MUMBAI: Canal+ COO Rodolphe Belmer and Zodiak Media Group CEO David Frank, will present keynotes on Monday 4 April, kicking off the MIPTV 2011 Producers’ Forum, which is focusing this year on co-production. MIPTV runs from 4 to 7 April, in Cannes.

Co-production will be the hot topic at the Producers’ Forum at MIPTV 2011. Two days of conferences and matchmaking sessions will be devoted to the subject, with the launch this year of a brand new lounge dedicated to industry meetings and working sessions, which will be the hub for the co-production focus. Conferences will develop themes such as drama co-production through specific case studies; TV networks’ global strategies in terms of co-production laid out by some key industry players; and special regional workshops on both Asia and Latin America.

“We are delighted to welcome Rodolphe Belmer and David Frank, two leading industry figures who will deliver their respective visions on recent changes and the future of content production, from their positions as heads of major European groups with significant international reach,” said Reed MIDEM Television Division director Laurine Garaude. “Given the growing trend in international co-productions,we feel that it is particularly pertinent for MIPTV to provide the context to accelerate global exchanges in this key area.”

Belmer will focus on the importance of original programming, one of the mainstays of Canal+, with such notable series asXIII and Borgia, currently being filmed, and will highlight the key role of co-production for drama with international ambitions.