Good Pitch is an invitation-only event starting with an intensive two-day campaign development workshop, followed by the day-long live event. This process covers a four-day period.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN 2012?
We have three flagship events planned for 2012, taking place in New York, San Francisco and Europe.
Good Pitch New York: May 24th 2012
Good Pitch Europe: June 25th 2012
Good Pitch San Francisco: October 23rd 2012
GOOD PITCH NEW YORK: TIMETABLE OF THE DAY
Good Pitch New York is invitation-only. It takes place at Ford Foundation in New York.
With US-based projects and directors boasting a strong presence in this lineup, the selected films focus on issues of ageing and long-term degenerative illness, immigration and human rights, healthcare equality and reform, the fight for democracy and free, fair elections in Africa, and the domestic war on drugs, we hear stories from across North America as well as from Israel and Nigeria.
10:00 Welcome & Introduction
10:30 The House I Live In
11:00 The Genius of Marian
11:30 The New Black
12:00 The Supreme Price
12:30 - 14:00 Lunch Break - Taken in East River Room
14:15 Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare
14:45 The State of Arizona
15:15 Dancing in Jaffa
15:45 Closing remarks
16:00 - 18:00 Drinks & Canapes - Taken in the Atrium
GOOD PITCH NEW YORK: Project Selection
Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare
Dir. Matthew Heineman & Susan Froemke
Escape Fire exposes the perverse nature of American healthcare, contrasting the powerful forces opposing change with the compelling stories of pioneering leaders and the patients they seek to help. The film is about finding a way out. It's about saving the health of a nation.
The House I Live In
Dir. Eugene Jarecki
Filmed in more than twenty states, The House I Live In tells the stories of individuals at all levels of America’s War on Drugs. From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, the film offers a penetrating look inside America’s criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.
The Supreme Price
Dir. Joanna Lipper
The Supreme Price tells the story of Hafsat Abiola. Following the annulment of her father’s victory in Nigeria’s Presidential Election and her mother’s assassination by the military dictatorship, Hafsat faces the challenge of transforming a corrupt culture of governance into a legitimate democracy capable of serving Nigeria’s most marginalized population: women.
Dancing in Jaffa
Dir. Hilla Medalia
Internationally renowned ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine takes his program, 'Dancing Classrooms', back to his city of birth, Jaffa. Over ten-weeks, Pierre teaches 10-year-old Palestinian and Israeli children to dance together and compete together. The film explores the complex stories of four children, who are forced to confront issues of identity, segregation and racial prejudice, as they dance with their enemy.
The New Black
Dir. Yoruba Richen
The New Black is a documentary that uncovers the complicated and often combative histories of the African-American and LGBT civil rights movements.
The State of Arizona
Dirs. Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini
The volatile themes of immigration and race sear through this riveting story as it follows the trajectory of the most controversial immigration law the US has seen in generations. Told through a mosaic of voices from all sides of the issue, the cautionary tale reveals the battle over the soul of America as states across the USA consider similar laws.
The Genius of Marian
Dir. Banker White
The Genius of Marian follows Pam White in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Her son, the filmmaker, documents her struggles to hang on to a sense of self by remembering her mother the renowned painter Marian Williams Steel. The film is an intimate look at a much- feared illness and a loving portrait of the meaning of family.
GOOD PITCH EUROPE: PROJECT SELECTION
The lineup for Good Pitch Europe 2012, which returns to the Royal Institution of Great Britain in London on Monday 25th June, is announced.
The international line up of filmmakers includes multi-award and Palme d’Or winner Ken Loach (Spirit of ’45), the Egyptian-American director of Control Room and Startup.com, Jehane Noujaim (The Square), Fredrik Gertten with his sequel to Bananas!*, Big Boys Gone Bananas, and Brazilian filmmaker and TED fellow Julia Bacha (My Neighbourhood). Also on the lineup are French director Florence Martin-Kessler & Anne Poiret (State Builders), Pekka Lehto with his project Kaputt and the UK/American directors of Call me Kuchu, Malika Zouhali-Worrall & Katherine Fairfax Wright.
The selected projects are:
Big Boys Gone Bananas
Dir. Fredrik Gertten
This is the story about a small film production company against fruit giant Dole when the film BANANAS!* was to be stopped at any cost. A dreadful eye-opener about what a big corporation is prepared to do in order to protect its reputation and freedom of speech in a time when journalism is weakened to the growing power of PR companies.
Call Me Kuchu
Dir. Malika Zouhali-Worrall & Katherine Fairfax Wright
In Uganda, a bill threatens to make homosexuality punishable by death. David Kato - Uganda's first openly gay man - and his fellow activists work against the clock to defeat the legislation while combating daily persecution. But no one is prepared for the brutal murder that shakes their movement to its core and sends shock waves around the world.
Kaputt
Dir. Pekka Lehto
Debts, bailouts, cutbacks, strikes, and riots: what next for people in Europe? Kaputt is about the human side of the debt crisis: the cost of capital to humanity: of morals vs. materialism. As EC Commissioner Olli Rehn works to protect a united Europe, this film explores how we might transform our value system into something more constructive and economically viable.
My Neighbourhood
Dir. Julia Bacha & Rebekah Wingert-Jabi
My Neighbourhood follows Palestinian teenager Mohammed El Kurd as half of his home in East Jerusalem is taken over by Israeli settlers. When Israeli activists arrive to join local residents in protests against the eviction, Mohammed comes of age in the face of unrelenting tension with his neighbours and unexpected cooperation with Israeli allies in his backyard.
Spirit of ‘45
Dir. Ken Loach
1945 was a pivotal year in British history, when great changes in the post-war social and political landscape helped redefine how Britain was run. Spirit of ‘45 is about the spirit of a new kind of socialism that shaped that era and reflects upon where those ideals are now.
State Builders
Dir. Florence Martin-Kessler & Anne Poiret
In July 2011, the Republic of South Sudan became the world’s newest nation. After a 50-year civil war, the stakes and hopes are high. But how does one build a country from scratch? The film follows a determined United Nations official and the country’s newly appointed Vice-President as they attempt to put theory into practice to shape the young democracy.
The Square
Dir. Jehane Noujaim
This film tells the story of the ongoing struggle in Egypt. From its start in Tahrir to the fall of Mubarak, we follow the characters as victory turns to the uncertainty of military rule and where everything they fought for is under threat. The world thought the Revolution had already been won but for our characters it had only just begun.
YOU’RE A FILMMAKER?
If you’re a filmmaker and you’d like to present your documentary project at one of the three flagship Good Pitches, carry on reading for guidance on what we are looking for, what we offer and what we expect in return.
THEM’S THE RULES
- We’re looking for documentary film projects which tackle important global and national issues and enhance our understanding of the world.
- We look for projects at any stage from early production to completion; rough cut stage is ideal. The call is open to projects looking for completion funding, outreach funding, campaigning networks or a combination of these.
- Your finished film must be 60+ minutes in length.
- You must submit a trailer or key sequence or trailer by 4pm UK time on the closing date of each call to be eligible for Good Pitch 2012. You can upload your material after you’ve submitted your written application, as long as it is before the closing date & time.
- You must also record and upload a 2-minute video of yourself, telling us why you want to make this film and what want it to achieve. The video can be very rough and ready - recorded on a flipcam, iphone, on your computer, whatever. It’s not production values we are after, we just want to see you and hear what you’ve got to say. Easy!
- You can only apply for Good Pitch if you have outreach or audience engagement plans for your film. Your outreach campaign can take any form, with any ultimate goal.
- In order to finalise our selection, we enlist some external reviewers who have experience in the field of using films for social impact. You will need to confirm you are happy for your project to be viewed by external parties.
WHICH PITCH?
We have redesigned our application so that you can apply for multiple events with just one form. Neat!
You should decide which city is appropriate for your project. Where are your potential partners based and where do you hope to undertake your outreach? Travel and accommodation is the responsibility of filmmakers, so you should also consider where you can afford to get yourself to.
Please only apply for a city which is a realistic fit for your project and budget.
AND IF YOU’RE SELECTED…?
If you are selected, then we will work for you and your film for a 3 month period, completely gratis. In this time we will collaborate with you to identify the best partners, funders and advocates for your project from across society. Once identified, we will work like trojans to get them to the live event.
In return we need both members of your pitch team to attend the two-day campaign development workshop and Pitch day - this takes place over a four-day period and is at your own expense.
If your project is selected to pitch and you are still in production, we ask you acknowledge our work by including ‘with thanks to the Good Pitch’ in the closing credits of the completed film.
