European Short Pitch
European Short Pitch is open to individual authors or creative teams developing international short film projects. It is therefore open to writers, directors, and producers. Writer-directors developing a project on their own are very welcome to participate in the programme. Yet it is strongly advised to already have a national production company interested or attached to the project, especially at the time of the Coproduction Forum.
➤ The programme is aimed at up and coming authors and emerging talents.
➤ The author’s nationality or country of residence should be one of the member states of the Council of Europe.
➤ Applicants must confirm their availability for all sessions.
➤ The working language of European Short Pitch is English; thus, a good knowledge of English is essential in order to participate.
➤ In the context of the organisation of European Short Pitch in the Région Bretagne, ESP will welcome one project from the Brittany region of France, which will take part in the programme with no participation fees.
PROGRAMME / ORGANISATION
Scriptwriting workshop, 14th – 18th November, 2022 – online
During five days, participants work intensively on their projects with a scriptwriting tutor heading the process, alternating plenary, group and one-to-one sessions. Besides in-depth script work, the participants will also receive production coaching from a producer experienced in European coproductions, who will provide tailor-made advice during individual coaching sessions. Two lectures on short film coproduction and scriptwriting will complete the programme. The aim of this first session is to enhance the quality of the script and to prepare participants to present their projects in an international context.
Intermediate sessions, December 2022/January 2023 (dates TBC) – online
Between the two main sessions, the 12 participants receive further feedback from their scriptwriting tutors in an online individual session. Moreover, they also benefit from: a training in pitching: a tutor specialized in pitch training gives a lecture about pitching and meets the project holders individually; and group and individual sessions with distributor/sales agent, where writers/directors and attached producers are presented with relevant case studies and offered adapted feedback for their own projects.
Coproduction Forum, February, 2023 (dates TBC) on site during Festival Travelling, Rennes & online
The aim of this session is to create a platform of promotion for the projects selected, to encourage encounters and collaborations between film professionals and to initiate short film coproductions. Invited producers, financiers, decision makers and participants meet for two days in order to establish future collaborations.
The Coproduction Forum takes the form of a hybrid event, proposed both online and offline (the format will take into consideration the development of the COVID-19 pandemic). It includes a Pitching and Q&A Live Event, one-to-one meetings, a case study/panel, a screening of ESP films, and the European Short Pitch Awards Ceremony, where the best projects are awarded by an international Jury and receive cash and in-kind prizes from our partners.
PARTICIPATION FEE
The participation fee for one person per project is 650 Euro. The fee covers tuition, as well as accommodation and subsistence in case of residential session. The fee does not cover travel costs, which will be at participants’ expenses. European Short Pitch accepts a maximum of 3 persons per project; extra participants have to cover their own expenses: accommodation, subsistence and travel.
Many countries support such training costs. We advise participants to apply for scholarships through their national film funds.
REQUIRED MATERIAL
Please send the following materials, all in English and in the order indicated in the list below, in one PDF file (max. file size 25MB) named after the project title (i.e. PROJECT_TITLE) to [email protected]:
- Completed application form containing the general project information; DOWNLOAD the application form
- Project synopsis (max. 1 page);
- Author(s)’s intention note(s) (max. 2 pages);
- Links to previous audiovisual works (max. 2) and/or teaser/visual materials related to the submitted project: we will only accept links to watch online, please do not send us files to download;
- Motivations and goals to take part in European Short Pitch (max. 1 page);
- Producer’s note (if applicable, max. 1 page);
- CVs of team members (writer, director, producer/production company, if applicable);
- Script in English (no word-count limitation);
- Additional materials (optional): i.e. estimated budget, financing plan, etc.
The scripts must be entirely original; borrowing, in any way whatsoever, of any pre-existing work protected by copyright or any other legal protection, or violating the rights of third parties is not permitted.
SELECTION PROCESS
The selection process will be carried out in two steps. First, a reading committee composed of scriptwriters, producers, participants of previous editions of European Short Pitch, etc. will assess all the applications and carry out a pre-selection. The shortlisted projects will then be reviewed by the selection committee composed by the European Short Pitch team with the support of 1 external expert. Participants will be informed by email of their selection / non-selection during the first fortnight of October, 2022.
THE TUTORS
The tutors – many of them returning regularly to ESP – are experienced and well-connected film professionals.
You can have a look at the team of tutors and consultants for ESP 2021|22 here.