From the previous editions (2007-2017), around 240 projects were presented that have resulted so far in the making of 96 short films- many of them having a very successful international career.
Writer-directors developing a project on their own are very welcome to participate in the programme. Yet it is strongly advised to already have nationally a production company interested or attached to the project, especially at the time of the coproduction forum (22rd-25th March 2018).
The author(s) of the script has to be between 18 and 35 years of age on the closing date of the call for projects (30thof September 2017).
His/her nationality or country of residence should be one of the member countries of the Creative Europe Programme (European Union + Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Iceland, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia and Ukraine). European Short Pitch will also select up to 3 projects from non-member countries of the Creative Europe Programme where NISI MASA has a member organisation: Kosovo and Russia.
The scriptwriting workshop in residency will take place from the 8th till the 14th of January 2018 in a European country (to be confirmed) – for past edition took place in Valletta, Malta.Participants will be in groups of four projects, with a tutor heading the process. For fivedays, they will work intensively on their projects, also giving feedback on other participants' projects, alternating collective & group sessions, one-to-one sessions with the tutor, and a lecture on an initiation to pitching. One session with a guest producer will introduce participants to European short film coproduction.
The on-line session (between the workshop – January 2018 and the forum – March 2018) represents an opportunity for participants to rewrite their scripts following the scriptwriting workshop, and to get up to two feedback sessions from their tutors. In parallel, participants will prepare materials for the Book of Projects, and suggest names of professionals they would like European Short Pitch to invite for the coproduction forum.
The aim of this second session is to have a final script ready for the coproduction forum.By the end of February 2018 (date to be confirmed), participants have to submit their final script, so that it can be made available – along with the Book of Projects – to invited professionals ten days prior to the coproduction forum.
The coproductionforum will take place from the 22nd till the 25th of March 2018 in Poznan, Poland as part of the Poznan Industry Days in the context of the Short Waves Festival in partnership with Ad Arte.Participants will have one day to prepare and rehearse their pitching with their tutors. The pitching, in the presence of invited professionals, will take place on the 24th of March, each project having 7 minutes – questions included. One-to-one meetings with professionals will follow.An award ceremony will close the whole event, with three prizes of 1 000 Euros each for the Best Pitches (based on the votes of invited professionals).
The participation fee for each project is 500 Euros. The fee covers the tutorship costs, the travel costs, the accommodation and subsistence for both on-location sessions. One person per project is covered by European Short Pitch. However, upon prior agreement, an extra person per project shall be admitted – he/she will have to cover his/her own travel, accommodation and subsistence costs.
From the 1st till the 27th of October 2017, a preselecting reading committee composed of 30 readers (NISI MASA members, scriptwriters, producers, participants of previous European Short Pitch editions, etc.) will consider all the applications. Each application will be processed by a minimum of three different readers. 40 projects will be preselected for the consideration of the jury.
From the 28thof October till the 22nd of November 2017, the jury will review the 40 projects preselected. The jury is composed of 10 people (scriptwriters, producers, participants of previous European Short Pitch editions, etc.) who will be announced on the website within the next few weeks. The jury will gather on the 23rdand 24thof November 2017 in Berlin, Germany, in parallel with the International Short Film Festival interfilm Berlin, and will decide upon the projects selected for European Short Pitch 2018.
Participants will be informed of their selection / non-selection on the 28th of November 2017, either viathe NISI MASA website (www.nisimasa.com) or by email.
They will be mostly film producers (40 of them), the remaining 15being either distributors/sales agents, financers (representatives of film funds), or buyers (TV commissioning editors). The list of professionals invited for the previous editions are available on www.nisimasa.com (cf. 'Book of Producers').
European Short Pitch is organised by NISI MASA – European Network of Young Cinema. Present in 31 countries, NISI MASA has been organising dozens of international film projects since 2001.
The 2018 edition of European Short Pitch will be managed by Wim Vanacker, Head of the Script Department, Jérôme Nunes, Manager of the Coproduction forum and Marija Fridinovaite, Project Coordinator.