Are you a filmmaker …
waiting for your big chance? You have material you believe in? A story that moves you, an idea that should finally be released into the world, but you lack the decisive contacts to put the project into action?
The Hof International Film Festival has always been a platform for new discoveries. Jim Jarmusch presented his short film STRANGER THAN PARADISE and directly found the investors for his feature film debut of the same name. In addition to Wim Wenders and Werner Herzog, international filmmakers such as Peter Jackson, Brian de Palma, Susanne Bier, Caroline Link and Maren Ade presented their first films at the Hof International Film Festival and then took off.
This year …
the pitching session 7 MINUTES even goes one step further. It was successfully launched last year as part of HoF PLUS and offers up-and-coming filmmakers the chance to network in the industry and also find additional strong partners for the realization of their material.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic there will be an online speed-pitching session for the 54th edition of the Hof International Film Festival, which will take place from 20 – 25 October 2020. Via video chat five talented people will have the opportunity to present their material to selected decision-makers in the industry. That means the mentors and the participants will connect online at the date of the event wherever they are in Germany or worldwide.
If your idea is selected, you will meet five industry representatives just like at a speed dating event to convince them of your vision. Within this speed-pitching you’ll have five personal conversations, each SEVEN minutes long, to pitch your own project and further SEVEN minutes to get feedback!
Mentors
The following industry representatives will be present at the pitching session:
Dr. Claudia Gladziejewski
Editorial Office Cinema and Debut
Bavarian Broadcasting
Thorsten Ritter
EVP Acquisitions, Sales & Marketing
Beta Cinema GmbH
Tobias Rosen
Producer
Warner Bros. International Television Production Deutschland GmbH
Anne Tide
Director Local Productions
The Walt Disney Company (Germany) GmbH
Kirstin Wille
Producer
DCM Pictures GmbH
In the best case, …
you and your idea are so convincing that you not only receive feedback, but also find an accomplice who develops this idea further with you and then helps to get things going. The final industry representatives will be announced online here.
All participants will be selected by a jury headed by Thorsten Schaumann, artistic director of the Hof International Film Festival. Of the five Speed Pitching places, four will be officially announced. One place is intended as a wild card, for which the filmmakers of this year’s Hof International Film Festival can apply exclusively.
The session will take place on Thursday, 22 October 2020 from 10:00-12:30 h within the framework of the HoF PLUS program of the Hof International Film Festival. The pitching languages are German or English.
Who can apply?
Producers, screenwriters and directors with projects in the German or English language.
Application Prerequisites
- The submitting applicant must be at least 18 years of age.
- Pitches must be for a feature film or series of at least 90 minutes duration.
- The submitting applicant must provide proof that at least one of the applicant’s films (short or feature) has been presented at an international film festival.
- The submitting applicant may only have had one feature film broadcasted/presented in television or at an international festival.
- The applicant may submit only one project, either alone or in a team consisting of maximum two persons.
- Original material or adaptations may be pitched.
- By submitting the application, the applicant guarantees that he or she is the owner of all rights necessary for the filming.
- The applicant must confirm that he or she can take part at the video chat at the time of the event.
Submission Documents:
- Completed » application form (editable PDF)
- Exposé or project presentation that illustrates the characters, story line and premise of the material. Submitted projects with an exposé of more than 2 DIN A4 pages or more than 3,500 characters cannot be considered.
Applications must be submitted by Sunday, 11 October 2020 to » 7minuten@hofer-filmtage.com.
