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Last Call For Submissions To The Good Pitch @ Silverdocs 2010

Written by: FFT Webmaster | March 29th, 2010

AFI-DISCOVERY CHANNEL SILVERDOCS DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LAST CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS TO THE GOOD PITCH @ SILVERDOCS FOR THE 2010 FESTIVAL

Silver Spring, Maryland, March 29, 2010-AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival today announced the final call for submissions for projects interested in participating in The Good Pitch @ Silverdocs. The Good Pitch is a one-day forum set to take place during the Festival (June 22-27, 2010), bringing together specially selected foundations, NGOs, social entrepreneurs and broadcasters to maximize the impact of social-issue documentary. Eight filmmaking teams pitch their projects and associated outreach campaigns with the aim of creating a unique coalition around each film to accelerate its impact and influence. The Good Pitch @ Silverdocs will be held on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 and is now accepting applications through Tuesday, April 6, 2010 at: britdoc.org/goodpitch.

AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival will be the second stop on The Good Pitch’s 2010 North America Tour after the Tribeca Film Festival on April 27, 2010. The Good Pitch made its North American debut in 2009, and AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs was one of three destinations to host the forum.

“The Good Pitch @ Silverdocs in 2009 resulted in numerous tangible creative and business connections, and was among the many highlights of the AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs International Documentary Conference which runs concurrently with the festival,” said Sky Sitney, AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Artistic Director.  “As the largest gathering of documentary filmmakers in the United States, we’re excited to host this accomplished pitching forum for a second year.”

In 2009, Art Stevens of the Calvert Foundation made a dramatic on-the-spot pledge of $10,000 towards production funding for GREEN SHALL OVERCOME and the team received a further $25,000 grant from the National Black Programming Consortium after their presentation. Another film, BUDRUS, secured Sundance completion funds before enjoying a World Premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival.

“We are pleased to bring the Good Pitch back to AFI-Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS, particularly given that the DC area is home to so many of the organizations that participate in Good Pitch,” said Jess Search, Chief Executive of the Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation.  “We are looking for documentary film projects which tackle important global and national issues and enhance our understanding of the world.”

The Good Pitch @ Silverdocs is aimed at directors and producers of any nationality with an ambition to work in partnership to harness the power of documentary to create positive change. In keeping with the mission of the AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival, the Good Pitch supports the diversity and free expression of independent storytellers and is interested in reaching out to filmmakers from traditionally under-represented communities. Given the proximity of the festival to Capitol Hill, the Good Pitch is particularly interested in projects that speak to the many government agencies and lobby groups situated in the area. 

The Good Pitch is a project of The Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation in partnership with the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program. It is made possible by The Fledgling Fund, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Tides Foundation and anonymous donors, with campaign development for filmmakers provided by Working Films.

“Good Pitch in North America has attracted hundreds of documentary project applications from established and emerging filmmakers over the five events held so far. It is becoming a must-attend event for a range of stakeholders across the documentary and social issue fields,” said Cara Mertes, Director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program.

For more information on The Good Pitch, contact Good Pitch producer Elise McCave at the Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation: elise@britdoc.org or 011 44 7980 986 862.

For more information on AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs, contact Jody Arlington, Jarlington@AFI.com or 202.316.4316.

About AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs. AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival is a six-day internationally recognized event that honors excellence in filmmaking, supports the diverse voices and free expression of independent storytellers and celebrates the power of documentary to improve our understanding of the world. Now in its eighth year, the 2010 festival runs June 22-27 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in the Washington, DC area. The 2009 Festival featured 122 films from more than 60 countries and attracted over 27,000 attendees, including the influential audiences of the nation’s capital and media professionals from around the world. The concurrent five-day AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs International Documentary Conference presents thought-provoking presentations and engages a diverse group of over 1,000 filmmakers and industry leaders concerned with the future of non-fiction storytelling, production and distribution. For more information, go to Silverdocs.com.

About the American Film Institute. AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media.   AFI trains the next generation of storytellers at its world-renowned AFI Conservatory, preserves the legacy of America’s film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and AFI Archives, and honors artists and their work through a variety of programs and special events. For 37 years, the AFI Life Achievement Award has remained the highest honor for a career in film. AFI also honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year at AFI Awards, the institute’s almanac for the 21st century, while AFI’s 100 Years… series has introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers.  And as the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the United States, AFI’s festivals include AFI FEST presented by Audi in Los Angeles and AFI/Discovery Channel Silverdocs documentary festival in Silver Spring, Maryland. AFI exhibition also offers year-round programming at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in the Washington DC, area. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com

About Discovery Communications. Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world’s number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in 180 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Investigation Discovery, Planet Green, and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit discoverycommunications.com.

Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation is a UK-based not-for-profit organisation backed by Channel 4 TV.  It is dedicated to reinventing funding and distribution models for British documentary filmmakers. As well as funding ground breaking social-issue films (such as double Sundance winner Afghan Star, Berlin winner The Yes Men Fix the World, Sundance 09 feature doc The End of the Line and Tribeca winner We Are Together), the Foundation brokers relationships between filmmakers and the NGO and brand sectors in the UK to create better, more effective films. The Good Pitch is a key part of the Foundation’s important work in this area. britdoc.org

 Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program (DFP) supports contemporary nonfiction filmmakers globally with year-round activities, including the Sundance Documentary Fund, Creative Labs focusing on the art of documentary, the DocSource website (www.sundance.org/docsource) and the Stories of Change partnership with the Skoll Foundation. The DFP has supported over 400 films since 1996, including Nerakoon: Betrayal, Trouble the Water, Iraq in Fragments, My Country, My Country, Why We Fight, and Long Night’s Journey Into Day. The DFP is a core program of the Los Angeles-based non-profit Sundance Institute. Founded by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences. sundance.org/docsource

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