Following on from the success of the last two years, Scottish Documentary Institute is proud to again host the annual documentary pitching workshop: The Edinburgh Pitch. For the first time this year prizes will be awarded up to £6,000 for project development. Organized as part of the Bridging the Gap initiative, the pitch is backed by Scottish Screen, Skillset, BBC Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Edinburgh College of Art and runs concurrent to Edinburgh International Film Festival.

The Edinburgh Pitch is the only international pitching forum in Scotland, where documentary filmmakers can pitch their ideas to a select panel of commissioning editors from around the world, including BBC and Channel 4, and receive invaluable feedback for their projects, make industry contacts, and compete for the award for most promising project. The forum is open to industry observers.

This kind of event is a typical way for filmmakers to raise money all over the world, with one of the biggest forums happening in Amsterdam (IDFA) every year. Pitching in public is a risky strategy, but can be a great way to attract a lot of attention in a short period of time for a project in the development stage seeking financing.

Prizes include:

£6,000 for Most Promising Project

£2,000 for Best Scottish Project (project based in Scotland)

This is a fantastic opportunity for all filmmakers looking to produce a feature length documentary to attend a pitching and development workshop and to pitch formally in front of a carefully selected panel of International and UK commissioning editors, sales agents and producers.

The 3 day workshop covers a pitching practice day, the pitch itself, followed by one to one meetings with each member of the panel. Open to all filmmakers UK and abroad and is aimed at independent filmmakers and companies who are developing and raising finance for creative documentaries (52min – 90min) and who are thinking about international co-productions. (Please note that only UK filmmakers are eligible for the cash prizes.)

From Rebecca Day at the Scottish Documentary Institute, news of an incredible-looking series of documentary masterclasses: After well attended masterclasses and workshops with Jim Sutherland, Gaston Kabore and Fernanda Rossi and Andrey Paounov we're anxiously awaiting the visits by acclaimed documentary director Nicholas Philibert, Oliver Hodge (Garbagge Warrior), and Three Miles North of Molkom directors Robert Cannan & Corinna Villari-McFarlane. Directing Documentaries with Nicolas Philibert Friday 21 Nov 2.00pm-5.00pm Lecture Theatre G40, Edinburgh College of Art, 74 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh, EH3 9DF Free but please RSVP to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it We are absolutely delighted to have renowned French director Nicolas Philibert to hold a 3 hour masterclass of his work. Probably most well-known for the multi award winning Etre et Avoir (To be and to Have) he is one of contemporary cinema's most acclaimed documentarists. He began his education by studying philosophy and later worked as an assistant director with such filmmakers as Rene Allio and Alain Tanner. Philibert's ability to approach man with tenderness, directness and sensitivity appears in his film In the Land of the Deaf, an exploration of the world through the eyes of those born without the sense of hearing. In 1995 Philibert revisited the subject of museums--also explored in Louvre City--finding humanity and humor within these stately institutions. Animals and More Animals examines the zoological wing of France's Museum of Natural History, which had been closed for years, and brings to light its unusual treasures. Minimalist and exceedingly moving He will .....