ABOUT EUROPEAN SHORT PITCH

European Short Pitch’s Coproduction Forum dedicates a space to projects in post-production to provide the selected filmmakers with a platform to find a co-producer, a distribution and sales partner, to complete the film and to promote it on a European level.

Selected on the basis of the quality and the potential of their short film projects, 4 European talents will pitch and showcase extracts of their works-in-progress in front of the panel of professionals invited both on-site and online for the Coproduction Forum.

European Short Pitch aims to bring young European talents into the spotlight, give them a high-end promotion opportunity, and develop short film coproduction in Europe. 350 projects were presented in the previous editions (2007 – 2022), so far resulting in the making of 150 short films – many with a very successful international career.

COPRODUCTION FORUM AND WORK-IN-PROGRESS PITCHES

Prior to the Coproduction Forum, participants will benefit from online editing and distribution consultations, as well as a pitching training to prepare and rehearse for the event. 

The Coproduction Forum will take place both on-site, 2-3 June and online, 5-6 June, as a part of Leiden Shorts. Each project will have a chance to screen extracts of their rough cut and to present the film and its specific needs. 

The pitching will be followed by one-to-one meetings.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

➤ 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.

➤ European Short Pitch is open to everyone and we strive to welcome a diversity of projects at each edition. We encourage all underrepresented voices to apply in order to foster and promote plurality in the sector, against discrimination.

➤ 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.

➤ European Short Pitch accepts live action, animation, documentary or hybrid short film projects, inferior to 59’.

PARTICIPATION FEE

The participation fee for one person per project is 350 Euro. The fee covers tuition, as well as accommodation and subsistence for the Coproduction Forum. 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                               

First, please register by filling THIS SHEET and then 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_Last Name) to info@europeanshortpitch.org:

1. Completed application form containing the general project information; 

   DOWNLOAD the application form

   1.1. Project synopsis (max. 1 page);

   1.2. Author(s)'s intention note(s) (max. 2 pages);

   1.3. 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;

   1.4. Motivations and goals to take part in European Short Pitch (max. 1 page);

   1.5. Producer’s note (if applicable, max. 1 page);

   1.6. CVs of team members (writer, director, producer/production company, if applicable);

   1.7. Additional materials (optional): i.e. estimated budget, financing plan, etc.

2. The Work-in-Progress (live action, animation or documentary are accepted) inferior to 59' minutes with English subtitles delivered as an .mpeg4 or .H264 via WeTransfer. 

   It is important to note that the shooting needs to be finished in order to qualify and the film cannot be finalized by the time the Coproduction Forum takes place.

THE INVITED PROFESSIONALS

The film professionals invited to the Coproduction Forum will be chosen on the grounds of their experience in European short film coproduction and according to the profiles of the selected projects. They will be mostly film producers, the remaining professionals being either distributors/sales agents, festival representatives, financiers (representatives of film funds), or buyers (TV commissioning editors, platforms, etc.).