The Pitch gives filmmakers the opportunity to pitch their next short film idea to an expert jury panel for the chance to win €5000 towards the film’s production and broadcast on ShortsTV around the world.

ShortsTV has been hosting The Pitch in Cannes and at other film festivals around the world for more than five years. In that time, we have seen hundreds of filmmakers compete for the grand prize, including Oscar nominated Dutch animators Job, Joris and Marieke and award winning Icelandic filmmaker, Eva Sigurdardottir.

This year we are introducing a twist to the competition. To be eligible to enter you must not only have a great short film idea but also be able to submit a fully formed script and budget for the film. The winner of the competition will then have four months to complete their movie with the help of ShortsTV’s production team before screening the finished film at a special event in London (details still to be decided).

The winner of The Pitch will receive 5000 Euros production funding to go towards the making of their short film. They will also receive support from ShortsTV's production team. The finished film will be screened at a special event in London (details still to be decided), as well as on ShortsTV around the world. ShortsTV is available in 33 million households across the US, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Serbia with launches in India and Latin America due in 2018.

If you have a great short film idea AND script and think you have what it takes to win The Pitch, here are all the details you need to know!

PLEASE NOTE: YOU MUST READ AND ADHERE TO ALL THE RULES AND REQUIREMENTS BELOW TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS COMPETITION. INCOMPLETE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

THE CHALLENGE

The Pitch will consist of three rounds, culminating in a live final in front of an expert jury panel and studio audience at the Cannes Film Festival.

Round 1: Online entries (1 March – 15 April 2018)
- All submitted email entries will be reviewed by the ShortsTV team.
- The 20 best entries will be invited to pitch their idea to camera at the Short Film Corner in Cannes on Tuesday 15 May 2018.
- Selected contestants will be notified by 30 April 2018.

Round 2: Pitch to camera, Cannes Short Film Corner (15 May 2018)
- At the Short Film Corner in Cannes, each of the selected contestants will have 1 minute to pitch their short film idea to camera.
- Each pitch video, along with the contestant’s script, budget and show reel of past work, will then be reviewed by representatives from ShortsTV, who will select 5 contestants to progress to the live final.

Round 3: Live Final, Cannes Film Festival UK Pavilion (17 May 2018)
- At the UK Pavilion in Cannes the 5 finalists will each have 1 minute to pitch their short film idea to our expert jury panel and studio audience.
- After each pitch, the finalist’s show reel of past work will be shown to the jury and audience on a big screen.
- This will be followed by a Q&A session with the jury.
- After all pitches are complete, the jury will decide who will win the prize of €5000!

HOW TO ENTER:

For your entry to be considered you must submit ALL of the following:

1. Your details: (please include all participating contestants)
- Full name
- Contact email address and phone number

2. Film details:
- Film name
- A description of your short film idea (max 100 words)
- Film script (less than 15 pages long)
- Film budget (attached under files & attachments)

3. Evidence of past work
- Biography/CV
- A 30-60 second show reel of past work (see technical spec for delivery below) - NOTE: you can send an online link (e.g. Vimeo) to your show reel within your application. Just make sure it can be downloaded by us.

Please name the file: FirstName_FamilyName_ReelName

Video
- Frame Size: 1920 x 1080
- Frame Rate: 25 fps
- Codec: H.264

Audio
- Codec: AAC
- Sample Rate: 44.100 kHz
- Channels: 2

Successful applicants will be notified by 30 April 2018 and given further instructions for the competition.

NOTE: Incomplete applications or those that don’t follow the rules below will not be considered.

THE RULES:

- You must be a registered participant of the Cannes Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival to be eligible to enter.
- All selected contestants must be able to attend The Pitch in Cannes on the required dates (15-17 May 2018) and be available for on camera interviews with the ShortsTV team while there.
- You must have already made at least one short film and be able to demonstrate your past work via a show reel that must be between 30-60 seconds in length.
- All recorded pitches, interviews, and contestant show reels will be eligible for broadcast on ShortsTV around the world.
- All entries must be in English.
- You must be able to pitch your idea in English in no more than 1 minute.
- Inclusion of props, actors or visuals during your pitch must be approved by ShortsTV.
- You must hold the copyright to your pitch idea to protect the ownership of your idea.
- If you win The Pitch, the prize money is provided on the condition that ShortsTV is given non-exclusive rights to broadcast the winning film on TV when it is finished. A production funding agreement will be given to you and allowance for festival runs will be accepted.
- If your film has a budget in excess of €10,000, no other funding partner can prevent ShortsTV from obtaining the rights to broadcast your film on TV.
- Your short film must not exceed 20 minutes in length and your script must not exceed 15 pages.
- The winning film must be finished and delivered before 1 October 2018 or the €5,000 funding will be withdrawn.

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