Docs Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen, in association with Yellowmoon Post Production, are offering a chance for documentary makers, from established filmmakers to new and emerging talent, to receive an award of up to £9,000 towards a pilot for a documentary feature.
Established at Docs Ireland 2019, the Northern Ireland Screen Pitch is one of the festival’s flagstaff industry events and has ushered a wealth of non-fiction talent through the process of developing their feature documentaries.
Applications for 2024 are now closed.
The shortlisted filmmakers, selected from open application by members of the Docs Ireland and Northern Ireland Screen teams, will present their projects at Docs Ireland, where they will receive feedback from a panel of leading Irish film industry players. You can pitch your project through a production company, or as an individual.
The pitch will take place as part of the Docs Ireland festival on Saturday June 22nd in Belfast city centre. The event is free of charge but ticketed.
2024 SHORTLISTED PROJECTS:
Canine
Director: Paul Webster
Producer: Brian Willis
As time runs out for the Black Rhino in South Africa, Rory, an elite dog trainer in Cork trains
specialist anti-poaching dogs for delivery to Niall, another Irishman, and a conservationist working on the frontline.
Aida
Director: Peadar Ó Goill
Producer: Ainle Ó Cairealláin
A story of resilience in the most tear-gassed place on earth.
Enough is Enough
Director: Shane Caffrey
Producer: Daniel Hegarty
Amidst the Climate Emergency, impassioned activists employ civil disobedience to ignite societal action. Can they navigate the intricate dynamics of their own non hierarchal structure to mobilise action or remain immobilised?
Mir I Am Survivor
Director: Edel O’Mahony
Producers: Kate Southwell
A real life survival guide – the story how one woman turned a life of unimaginable hardship and pain into a journey of joy.
Saving Sodomy from Ulster
Director: Lewis Doherty
Producers: Luke Oliveira-Davies
At the height of The Troubles, a generation of queer people battle their erasure against a homophobic political campaign and oppressive police treatment, formulating a path to peace.
Shades of Blue
Director: Katie McFadden
Producer: Simeon Costello
Through the lens of his fading eyesight, a visually impaired man takes to the ski slopes with a group of friends, proving that even as vision decreases, his determination and lust for life does not.
The previous winners of the Northern Ireland Screen Pitch are:
The Unrest Collective – Lia Campbell (2023)
They Say it is Love – Roisin Agnew (2022)
Asking for it – Grace Sweeney (2021)
The Last Balkan Cowboy – Dragana Jurisic (2020)
No Place Like Home – Myrid Carten (2019)
If you have any further questions, please contact roisin@docsireland.ie
