U.S. and UK Share Spotlight at Canada's Strategic Partners Market

TORONTO – The Canadian co-production conference Strategic Partners is following the money as it chooses the U.S. as a focus country for its upcoming summer gathering for the third year running.

The U.S. will this year share the spotlight with Britain at the Halifax marketplace, organizers said Tuesday.

As multinational productions proliferate internationally, foreign producers are still turning to Hollywood to fill out budgets for indie projects.

“We have always had strong representation from these two regions at Strategic Partners, so engaging them as spotlight countries – and emphasizing the potential for co-venture/co-production between the U.K., the U.S.A., Canada, and the rest of the world – makes perfect sense,” Strategic Partners director Jan Miller said of choosing the U.S. and the UK as focus nations.

Strategic Partners is set to run from September 13 to 16 in Halifax, bridging the Toronto International Film Festival and the IFP Independent Filmmaker Project in New York City.