The Galway Film Fleadh, one of Ireland’s leading film festivals, is delighted to announce a call for entries for the new-look Pitching Competition. As Ireland’s only film-pitching competition, the aim is to encourage budding writers with ideas (at any stage of development) to get their vision out there and to develop the crucial craft of ‘the pitch’.
In the film industry, ‘the pitch’ is how you impart your passion for your project to others. It doesn’t matter how good your idea is as a writer unless you can convince a director, producer, or financiers of its merits. Since its inception in 2005, the Galway Film Fleadh Pitching Award has both challenged writers and provided a platform for them to share their ideas with their peers.
In 2010, the Fleadh was proud to open with Paul Fraser's ‘My Brothers’, which began life three years earlier as a pitch by writer Will Collins. Success at the Pitching competition acted as a springboard for Collins' project and the film went on to secure funding from the Irish Film Board. ‘My Brothers’ subsequently went on to feature at festivals around the world, including Tribeca. Will is currently co-writing animated feature ‘Song of the Sea’, the follow-up to the Oscar-nominated ‘The Secret of Kells’ with director Tomm Moore.
This year there are some changes to the format. All that is required is a 500 word written pitch (from beginning to end – no cliffhangers) of your idea. Any genre, be it feature drama, documentary or animation, will be considered. An increased number of finalists will now be selected to pitch their idea as an ‘Elevator Pitch’ of 90 seconds (as opposed to the previous 5 minutes) in front of an audience and a panel of industry experts on on the closing day of the 26th Galway Film Fleadh, Sunday 13th July.
This allows more writers the chance to pitch their ideas while challenging them to perfect the art of ‘The Elevator Pitch’. The winner will be announced at the Awards Ceremony that evening and will receive a cash prize of €3000.
Closing date is Friday 6th June. Entry forms and guidelines are available here.
The 2014 Galway Film Fleadh takes place 8th to 13th July. See www.galwayfilmfleadh.com for more information on the festival.
