Sony Classics Co-President Michael Barker, Neon CEO Tom Quinn, Berlin chief Tricia Tuttle, Toronto boss Cameron Bailey, Mk2 Chairman Nathanaël Karmitz, 193 President Patrick Wachsberger and CAA Media Finance leader Roeg Sutherland will be among the industry executives participating in the 11th Zurich Summit this weekend.
Dubbed by organizer the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) as “the Davos of the film industry”, in reference to the annual World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alps, the event will gather more than 100 film professionals from North American and Europe at the Dolder Grand hotel.
Over the course of Saturday, they will discuss key industry issues including AI, monetization of indie films, financing, distribution, politics in entertainment, social media and the health of festivals.
As the Zurich Summit’s official media partner, Deadline will be on the ground covering and moderating panels, as well as providing exclusive interviews with key executives via the Deadline Studio. We’ll also have video from key panels.
Neon’s Tom Quinn will be in attendance this year to receive the summit’s Game Changer Award, following in the footsteps of the likes of Oscar-winner Patrick Wachsberger (CODA), Co-Chair & CEO Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group Pamela Abdy, Leonine Studios Head Fred Kogel, Sony Pictures Classics co-founders Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, and last year’s recipient Roeg Sutherland. Sutherland will conduct an on-stage Q&A with Quinn about Neon’s rise and the current independent landscape.
Other panels across the day will include a discussion on the state of film festivals with speakers including Tricia Tuttle, Cameron Bailey and Golden Globes President Helen Hoehne; and a timely session on entertainment and politics featuring longtime talent rep David Unger and Mk2 chairman Nathanaël Karmitz.
Meanwhile, a panel about finance and production will feature guests such as UTA’s Rena Ronson and Saudi Film Commission General Manager Abduljalil Al-Nasser; and execs from Sony, 30West, 193/Legendary and Row K will tackle the challenges and opportunities arising from distribution today. In addition, the day will see timely sessions on AI and content creators in the social media age.
Represented at the summit will also be industry leaders and execs from Goodfellas, Netflix, AGC, Centropolis, CoProduction Office, Iconoclast, and Wiip, as well as a host of independent producers.
Christian Jungen, Zurich Festival Director, said: “We are very proud to have once more assembled such an exceptional line-up of distinguished speakers and accomplished industry leaders, and we look forward to discussing and debating the state of the industry during the Zurich Summit.”
The Zurich Film Festival runs from Sept 25 – Oct 5. Among guests set to attend are Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe, Dakota Johnson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Wagner Moura, Noah Baumbach, Hildur Guðnadóttir, James McAvoy, Amanda Seyfried, Nina Hoss, Anthony Mackie and Edward Berger.
The post Zurich Summit: Neon, Sony Classics, CAA, WME, UTA, Mk2, Berlin, Toronto & Golden Globes Among Speakers At Swiss Conference appeared first on Deadline.
