Call for short film projects: Baltic Pitching Forum invites guest country Finland

Baltic Short Film Project Pitching Event “Baltic Pitching Forum” announces its new call for short film projects. This year the Forum expands its horizons by inviting Finland as a Guest Country. Three Finnish short film projects will be selected to participate at the 7th edition of the Baltic Pitching Forum alongside Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian filmmakers. Application deadline – 1st of August.

Baltic Pitching Forum helps filmmakers to gain international recognition in the European marketplace while also promoting the Baltic region and its filmmakers. 12 short film projects – three per country – will be selected to participate at the Baltic Pitching Forum 2019. Eligible applicants – Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian and Finnish film directors and/or producers who have finished at least one short film project and are developing a new project which meets these criteria: fiction, animation or hybrid genre, is in the development stage, up to 30 minutes and aimed at an international audience.

The Forum consists of an online script consultation and a three-day training and pitching event which will take place on October 10-12th in Vilnius. The new initiative – script consultation – was started only last year to help filmmakers improve the scripts before the Forum event. All participants will have online consultations with the scriptwriting expert Wim Vanacker (France) at the beginning of September.

During the event, filmmakers will gather to discuss, get feedback and learn how to present and promote their newest short film projects. Participants will be tutored by pitching trainer and artistic adviser Gabriele Brunnenmeyer (Germany). Also, with numerous influential film industry professionals taking part, the event will not only help the participants gain greater knowledge and visibility, but at the same time potentially will lead to the successful development of coproduction.

Selected projects will be evaluated by the international panel of 7 members – professionals from the fields of festivals, TV acquisitions, distribution, production and film commissioning, as well as Lithuanian producers jury. The international panel will select two Best Short Film Projects, one will be awarded with participant rights at the European Short Film Co-production Forum EURO CONNECTION which is a part of the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and another will be awarded with participant rights at European Short Pitch organised by NISI MASA. Lithuanian producers jury will select one more project which will be given Lithuanian Producers MEDIA Award (1000 €).

The event is organized by the Lithuanian Short Film Agency “Lithuanian Shorts” in association with the Riga International Short Film Festival 2ANNAS, Riga International Film Festival, Estonian Short Film Center and Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. 7th Baltic Pitching Forum partners: The Finnish Film Foundation Tampere Film Agency, European Short Pitch, Euro Connection, Creative Europe Desk Lithuania MEDIA office, Meeting Point – Vilnius, Vilnius County Adomas Mickevičius Public Library.

The project is supported by Lithuanian Council for Culture, AVEK – Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture Finland, The Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture, Audiovisual Works Copyright Association AVAKA, Vilnius City Municipality.

Application deadline – 1 August, 2019

Selection results – 2 September, 2019

Submit your application form here.

10-12 October, 2019, Vilnius