After a successful and highly enthusiastic response from filmmakers and audience members, the California Film Institute’s virtual documentary pitching forum DocPitch is returning for its seventh year to DocLands Documentary Film Festival.
Presented during DocLands, DocPitch is an invitation for filmmakers to submit their unfinished feature-length (70 + minutes) documentary projects currently in early to later stages of completion.
A jury will select five filmmaking teams to present a verbal pitch and a three- to five-minute trailer to an audience comprised of invited funders, organization representatives, distributors, media, and the general public.
With a total of $100,000 to be awarded to five projects, viewers will be invited to cast one vote per person for their favored project to win the $45,000 Audience Award. The jury of industry professionals will select the winner of the $40,000 Jury Award. Additional $5,000 awards will go to the remaining three projects.
While all 2019 DocPitchers went home with some funding, FIVE YEARS NORTH director Chris Temple was voted winner of the $25,000 prize; and GATHER, director Sanjay Rawal took home $50,000 from an individual donor. GATHER, FIVE YEARS NORTH, and SOCIALISM: AN AMERICAN STORY (also pitched last year), director Yael Bridge, are all part of DocLands’ 2020 program.
Photos © Tommy Lau Photography
CRIP CAMP filmmakers, and 2018 DocPitch winners, Jim LeBrecht & Nicole Newnham with DocLands Director of Programming Joni Cooper and all of the DocPitch filmmakers.
DOCPITCH AWARDS FUNDING PROVIDED BY
NANCY P. AND RICHARD K. ROBBINS FAMILY FOUNDATION
RESONANCE PHILANTHROPIES
