Frontières, the genre-focused industry initiative, has named Annick Mahnert as its new executive director, following the recent departure of former chief Lindsay Peters.
Mahnert will steer the org through its upcoming event, the International Co-Production Market, which will still take place July 23-26 but in a virtual form due to the global coronavirus disruption. The market usually coincides with the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal but the fest announced last week that it was looking to push to new dates later in the summer due to regulations imposed by the government of Québec calling for the cancelation of cultural events until August 31.
In its new format, participants in the co-pro market will be able to pitch projects online to industry professionals. Frontières confirmed it will also again be running its annual platform at the Cannes’s Marché du Film, which is hosting a digital edition at the end of June.
Mahnert has been a long-time collaborator of the event during her career, which has involved distribution, programming and international sales roles at companies including 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Pathé and Celluloid Dreams. She has also acted as a producer on films including The Long Walk and Leap of Faith: William Friedkin On The Exorcist, which both premiered at Venice last year. She is a programmer at Sitges and is the director of International Programming at Fantastic Fest in Austin.
“Frontières is an important event for the film industry and it was inconceivable to me that the market should cease,” said Mahnert. “Lindsay Peters has proposed alternatives prior to her departure and we will build upon her ideas to create this year’s digital event. I am proud to take the helm of Frontières and though we won’t be able to meet in person this summer, I have no doubt that our partners and the genre cinema community will follow us in this new adventure.”