Call for Projects: The Experimenta Pitch 2015

The Experimenta Pitch is a new initiative to support visual artists to develop ambitious moving image projects presented as part of the BFI London Film Festival. It is a two day programme introducing artists to the methodologies of film production development, specifically the structures of film co-production/ financing markets and development labs and how to effectively pitch film projects to potential partners and financiers in these contexts.
The Experimenta Pitch will begin with a training day introducing participants to film development through co-production and financing markets, exploring and discussing a range of topics including; how co-production markets work, what markets are looking for when they select projects, how to effectively navigate these events, how to best prepare yourself and your project, what potential funders and partners are looking for in projects and what are the potential differences between artists’ and more traditional film projects. Participants will learn about how to prepare and effectively make a pitch for a film project. During the day they will have an opportunity to make a short pitch for their project and discuss and get feedback from the course convenors and other participants. On the second day the participants will have the opportunity to pitch their project in front of a small invited audience and get feedback from a expert panel who will then award a new Experimenta Development Award of £5000 to the most promising project.
The Experimenta Pitch will be limited to 10 projects (each project can have up to two representatives attending the programme, for example artist and producer, collaborating artists, or artist and curator)
To apply send one pdf document including your name and address, a short treatment, an artist statement and an outline budget for the film project you wish to pitch along with a short biography of the lead artist and other project collaborators, the document should not be more that 5 pages in total). We are looking for a range of interesting projects and approaches, applications will be selected on the basis of the quality of the proposal, the experience of the applicant (we expect applicants to have an established practice working with the moving image for a minimum of five years), and the potential of the project for success within film co-production markets.  As this is also a training programme we expect that submitted projects will be in an early stage of development and at applicants may not have had experience of this context before.

To apply you must fulfill the following criteria:
Be a visual artist currently based in the UK
No longer in full-time education
At least 5 years experience of making and exhibiting moving image work in the visual arts context
You must be available to participate for 2 days on the 12th and 13th October at BFI Southbank in London
Your project must not have been presented before at any other pitch or co-production event.

Applications should be emailed to [email protected] (you will receive an acknowledgement that it has been received). Deadline for Applications is 7th September 2015, shortlisted projects will be informed by 21st September (if you have not heard from us by this point you should assume you have not been selected, due to limited resources we are unable to give individual feedback on unsuccessful applications)
The events will be led by Jacobine van der Vloed and Tobias Pausinger, co-founders of Art:Film, an international initiative to support the development of moving image projects between the film and art worlds.
The Experimenta Pitch 2015 is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England
If you have questions about the Experimenta Pitch please email [email protected]