Breakthroughs Film Festival is excited to host our second annual BFF Emerging Filmmaker Pitch! 4 teams will be selected to pitch their short films in front of a jury of industry experts and a live audience for a chance to win a production award valued at $3,500.
The ideal candidate is an independent, emerging filmmaker who has not yet made their first feature film and is currently in pre-production or production, to be finished by December 2021, that requires additional funds for completion. We welcome all formats and genres!
*Pre-production or production indicates that you have either completed partial filming, locked some of your budget, your crew is ready, you’re looking for finishing funds.
Production Award
The winning team will be awarded the following:
·· A cash prize of $1,000 from Breakthroughs Film Festival to fund the creation of the project
· In-kind post production services valued at $1,500 from Red Square Production in Toronto
· 1 year WIFT-T membership, valued at $200
· $300 WIFT-T cash voucher programming pass
· 4 complimentary festival passes to the 2021 Breakthroughs Film Festival
Additional Benefits
1 director from each of the 4 teams selected to pitch will receive complimentary lifetime distribution membership at the CFMDC.
Eligibility
· The director of the project must identify as a woman, trans, or non-binary person.
· The director must identify as ‘emerging’ i.e. they have not yet completed a feature length film as of March 2019.
· The proposed runtime of the short film must not exceed 20 minutes.
· Selected teams must be available for a mentorship session on March 31st and for the live pitch on DATE TBD, in Toronto.
· Expected film completion date: December 2020.
· Incomplete applications will not be considered.
How to Apply:
Complete this Application form. We only need 1 application per team. Please attach only the director's jpeg & bio in the form as per the instructions. Send us the following as 1 PDF:
MANDATORY
Synopsis (300 words)
Budget Top Sheet (Include your budget and/or financing plans including BFF grant award)
Director’s Statement (100 words)
2-3 Vision Images / Visual Examples / Look Book (reference photos or videos that speak to your filmmaking style/approach)
OPTIONAL
Script (for narrative films) *If you don’t have a final script, a fragment or scene would suffice.
Treatment (for docs, animated films) (500 words)
Brief character breakdown (if applicable)
Production Timeline (a simple overview)
Rough Cut (if applicable)
Director’s Reel / 1 example of previous work that speaks to directorial style
Note: Bio and headshot are requested in advance for marketing purposes and are not part of the application evaluation process. For any questions, please contact info@breakthroughsfilmfestival.com by or before DATE TBD
