The Pitch Film Fund
The Pitch offers funding for two short films, falling broadly under the categories of Comedy and Drama, through an annual pitching process.
It invites filmmakers in the UK to upload a two-minute pitch to the website, using the Bible as their primary source of inspiration.
The Pitch can take the form of a direct piece of storytelling to camera or a two-minute version of the proposed short film. It is an adaptation exercise, with the judges looking for a contemporary version that is true to the emotional heart of the original story.
Following a development process including masterclasses and internal shortlisting, ten finalists – five from the Drama category and five from Comedy – win the experience of pitching live to a panel of industry professionals over a weekend in January.
As part of their development they also enjoy a residential course in the Lake District to hone their story and pitch. Westhill’s financial contribution helps The Pitch take their expertise to emerging filmmakers year-round, by supporting the development and delivery of mentorship schemes and leadership courses for a diverse range of filmmakers.
Previous judges have included director of National Film and Television School Jon Wardle; CEO of IMDB Col Needham; actors Rebecca Callard, Toyah Willcox, David Suchet, David Oyelowo, Ray Panthaki and David Gyasi; actress and writer Gbemisola Ikumelo; directors Debs Paterson, Destiny Ekaragha, Nick Park, Francis Annan and Stuart Hazeldine; critic Linda Marric; script editors/creative consultants Laurie Hutzler, Lucy Scher, Justine Hart and Karol Griffiths; and producers Alison Sterling, Jasmin Morrison, Martin Gentles and Anna Cox.
This year will see a £65,000 budget split to spend between the two most outstanding short film ideas. The resulting short films will be entered into film festivals both nationally and internationally.
Now, 15 years on from their establishment, The Pitch’s winning short films have been screened in China, Singapore, USA, Canada and Europe, with many festival awards, including a BAFTA Cymru nomination among the accolades. White Gold, their 2019 winner, was awarded Best Short Narrative at the Pan African Film Festival, and was longlisted for the 2021 Oscars. Hollow, their 2020 winner, was awarded Best Cinematography at Rhode Island International Film Festival.
The Pitch has been excited to see some of their alumni, such as Rob McClellan (Rahab), Harry Lighton (Leash) and Vanessa Perdriau (The Widow’s Last), going on to further success: Rob working with Hammerhead VR, Harry with a feature and TV series with the BBC, Vanessa with a feature in development with a US producer. Aurora Fearnley’s short (Pulsar), starring David Gyasi and Jessie Buckley, has now been watched over two million times on the YouTube DUST channel. There has also been a BAFTA Cymru nomination for Andy Toovey’s Only Child.
The support of Westhill Endowment is essential in ensuring that more young filmmakers are able to develop their skills, and gives them the opportunity to discover the Bible as a source of creative inspiration.
It invites filmmakers in the UK to upload a two-minute pitch to the website, using the Bible as their primary source of inspiration.
The Pitch can take the form of a direct piece of storytelling to camera or a two-minute version of the proposed short film. It is an adaptation exercise, with the judges looking for a contemporary version that is true to the emotional heart of the original story.
Following a development process including masterclasses and internal shortlisting, ten finalists – five from the Drama category and five from Comedy – win the experience of pitching live to a panel of industry professionals over a weekend in January.
As part of their development they also enjoy a residential course in the Lake District to hone their story and pitch. Westhill’s financial contribution helps The Pitch take their expertise to emerging filmmakers year-round, by supporting the development and delivery of mentorship schemes and leadership courses for a diverse range of filmmakers.
Previous judges have included director of National Film and Television School Jon Wardle; CEO of IMDB Col Needham; actors Rebecca Callard, Toyah Willcox, David Suchet, David Oyelowo, Ray Panthaki and David Gyasi; actress and writer Gbemisola Ikumelo; directors Debs Paterson, Destiny Ekaragha, Nick Park, Francis Annan and Stuart Hazeldine; critic Linda Marric; script editors/creative consultants Laurie Hutzler, Lucy Scher, Justine Hart and Karol Griffiths; and producers Alison Sterling, Jasmin Morrison, Martin Gentles and Anna Cox.
This year will see a £65,000 budget split to spend between the two most outstanding short film ideas. The resulting short films will be entered into film festivals both nationally and internationally.
Now, 15 years on from their establishment, The Pitch’s winning short films have been screened in China, Singapore, USA, Canada and Europe, with many festival awards, including a BAFTA Cymru nomination among the accolades. White Gold, their 2019 winner, was awarded Best Short Narrative at the Pan African Film Festival, and was longlisted for the 2021 Oscars. Hollow, their 2020 winner, was awarded Best Cinematography at Rhode Island International Film Festival.
The Pitch has been excited to see some of their alumni, such as Rob McClellan (Rahab), Harry Lighton (Leash) and Vanessa Perdriau (The Widow’s Last), going on to further success: Rob working with Hammerhead VR, Harry with a feature and TV series with the BBC, Vanessa with a feature in development with a US producer. Aurora Fearnley’s short (Pulsar), starring David Gyasi and Jessie Buckley, has now been watched over two million times on the YouTube DUST channel. There has also been a BAFTA Cymru nomination for Andy Toovey’s Only Child.
The support of Westhill Endowment is essential in ensuring that more young filmmakers are able to develop their skills, and gives them the opportunity to discover the Bible as a source of creative inspiration.
For more information please see The Pitch Website where you can also connect with them on social media:
Instagram – thepitchuk
Vimeo – enterthepitch
Facebook – thepitchfilmfund
X – thepitch
