Just Watch Me!

Canadian distributors, sales agents and rights holders were invited to submit content to this pilot initiative, a television sales event at the Canadian Embassy in Berlin designed to promote sales of Canadian film and television content to German broadcasters and to broaden contacts in the German market.

The initiative was created by the Embassy of Canada in Berlin and "Just Watch Me!" in collaboration with the Department of Canadian Heritage (Trade Routes program), the Canadian Television Fund, the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Ontario and the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA). 

Buyers and programmers from German television networks were invited to the Embassy to attend a special screening of promotional clips for Canadian films and television programs that was be selected through a juried process.   

Online submissions were accepted between 20th January  and 8th February, 2010. All types of content suitable for broadcast were eligible. This included feature length and short film, documentary,  animation, dramatic or reality-based television series, children's and arts programming. There was no limit to the production year of the content, however preference was given to content that was considered relevant to current market tastes. 

Total submissions reached 90 projects submitted by 51 companies from across Canada. The 90 minute programme consisted of a final selection of 39 promotional trailers from 29 companies, categorized by feature film (4), short film (3), one-off documentary (11), factual series (11), drama / variety (4), children’s programming (4), and performing arts (2).

Chris McDonald was appointed Executive Director of Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in October of 1998.  A native of Montreal, Chris holds a degree in Film Studies from McGill University.  Prior to Hot Docs, Chris was Development Director for five years at the prestigious Canadian Film Centre, the advanced film, television and new media training centre founded by director Norman Jewison. Prior to working at the CFC, Chris worked for two national environmental organizations.  He serves on several industry advisory boards, and has served on panels and juries at leading festivals around the world.

Jutta Krug is currently working as a commissioning editor for WDR, one of the largest German public broadcaster based in Cologne. She is in charge of feature length documentaries within the culture department. Her professional career started in 1992 when she was part of the founding team of the European Cultural Channel ARTE based in Strasbourg. In 2000 she joined the WDR as a commissioning editor.  As a reporter she has received many awards such as the German French Journalism Award. In addition many of the documentaries Jutta Krug commissioned received critical acclaims, such as IDFA Special Jury award for WILD WILD BEACH by Vitali Manski, FIPRESCI award for PRATER by Ulrike Ottinger and the DEUTSCHER FILMPREIS 2009 (= German Oscar) for NOBODY’S PERFECT by Niko von Glasow. Films she commissioned are regularly seen at the most renowned festivals, e.g. Berlinale (2010: KINSHASA SYMPHONY and NEW YORK MEMORIES) and IDFA, Amsterdam (2009: JAFFA). Currently her working contacts include many production companies in Germany and abroad as well as EURODOC, DISCOVERY CAMPUS and the MEDIA-programme of the EU.

Steven Kalatzis is presently an independent working in film with work at major studios PARAMOUNT and TWENTITH CENTUREY FOX. He has spends half his time Toronto and Hollywood. The bug bit Steven in 1962 (age 6 Athens Greece) when he first walked on to stage. Living across the street from a cinema the exposure was great. At age 10 he was working in a theater owned by Peter Manyotakos owner of Greek radio and TV Toronto, understanding the world of exhibitor and audience demands. At age 15 he worked at Toronto’s Sheridan Hotels “The Hook and Ladder Club” where he was exposed to Hollywood show business entertainers acts the likes of Frank Gorchin “Batman TV show The Riddler”, John Davidson “Edward Scissorhands (TV host)”,The Everly Brother’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (performers)”.  Stevens’s stage productions have been known as sparkling having presented for L’Oreal at Roy Thomson Hall. Having worked with John Pennie on the potential financing and distribution of film projects. John C. Pennie is one of the former founders of IMAGE WEST which won the Academy award for special effects in 1976 for Logan's Run.   He was founder of OMNIBUS COMPUTER GRAPHICS INC. with facilities in Toronto, New York City and at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. Steven has found and pitched feature film packages to NEW WORLD PICTURES a mini major studio in Hollywood. Steven continues his work researching, writing, and screening as part of preparing work for the market place. 

Georges Leclère is founder and President of LGMA Inc., a global Media consulting company which advises international companies on worldwide media ranging from classic television events to future visual media on any platform. He is Executive Producer of a Canadian show, Views of the World, on the Vox Channel, group Videotron. And sits on the Board of Clovys-TV a new music start-up channel based in Montreal, Canada. Among its recent clients and endeavors, LGMA was appointed, in October 2008, Director of the Banff World Television Festival Program Competition and its Awards ceremonies. Georges is also advisor for the Foundation for International Understanding, an initiative of the U.S. Congress, Ambassador for the Rose d’Or Festival and consultant for several companies from the Monaco Media Forum to the Cousteau Awards and the Seoul Drama Awards, The Prix Galien and The Elie Wiesel Foundation. From November 1997 to December 2006, Leclere was Executive Director then Senior Vice-President of The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, a sister organization of the U.S. Television Academy, organizing the International Emmy Awards, based in New York. Georges was also the Executive Producer of the International Emmy Awards Gala ceremony and its Television show. Georges Leclere began his broadcasting career in Lebanon in 1968, as a producer and on-air personality for French-speaking Channels in Beirut. Returning to his native France in 1969, Mr. Leclere appeared regularly on television as a special correspondent for evening news. In 1984 and 1985 he was a producer for TF1 and FR3, involved in international co-productions, including one with the U.S. based Sesame Workshop, (Children’s Television Workshop at that time), titled "3-2-1 Contact."In April 1986, Leclere moved to New York City to become the Director for Press, Radio and Television for the United Nations, a position he held until 1993. Mr. Leclere, in 1993, was associated with the European Bank in London, with UNICEF, and with the U.N. peacekeeping forces in Somalia. He has also served as an international multimedia consultant for AOM International, representing the new French Educational TV Network, La Cinquième, (Now France 5 in the France-Televisions group), the Franco-German Cultural Channel, ARTE and the French Export organization, TVFI from 1994 through 1997. Leclere was writer and co-producer of Generation 2000, a 12 parts series with Unicef and TV Ontario in Canada. He anchored the first ever TV show live for 10 days from the Paris Air Show in 1997. Author of two Books on Solar Energy and on Space Exploration, Leclere has an extensive teaching experience: From Tsing Hua University in Beijing, to NYU in New York and Centre Pompidou in Paris, from Kazakhstan to Georgia, from Latvia to Armenia, from Brooklyn College, Fordham to St John's University ... All places where he conducted panels, seminars and workshops. In June 2003, the French Government awarded Georges Leclere the Medal of Chevalier des Arts & des Lettres. 

Michael A. Dobbin With one foot on either side of the Atlantic, Michael takes pride in bringing together the best of the creative industries from Canada and Europe. He is currently in post production on Endre Hules The Maiden Danced starring Endre Hules, Deborah Unger, Beáta Melkvi, Stephen McHattie, Zsolt László and Gil Bellows. The film was shot by Academy Award winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and is a co production with Hungary and the first ever between Canada and Slovenia. In addition to his work with Quiet Revolution Pictures, Michael has partnered with the UK’s 1066 Productions; and Alto Films where he recently produced Toni Harman's debut horror feature The Devil’s Curse (AKA Credo), released in North America through Lionsgate. Projects set for production include Matt West’s comedy-thriller The Odds; Boris Rodriguez’s Eddie; and William Chartoff’s dark comedy Asleep at the Wheel. He is currently in post production on David Chernushenko’s much anticipated documentary Powerful: Energy for Everyone. Michael has worked with one of Europe’s top script-development and training organisations, Arista Development and has been mentored by BAFTA-winning producer of East is East, Ms. Leslee Udwin. He’s a multi award-winning director in his own right and is an alumnus of the film programme of Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. In March 2010, Michael founded the ‘Just Watch Me!’ Berlin Screeningroom with the Canadian Embassy, and as a story editor, script doctor and lecturer is in steady demand on both sides of the Atlantic.

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Contacts:   

Claudia Seeber 
Trade Commissioner 
Embassy of Canada 
Berlin 
Tel: 011-49-30-20312-366 
Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Michael A. Dobbin 
Project Consultant "Just Watch Me!" 
Tel: 613 314-0331 
Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it