japanese content to the rest of the world.”

Amagi added: “The TTVF is a great chance for international markets to see the best of what Japanese documentary makers have to offer. And it’s a great opportunity for Japanese documentary producers to get up to speed on international co‐production, have their proposals reviewed by international experts, and learn the steps to signing a co‐pro deal. I hope the TTVF will become an annual event where Japanese industry people can get away from their bread‐and‐butter work and think on a bigger scale.”