Pitching Event
Docs Barcelona
Profile: The Pitching Forum is the DocsBarcelona branch that serves the documentary industry. A selection committee will choose 24 projects which will be pitched before 12 commissioning editors.
www.docsbarcelona.com
AIDC – Pitch and Punt
Profile: The Pitch & Punt Competition session has become a favourite at the AIDC. SBS Independent (SBSi) and the Australian Film Commission (AFC) shortlisted a number of concept stage documentary series proposals from independent Australian producers. Shortlisted projects were pitched by filmmakers before an audience and panel of judges at the 2009 Pitch and Punt session.
www.aidc.com.au
Thessaloniki Pitching Forum
Profile: Docs in Thessaloniki is an international pitching forum and workshop. The session takes place within the framework of the 9th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. Docs in Thessaloniki consist of a five-day program, where 21 selected documentary projects will be developed, re-written and pitched.
Framework: The first three days are a workshop. The projects are developed by working on the structure, style and focus of the content as well as presentation and pitching techniques. This is done by working in small groups under guidance from international experts. At the end of the workshop each project is re-written and presented in a 2-page presentation. During the workshop information is also given on building a reputation in the documentary business, working with international co-productions, how to use trailers for pitching etc.
Docs in Thessaloniki concludes with a two day pitching session, where all participants pitch their projects to a panel of international financiers from leading broadcasters. The pitching session is followed by individual meetings for in-depth discussions about further development and possible future collaboration.
Toronto Documentary Forum
Profile: The TDF is a unique presentation forum that assists independent documentary producers from around the world and their market partners raise co-financing from the international marketplace. For buyers, the format offers a slate of pre-selected projects in development and production by some of the world's most interesting filmmakers. Launched in 2000, the TDF is applauded as the most effective international market in North America for producers, broadcasters and others working in the social, political and cultural documentary genres. Over 125 key international broadcasters from Europe, Australia, Japan, the USA and Canada regularly attend with delegates reporting a high success-rate for the projects presented as well those of the observing producers. The TDF's sociable setting is also responsible for a myriad relationships borne, whether between commissioning editors and producers, one broadcaster to another, or distributors and producers.
Framework: Over its two days 30 projects in development or early production are presented at the TDF by their production team in a series of fifteen-minute slots. Each year the projects are pre-selected by an international committee from submissions from around the world. In addition there are two "Mountie Hat" positions which are drawn by lottery during the TDF from the business cards of interested producers in attendance. As a service for the presentation teams, the TDF schedules private meetings between the teams and a number of the participating financiers.
The focus of the TDF is documentary and factual projects in the broad social, cultural and political genre. It includes projects which touch on natural history, science, health, travel, adventure, etc. One-hour or feature length one-offs and limited series are the priority for this market and its participating buyers.
Visions du Reel – Pitching du Reel
Profile: With this event VISIONS DU REEL and EDN European Documentary Network support ambitious projects for full-length documentary films, which it is increasingly difficult to finance and produce and find appropriate slots for in the now-rigid format of TV programme schedules. But we also want to show how multi-faceted documentary films are and how exciting and productive artistic discussion can be when it crosses national borders.
Framework: Visions du Réel and European Documentary Network (EDN) are organized for the third year running Pitching du Réel, a coproduction meeting devoted to full-length documentary films.
The aim is to promote the financing of ambitious, creative films by means of discussions between film directors, producers, commissioning editors, financers and distributors, all of whom are specialists in the documentary genre.
In the course of the day 11 projects will be presented. Each project will have 30 minutes with the panel to discuss the style, narrative structure and content of the project.
The Israel Forum for International Documentary Co-Productions
Profile: The event is meant to expand and advance Israeli independent documentary makers and facilitate collaboration of Israeli documenters with TV networks and producers from around the world. The two-day pitching takes place every spring, as part of the Co-Productions Market, where the Israeli filmmakers take the podium when presenting their projects to a panel of overseas broadcasting networks.
Framework: The Pitching Session: the selected filmmakers present their projects to the panel and an audience of invited professionals. Each presentation lasts around 15 minutes (about 8 minutes presentation, and about 7 more for the panel inquiries), preceded by a preview of the documentaries main character, chosen footage or footage of the director’s previous work.
Some presentations are accompanied by representatives from an Israeli broadcasting entity or a foundation who have already decided to collaborate in producing the project.
One-on-One Meetings: Following the Pitching Forum, meetings will be held between foreign executives. Producers and Israeli film makers who presented at the Forum, in order to translate the producers’ initial interest into the first step towards a real contract.
The Edinburgh Pitch
Profile: Following on from the success of the last two years, Scottish Documentary Institute is proud to re-launch the annual pitching workshop as The Edinburgh Pitch.
This is a fantastic opportunity for all filmmakers looking to produce a feature length documentary to attend a pitching and development workshop and to pitch formally in front of a carefully selected panel of International and UK commissioning editors, sales agents and producers. The workshop is open to all filmmakers UK and abroad and is aimed at independent filmmakers and companies who are developing and raising finance for creative documentaries (52'-90') and who are thinking about international co-productions. (Please note that only UK filmmakers are eligible for the cash prizes.)
Framework: The three day workshop will comprise: help to hone your presentation for the pitch, the pitching forum itself, networking opportunities, as well as one to one meetings with members of the panel.
The Edinburgh Pitch Website
Documentary in Europe
Profile: Documentary in Europe is a no-profit cultural association that proposes to increase the value of the documentary culture, to highlight and promote it, in all its forms, with particular stress on Italian, European and International documentary.
To achieve these purposes, the primary activities of the association are to organize meetings among the insiders of documentary world and to promote the popularization of the documentary genre among a larger audience.
Framework: Documentary in Europe’s pitching session is looking for documentary projects developed for international co-production. 21 projects will be selected to participate. T
Lisbondocs
Profile: Apordoc and EDN invite you to submit proposals for the 10th edition of Lisbon Docs, a documentary forum that includes a pitching workshop for Portuguese, Western and Eastern European documentary filmmakers and producers who want to take part in an intense creative dialogue.
Lisbon Docs is not only about pitching. It is also a space for participants to meet with internationally known directors and producers and a unique chance for filmmakers to create partnerships and meet co-producers. Lisbon Docs takes place in the framework of Doclisboa - Lisbon International Documentary Film Festival.
Framework: During a couple of days, in an intense working atmosphere, around 14 projects are discussed, developed and turned upside down by colleagues and a tutor team of 6 internationally experienced producers and directors with the necessary background and skills to give you inspiration for the development of your film. At the end of the workshop, projects are pitched at a public session.
A panel of Commissioning Editors from leading channels in international co-productions take part in the Lisbon Docs pitching dialogue between directors, producers and broadcasters. Lisbon Docs also includes screenings of documentaries and master classes on international aspects of documentary making.
Medimed - The Euro-Med Documentary Market: Pitching & Screening
Profile: This small-scale market is intended to improve on the promotion and development of new European and Mediterranean independent production of DOCUMENTARIES and the networking of audio-visual professionals and operators. MEDIMED has become a special-interest market which supports the promotion of Euro-Mediterranean audio-visual productions involving private and public television networks together with independent producers with the objective of European transnational co-operation.
Framework: The exchange between the Mediterranean and European professionals ideally should be a two-way traffic: Mediterranean projects and productions are presented to non-Mediterranean professionals, and European ones hopefully will find their way into the Mediterranean while they are also presented to all delegates.
MEDIMED Website
The Forum for International Co-Financing of Documentaries
Profile: The FORUM is Europe's largest gathering of television commissioning editors and independent documentary producers. IDFA first organized the FORUM in 1993. All over the world, filmmakers were continuously developing new ideas for interesting and important creative documentaries. Finding the required production budget, however, often remained a long and complicated process, especially in the international documentary arena. In the early years, the FORUM's aim was to establish a network of documentary professionals through which international documentary projects could find financing on an international level. Before the creation of the FORUM, commissioning editors, producers and filmmakers rarely met face-to-face to discuss new projects and ideas, to raise international financing and to set-up international co-productions. Since 1993, the international network of documentary professionals has expanded, and every year it reaffirms itself in Amsterdam.
Framework: From a long list of applications, each year the FORUM selects 40 outstanding documentary projects. During the festival, producers and directors pitch their projects as a team to a panel of commissioning editors who in turn give feedback and ask questions. At the FORUM, producers meet important players in the business and get the unique opportunity to present their project, themselves and their company. To help trigger interest for the different projects, there is a two-day pitch workshop in co-operation with the European Documentary Network where experienced professionals help strengthen and fine-tune presentations. In short, the FORUM is the place to feel the pulse of the international documentary market and a unique opportunity to find financing: more than 90% of all submitted projects end up getting made.
The Forum Website
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