The 11th edition of the Baltic Pitching Forum (BPF) will return to Vilnius between 10-13 October, bringing with it the reputation as one of the region’s premiere industry events as it gives emerging filmmaking talent the opportunity to present fresh new projects to industry experts whilst benefiting from training and networking opportunities.
Aside from the projects presented from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the BPF will also welcome its first guest country emanating from outside the Baltic Sea region, namely Greece. With a reputation for the defiantly surreal and achingly human, Greek cinema – especially short films – have garnered many plaudits over the last decade including shorts winning at the likes of Cannes.
The BPF will be focused on the pitching of the 12 projects (three projects from each country) which will take place on 12th October. The event participants will pitch their work to the panel of industry experts alongside the Baltic Producer’s Jury. The BPF will also include a number of talks and lectures for both the participants and the attending observers. Most of the events will be for onsite participants, though pitching sessions will be live-streamed and accessible to all registered professionals.
The full list of selected BPF projects can be found here.
This year’s BPF Panel will consist of Alessandro Giorgio (Talents and Short Film Market, Italy), Antoine Guillemot (sales agent, oriGine Films, France), Basel Mawlawi (producer, Kinana Films, Sweden), Elise Notseck (distributor/sales agent, Shortcuts, France), Julie Rousson (coordinator of Euro Connection, programmer at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, France), Ben Vandendaele (sales agent, Radiator IP Sales, Belgium) and Sari Volanen (TV commissioning editor, Yle TV, Finland).
Aside from giving immediate feedback to the pitches, the BPF Panel will award two short film projects (from the Baltic States) with participant rights to the European Short Film Co-production Forum Euro Connection (part of the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival), and the Talents and Shorts Film Market (TSFM) and its Pitching Session You Only Pitch Twice.
The Baltic Producers’ Jury will be made up of Anu Veermäe-Kaldra (Menufilmid, Estonia), Guntis Trekteris (Ego Media, Latvia) and Klementina Remeikaitė (Afterschool, Lithuania)
They will select the Best Short Film Project and award it with Baltic Producers MEDIA Award – a 1000 EUR cash prize, initiated by the Creative Europe MEDIA Desks in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle will award one of the Baltic Pitching Forum’s projects with the Yle TV Pre-buy Award worth 2500 euros.
The Radiator IP Sales Distribution Award will consist of consultancy and guidance for filmmakers by creating a bridge between the production of film and its distribution of film festivals and beyond. The founder of the prize, Radiator IP Sales has represented, distributed, and sold 200 short films and several feature films to date.
During its four days, the BPF will also include a number of open lectures and discussions.
On October 10th pitching expert Gabriele Brunnenmeyer will present “Go Out and Pitch!” which will focus on the central elements of a convincing pitch, examining the importance of preparation as well as structuring a presentation that resonates with the audience. Brunnenmeyer will also lead the participants through extensive pitch training.
On Wednesday October 11h the Barbara Dukas (Head Programmer of the Pitching Lab, Drama International Short Film Festival) will present “Greece: Everything You Wanted to Know About Co-production Possibilities”, which will provide an overview of the most important co-production opportunities both within Greece and involving Greece.
Also on that day, “In the Director's Vision: The Harmonious Collaboration of Directors and Intimacy Coordinators” will explore the vital partnership between film directors and intimacy coordinators. Presented by Irma Pužauskaitė, film director, intimacy coordinator and co-founder of the Lithuania based Baltic Intimacy Professionals, the event will attempt to gain insights, engage in practical exercises, and learn about creating safe, inclusive film sets. In partnership with Creative Europe MEDIA Desk Lithuania.
11th October will also include Austėja Milvydaitė, Head of MEDIA Office at Creative Europe Desk, discussing Creative Europe MEDIA and opportunities for short filmmakers.
Friday 13th October will see “Talent Agency Ecosystem and Practises” in which Aleksandra Aleksander, talent agent for the Poland based Match and Spark, will focus on the central elements of a cooperation between talent and agent / manager and also present who the agents work with on a daily basis, and what they actually do.
This will be followed by “Crew United: Connecting Talents to Make Great Films Together!”. Crew United is the largest European online network for all people and companies involved in the audiovisual industry and their works and Romanas Matulis will be on hand to discuss the platform's most important and crucial functions, as well as its unique selling points.
The day will be rounded out by “All You Need Is … A Sales Agent, Distributor, or TV Buyer” in which Antoine Guillemot (oriGine Films), Elise Notseck (Shortcuts) and Sari Volanen (Yle TV) will give insights into their work.
In celebration of Greece being the guest country, there will also be a screening “The Drama Festival is Travelling to BPF: Greek Highlights from 2020-2022”, a short film programme of lauded short films from the country presented by the Drama International Short Film Festival.
The 11th Baltic Pitching Forum will take place on October 11-13 at the National Gallery of Art (Konstitucijos ave. 22 Vilnius). The event is open to the general public and free of charge. For attending event or watching pitching sessions online – pre-registration is required here. More about the programme – here.
The Baltic Pitching Forum is organised by Lithuanian Short Film Agency “Lithuanian Shorts” in partnership with Riga International Film Festival, Riga International Short Film Festival 2ANNAS, and PÖFF Shorts (Tallinn International Film Festival Black Nights).
“Lithuanian Shorts” is supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture. The project is supported by the Lithuanian Film Centre, Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture, Audiovisual Works Copyright Association “AVAKA” and Vilnius City Municipality. Partners – Creative Europe MEDIA Desks in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Greek Film Centre, Drama International Short Film Festival and Vilnius Film Office.
