Sheffield Docfest Calls All Doc Makers to meet their match in The MeetMarket
The
Sheffield International Documentary Festival (Docfest), has introduced
a new initiative designed to match documentary makers'
ideas with national and international executives at this year's
festival from 30 October - 5 November 2006. Get your applications in - the deadline for the scheme is September 11.
The MeetMarket will be presented and coordinated by Documentary Filmmakers Group (DFG) and will provide an opportunity for original ideas to be pitched to buyers in a supportive, structured setting. Selected documentary ideas will be presented in one-minute pitch trailers made available online to local and international buyers prior to the Docfest. After viewing the trailers, buyers will then meet with chosen filmmakers during the festival.
Docfest director, Heather Croall said: 'The Docfest is delighted to present this new marketplace initiative, aimed at the innovative spectrum of the documentary community. The Docfest offers the ideal forum for documentary makers to meet buyers and to further their projects. This year we are focusing on maximizing opportunities for people to network and do business deals. We already have very good established pitching competitions, and The MeetMarket will add to the many formal and informal settings we provide for people to pitch their projects. We have a record number of international buyers attending Sheffield this year - so The MeetMarket will be a great way to meet buyers from all over the world.'
The MeetMarket is open to all documentary makers and projects - from feature documentaries and television series to specialized genres like natural history, science, arts and new media. The MeetMarket projects need to be concise, succinct and have international appeal - engaging the executives' interest within 60 seconds. Projects will be chosen by an international committee and selected producers will be offered scheduled meetings with domestic and international executives, appropriate to their financing needs. Dozens of UK and international commissioners and executives will attend Docfest 2006 - it is the only UK documentary event to present a truly representative and significant number of documentary buyers from around the world. Guidelines and application forms for The MeetMarket are available from www.sheffdocfest.com
Applications close Wednesday 11 September 2006
Editor's
notes: The original MeetMarket concept was developed by Heather Croall
and presented with finance from the Australian Film Commission at the
AIDC. Media enquiries please contact Helen Dugdale, Scribble.