Organizers of the International New Media Festival & Awards today announced this year's event will be held October 17 -19 at Rodd's Brudenell River Resort in Roseneath, Prince Edward Island.
Formerly known as Baddeckfest, the internationally recognized event was first held in 1997 in Sydney, Nova Scotia and has been presented in Baddeck, Cape Breton for the past four years.
"The support from the people and community of Baddeck has been tremendous," says Richard Lorway, Festival Chair. "As we move on, we will cherish the spirit and encouragement we found in the community during our early years. Going forward, we believe the beautiful new venue at the Rodd Brudenell River Resort embodies the invigorating surroundings and casual networking atmosphere that has become a trademark of the festival."
Development & Technology Minister, Mike Currie, welcomes the international event to Prince Edward Island.
"We are pleased to keep this world-class event in Atlantic Canada and we look forward to continuing the successful tradition of the Festival here in Prince Edward Island," said the Minister. "With the pending opening of the new Atlantic Technology Centre in Charlottetown, we believe our relationship with the Festival is another valuable asset in our growing list of achievements in the emerging new media sector."
The Province of Prince Edward Island, through Technology PEI, will join Telefilm Canada, CBC, and a number of other public and private sector partners in hosting this year's festival.
Technology PEI is the Government of Prince Edward Island's lead agency in the development of the Information Technology and Media Production sectors in the province.
"We are very excited about our new partnership with Technology PEI," said Lorway. "It's important Canadian new media companies, especially in Atlantic Canada, have access to international exposure and new business opportunities."
The Festival brings together industry visionaries throughout North America and Europe to meet with up and coming new media producers to focus on content and the creative process. They are joined by developers, buyers, broadcasters and investors to help identify current growth opportunities and future trends in the industry.
This year's festival features 2001 Academy Award winner and animation pioneer Lorne Carpenter (Monsters Inc.) as a keynote speaker. Also appearing as a keynote will be Los Angeles-based wireless expert and futurist, Jim Griffin. They will be joined by other recognized industry leaders who will focus on international opportunities in online and wireless gaming and digital media co-productions. The festival concludes with a Gala New Media Awards Show featuring the winners in the international awards competition.
For more information and to register for the festival, please call toll free 1-888-792-2363 or visit www.newmediafest.com.