Pitch 2024
Wayfinding, a new and reimagined navigation approach to Doc Edge Pitch.
Wayfinding – our new and reimagined version of our pitching event.
Our event theme takes inspiration from the traditional concept of wayfinding which refers to the myriad of ways people (and animals) orient themselves to their surroundings, then find ways to navigate from place to place. It often involves using constellations in the night sky, which ties in nicely with Matariki – the Māori New Year. Matariki is the name for the constellation known in English as the Pleiades, which during late June or early July rises at the same time as the sun, signifying the new year dawning.
We are looking to support our Pitch participants in their quest to navigate through to the place or places they want to be. Instead of forcing our filmmakers to compete, we will be surrounding them with Wayfinders – industry professionals from various backgrounds – who will be able to support them to identify and then take the all-important next-step. Whether our Wayfinders can facilitate an introduction, offer development tips, or even point the way towards funding. We envision providing real and valuable support for each of our participants.
Doc Edge Pitch – Wayfinding will be held on 26-27 June 2024 at Christchurch Town Hall, during the first two days of the four-day Doc Edge Industry events.
We acknowledge that times are uncertain for many in our industry so we are thrilled to offer Doc Edge Industry accreditations at half-price to all participants, for this year only, e.g., a Four Day Pass is $149.50 (usually $299) and a Two Day Pass is $99.50 (usually $199).
As usual, early bird, industry and student concessions will be available.
Programme and registration details will be announced shortly.
Selected projects will join our whanau (family) and go through a series of workshops on pitching presentation and coaching from mentors as well as post-pitch follow-ups.
Key Dates / Fees (all NZ, UTC+13)
31 December 2023 Early bird deadline / NZ$ 125.00
15 February 2024 Regular deadline / NZ$ 175.00
28 February 2024 Extended deadline / NZ$ 200.00
27 March 2024 Notification Date
April – May 2024 Preparation Workshops
June 2024 Finals Pitch Event in Christchurch (date tbc)
At Doc Edge, we are kaitiaki (guardians) of documentary filmmaking in the Asia-Pacific. So, what are you waiting for? Let your stories help us change the world.
Doc Edge Pitch is a documentary pitching forum for shorts, features and TV series. It is NZ’s only event dedicated to pitching documentary and factual projects before a panel of local and international decision-makers.
Finalists receive support through workshops on pitching presentations, and individually, coaching from mentors who will provide project-specific feedback and advice leading up to the final pitch date.
Winners
It brings us great joy to announce the first awards of this year’s pitch.
- CNEX’s CCDF14 Participation
- Memory & Longing by Kim Webby
- DOK Leipzig’s Accelerator Award
- The Sound of Wind by Zhiying Deng and Nanhsi Yuen
- Killing Brigitte Nielsen by Kylie Cushman
2023 Finalists
NEW ZEALAND PROJECTS
We are looking for New Zealand and international projects in the following formats:
- Feature theatrical or TV one-off
- Series (web or TV)
- Immersive (VR, AR, and XR) with an accompanying short or long form documentary
Selected projects will join our whanau (family) and go through a series of workshops on pitching presentation and coaching from mentors as well as post-pitch follow-ups.
INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
- Fair-Home Fairy-Tales | Sourav Sarangi, Director/Producer/Writer/Editor | Humaira Bilkis, Co-Producer [India]
- Love Crimes | Elise Coker, Director | Michael Saul Garber, Producer [Taiwan]
- In Search of the Morning Star | Pinky Choudhury, Director [India]
- The Sound of Wind | Nanhsi Yuan, Director | Zhiying Deng, Producer [China]
- Matriarch: In A Woman’s World | Izzy Chan, Director/Producer |Noémie Hakim-Serfaty, Co-director/Editor [USA]
- Untying the Knot | Chona Mangalindan, Director/Producer [Philippines]
- Until the Buzzing Stops | Abd al Kader Habak, Director | Janay Boulos, Producer [UK]
- Re-Inkarnation | Bobo Khuraijam, Director/Producer [India]
- Wind and View | Sheng Hung Hsieh, Director | Yin-Yu Huang, Producer [Taiwan]
- Harvest Moon | Rama Ayasra, Director | Asmahan Bkerat, Producer [Jordan]
- Trona | Emanuele Mengotti, Director | Kristian Van der Heyden, Producer [USA]