The East by Northwest (EXNW) summit will return for its third year. And once again, it will offer deep insights into the film, television, and digital-media industries on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.

The Racial Equity Screen Office will present the first two days at the JW Marriott Parq Hotel in downtown Vancouver July 18 and July 19. Then on July 20, the ENXW Summit will close with a plenary focused on the future of AI and its impact on creative industries. This will take place, starting at 10:30 a.m., at Floata Seafood Restaurant (180 Keefer Street). That will be followed by “Drag N’ Dim Sum” with a performance by House of Rice.

EXNW bills itself as “a platform for racialized Canadian creatives to access Asia-Pacific industry leaders”. In addition it aims to generate new partnerships while re-imagining how content can be financed, produced, and distributed globally.

“We are creating the space and the momentum for the next wave of Canadian stories to reach international screens,” RESO founder and EXNW creator Barbara Lee says in a news release. “EXNW is there the future of global storytelling begins.”

On July 18, one industry session is called “Meet the Pitch Executives – International”. Running from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., it’s a private pitch session, featuring 10 producers and executives familiar with Asian markets. They include SLL Studios head of international business Yoori Kwan, CreAsia Studio executive vice president and business head Jessica Kam, and TAIWANPlus senior producer and head of programming planning team David Koo.

Former Hawaii Five-O star will be at EXNW

Also starting at 2:30 p.m. is “Meet the Pitch Executives – North America”, bnot open to general attendance. There are 10 industry experts at this event. They include longtime National Film Board of Canada executive producer Shirley Vercruysse, Bell Media head of development Rachel Goldstein-Couto, and Omnifilm CEO Brian Hamilton.

July 19 is filled with various events. One of the highlights is a Feature Fireside Chat with Grace Park, who starred in Hawaii Five-O and A Million Little Things. She’s also a producer with a goal of increasing authentic Asian Canadian representation on-screen.

Other sessions  that morning include “Harnessing the Power of Racialized Creatives for Global Markets and Audiences”, “International Co-Production + Future”, and “Own the Spotlight: Building a Canadian Star System for Racialized Talent”. There’s even a session on gaming with five speakers, including Remy Sui 蕭逸南. His company, sunset visitor 過客, created the trailblazing diasporic-oriented game 1000xRESIST.

There are more sessions that afternoon. One of them, “Beyond Borders: Balancing Opportunity, Vision, and Complexity”, addresses the evolving demands of international markets and legal complexities of cross-border sales. Panelists include SLL Studios CEO and president of production Joonsuh Park and Goldfinch International managing partner Justin Delmen, and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP partner Sophia Yen. Pilango Productions founder and executive producer Sarah Kim Haasz will moderate this discussion.

Southeast Asia attracts EXNW’s attention

Another panel, this one including Jessica Kam, is entitled “Rising Southeast Asia”. It’s a region with 650 million residents. Yet this part of the globe is often overlooked by producers hungry for access to Chinese, Japanese, and Korean audiences. Kam will be joined by Joey Reyes of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, as well as Pantham Thongsang of the Thailand Creative Agency. Also on the panel is Mokster Films executive Nelson Mok, one of the producers of How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies.

Meanwhile, B.C. directors Baljit Sangra and Ryan Mah are two of the six panelists for “Unlocking the Archive: Navigating Rights, Costs & IP in a Global Landscape”. It also takes place on July 20. Then at 4 p.m., actor, director, playwright (Kim’s Convenience), poet, and songwriter Ins Choi will make a special presentation. The evening will wind up with the EXNW Ball, which includes the presentation of the Golden Connector Award.

Hanna Cho, RESO executive director and EXNW Asia Pacific program director, says that organizers are proud to convene leading industry voices from several Asian countries.

“As Canada deepens its ties across the Asia-Pacific, we see EXNW as a timely and vital space for equity-driven international collaboration to take root, right here in Vancouver,” Cho states.

East by Northwest (EXNW) takes place from July 18 to 20 in Vancouver. For tickets and more information, visit the website. Follow Pancouver on Instagram @PancouverMedia and on Bluesky @pancouver. Also follow Charlie Smith on Bluesky @charliesmithvcr.bsky.social.