Latest in BANFF World Media Festival

Afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here. I’m headed to Banff on Sunday for the World Media Fest but before I go, here’s our digest of the week’s biggest news and analysis. Disney France Woes Fermez la fenêtre: A fierce argument has broken out as the deep-pocketed U.S. streamers delve deeper and deeper into Europe’s…

This year’s Banff World Media Festival is set to be one of the most international yet and will go beyond TV trends to address some of the globe’s biggest topics, according to Executive Director Jenn Kuzmyk. Speaking to Deadline in the lead-up to the annual event, which takes place in-person after two years online from…

Jean-Marc Vallée will be given a major posthumous award at next month’s Banff World Media Festival Rockie Awards Gala, with Ana Gasteyer, Rose Matafeo and the team behind Yellowjackets also in line for gongs. Distinguished Canadian director Vallée, who died on Christmas Day last year, will be posthumously awarded the…

Back as an in-person gathering in the Canadian Rockies after a pandemic induced absence of two years, the Banff World Media Festival is bringing in some heavy hitters this summer. Netflix's head of Global TV Bela Bajaria and Participant CEO David Linde have been set as Summit Series keynote speakers at the June 12-15…

The Banff World Media Festival is returning in person for the first time in three years, with Universal Studio Group Chairman Pearlena Igbokwe set to deliver a keynote. The 43rd edition of the world-renowned festival will take place from June 12-15 at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel after the 2020 and 2021 editions…

Kenan Thompson is a pretty busy guy. In addition to starring on Saturday Night Live and fronting and exec producing his own eponymous sitcom for NBC, Thompson exec produces Nickelodeon's reboot of the sketch comedy All That. He would also like to do more of the latter. Thompson, speaking to his old SNL pal Seth Meyers…

Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos will give a keynote speech at the virtual Banff World Media Festival in June. Sarandos was set to appear at the Canadian event, held in Alberta, in 2020 before the physical event was canceled due to the pandemic. He will now speak on the festival's opening day…

The Banff World Media Festival is set to be held virtually again this year. The Canadian event will run June 14 to July 16 via an online platform due to Covid-19, organizers said Tuesday. It is the second year in a row that the event is being held virtually due to the global pandemic. Last year's event was due to be…

During a panel titled “Showrunner Superpanel: where do we go from here” at the virtual edition of the BANFF World Media Festival, a roster of some of the top shows on television talked about their journeys to Hollywood. Steven Canals (Pose), Tanya Saracho (Vida), Anna Winger (Unorthodox), Liz Tigelaar (Little Fires Eve…

Fleabag, Chernobyl and Gentleman Jack were among the winners of Banff's Rockie Awards International Program Competition. Brits dominated the virtual event taking home 14 awards, compared with 11 awards for U.S. shows and seven for Canadian shows. Last year, U.S. shows picked up nine awards, British shows scored eight…

The Banff World Media Festival is launching a series of virtual events following the cancellation of the Alberta-held conference. The event, which was scheduled to run June 14-17,  was cancelled at the end of March due to COVID-19. Instead, organizers will launch a number of online events, kicking off with a Master…

The Banff World Media Festival is the latest international TV event canceled due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Organizers of the event, which was scheduled to run June 14-17, said they heeded public direction from the World Health Organization, the Canadian government and the Alberta government in making the…