Banff World Media Festival Scholarship

DATES

Deadline for applications is Friday April 28, 2023 (11:59pm)

ABOUT

An exciting career-accelerating opportunity for a mid-career professional looking to make key connections at a leading international marketplace.

  • Complimentary 2023 Banff World Media Festival registration
  • Opportunities for networking with potential partners from across the globe
  • Hear keynotes from industry leaders, panel discussions, expert forecasts, celebrity Master Classes, critical case studies, key strategy sessions and more

The WIFT Toronto Banff World Media Festival Scholarship is a competitive opportunity providing two WIFT Toronto members with a full delegate pass to attend the Banff World Media Festival, June 11 - 14, 2023.

Attracting over 250 international buyers and a wide-ranging cross-section of television and digital media professionals from around the world, BANFF delivers a comprehensive examination of the most critical issues facing the television and digital media industries through keynotes from industry leaders, contentious panel discussions, pre-booked meetings with industry decision-makers, expert forecasts, celebrity Master Classes, networking opportunities, critical case studies, key strategy sessions and more.

Learn more about this year's speakers, featured delegations and conference agenda at banffmediafestival.playbackonline.ca.

 

"Winning the WIFT Banff scholarship gave me the deadline and motivation to hone my pitch and gave me access to incredibly influential people in the industry. I also was able to find a broadcaster interested in my short film. I learned through the panel discussions where the industry is heading, where the opportunities are and how to go after them. The mixers and parties helped me meet people that I normally wouldn’t encounter and I was fortunate to find filmmakers who want to collaborate with me on projects. Thank you, WIFT-T, for this terrific opportunity!" — CARLA ROBINSON, WRITER/PRODUCER (2019 RECIPIENT)

ELIGIBILITY & HOW TO APPLY

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible for consideration:

  • Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident, or Landed Immigrant
  • WIFT Toronto Full member in-good-standing. May join at time of application.
  • Minimum 5 years’ professional experience in the screen-based industry. The ideal candidate will have 5 - 12 years’ experience
  • WIFT Toronto Staff and Board are not eligible to apply
  • Must complete a final report within two weeks of the end of the conference, including a testimonial

If selected, and for any reason you are not able to attend, you must notify WIFT Toronto immediately, and forfeit your claim to the scholarship. The scholarship may be offered to a runner-up in the event that the selected applicant is unable to attend the conference.

Individuals who received a bursary in 2022 are not eligible for the 2023 BANFF Scholarship. 

Deadline for applications is FRIDAY April 28, 2023 (11:59pm)

Supporting documents

  • Professional bio (150 words)
  • Cover letter outlining your response to the following questions (max 2 pages): Have you attended the Banff World Media Festival within the past 3 years? Which other industry conferences, if any, have you attended in the past 3 years? What are your current professional development goals and how will your attendance at BANFF impact your achievement of these goals and the advancement of your career? (ex. Are there specific people with which you wish to meet, and why?) How do you intend to maximize your time at BANFF? What is your conference strategy?  
  • Letter of Recommendation (supervisor or colleague, supporting your suitability for the scholarship)

Please submit your files in PDF format, and name them according to the order listed above, using this template: BANFF2023 – Full Name – Description of File.PDF (e.g. BANFF2023– Alex Talent –Bio.PDF) to Laurie Januska, Director of Programming by emailing ljanuska@wift.com