Barbara Hager (Aarrow Productions) and Andrew Ferns (Ferns Entertainment) will co-write the proposed 8-part drama documentary series based on the best selling book by Charles C. Mann, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. Aarrow and Ferns won the Request For Proposal from the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and will collaborate with Animiki See Digital Productions on the series. 1491 is a ground- breaking work combining science, history and archaeology, which radically alters our understanding of pre-Columbian times. 1491 is a transformative look at a rich and fascinating world we only thought we knew.

Rezervations Not Required
Executive Producer Thom Denomme is working with Chef Freddie Bitsoie on a new series that embraces cooking, travel and culture. Rezervations Not Required will be a journey of discovery through the traditional lands of the Indigenous Peoples of North America.

Crossing Gabriel
Also in development with Aarrow Productions is a small town comedy drama that shows that every town has a history worth fighting for. In this case, it is the intense political and cultural tensions that were exposed over a century ago during the Riel Rebellion.

The World at Night
Pat Ferns and Katherine Smalley (Allied Capital) will partner with the UK’s Mark Westaway in a Canada/UK co-production of The World at Night, with screenplay by William Nicholson (Shadowlands, Gladiator, Elizabeth: The Golden Age) to be directed by Michael Radford (White Mischief, Il Postino, Flawless).  A political thriller and love story, the movie has at its heart a personal confrontation with the extremes of interrogation and torture.
Buffalo Bill and the Conquest of the East
Ferns Productions is working with Christian Monzinger of Ere Productions in Strasbourg on a film by Vincent Froehly dealing with early American cultural imperialism in the Old World. In 1887, Bill Cody’s Wild West Show took Europe by storm, setting the stage for Hollywood’s subsequent “invasion” and the creation of the Western genre in movies.

MIPCOM (October 3 - 6, 2011)
Pat has been working with Reed MIDEM on a major element of its conference programme for this year’s MIPCOM in Cannes. Money Matters explores alternative forms of financing new entertainment experiences. Pat will moderate the sessions on Branded Entertainment and Sponsorship as well as Banking and Venture Capital on Tuesday October 4th and a session on Crowd Funding on Wednesday October 5th.
CNEX Chinese Documentary Forum (October 26 - November 1, 2011)
Following last year’s successful launch of a three-day training program and a two-day pitching forum for Chinese documentary filmmakers, Pat returns to Taipei for CCDF 2. The second edition will include a new two-day Producers’ Workshop for Chinese filmmakers from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, China (December 5 - 9, 2011)
Pat is working with Teng Jianxin, the new Managing Director, and his GZDOC team on the 9th edition of China’s national documentary festival. International commissioning editors from around the world will join Chinese broadcasters in Guangzhou. This year international pitches will be included in DocuMart. Support is offered to successful candidates through the International Producers’ Day program.   www.gzdoc.com

The 7th edition of the Asia - Australia Media Executive Leadership Program (AAMELP) will take place in Sydney, Australia January 15 - 20, 2012. The International Institute for Television Leadership will also offer an exclusive one-day event for its alumni January 21, 2012 at the same location as AAMELP.

Dates for the European Media Executive Leadership Program (EMELP) have been set for June 17 - 22, 2012. Feedback on the 2011 edition of EMELP was extremely positive from all participants.   www.leadership.tv

This has been a busy summer of travel for Ferns Entertainment President Andrew Ferns and Executive Producer Thom Denomme. Unusually, Pat Ferns was “off the road” recovering from successful hip-replacement surgery. With his new “2 million miles on Air Canada” card, Pat will be back in the air October 1st en route for Cannes.