GALWAY FILM FLEADH | PITCHING COMPETITION
Accepting Entries Now | Deadline: 9th June 2016
All that is required is a 500 word written pitch (from beginning to end – no cliffhangers!) of your idea. Any genre of feature drama, documentary or animation will be considered. Up to 10 finalists will be selected to pitch their idea in 90 seconds in front of an audience and a panel of industry experts on Sun 10th July. The winning entry will receive €3,000 cash prize and be announced at the Awards Ceremony in the Town Hall Theatre that evening.
In addition to the prize money the real benefits of entering the competition are multifaceted. Simply by getting your idea down on paper in 500 words inspires many budding writers (many of whom have no experience of the film industry) and who have long harboured an ambition to commit their idea to paper. In addition it affords writers the chance to develop the all important art of pitching. For those selected it is a golden opportunity to communicate their story; to bolster their confidence and to provide the first opportunity to win the crowd. As for the winner the prize can allow them the time to develop and expand their pitch into a full length feature script.
Since its inception in 2005, The Galway Film Fleadh Pitching Competition has emphasised good writing as the backbone of the audiovisual sector and provided many writers with an opportunity to get their foot in the door of the industry. As perhaps the best example, the 2010 Galway Film Fleadh opened with ‘My Brothers’ which began life three years earlier as the winner of the 2007 Pitching Competition from writer Will Collins who has since written the Oscar nominated ‘Song of the Sea’.
As hosts of Ireland’s long running film pitching competition, the Galway Film Fleadh aims to encourage budding screenwriters and filmmakers 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 impact 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 financier of its merits.
“Since winning the Pitching Award, I have had two of my feature-length screenplays optioned by production companies in Ireland (including the script that I pitched)” – Luke Morgan, 2015 Pitching Competition Winner.
The closing date for entries is Thursday 9th June 2016. Entry forms and guidelines are available HERE
For further information please contact:
Annette Maye
Tel. 091 562 200