No matter where you are based you can submit your documentary project on all aspects of life above the Arctic Circle. Projects selected for the 13th NORTH PITCH - Below Zero will pitch to a panel of international decision makers as well as compete for The Arctic Documentary Award and The Below Zero Award. The deadline for submitting projects is November 25th, 2020. (Look further down for application requirements)

NORTH PITCH — Below Zero is an international pitching session for documentary projects focusing on life above the Arctic Circle.

The event will take place from 20-23 January 2021.

Our intention is to hold the event in Tromsø, Norway. Due to the uncertainty because of the COVID-19 virus, the event might be converted into an online event, partly or fully. The decision about how the event will be implemented will be announced no later than by the announcement of the selected projects (medio December 2020).

The projects selected for NORTH PITCH — Below Zero will be competing for 2 awards. The Arctic Documentary Award, NOK 40.000, is granted to the project which has the best political, environmental or cultural relevance to the Arctic and has an international potential for financing and distribution.
The Below Zero Award, NOK 10.000, is given for the most innovative project. Samfunnsløftet SparebankEN Nord-Norge is funding both awards.

Filmmakers from all over the world are welcome to submit projects for NORTH PITCH — Below Zero. Stories with a broad international market appeal are preferred. From the submitted project proposals a maximum of 12 projects will be selected for participation. The working language will be English.

NORTH PITCH - Below Zero consists of a 2-day workshop and will conclude with a 1-day pitching session, where the selected projects are pitched to a panel of international financiers and experts.

An essential part of NORTH PITCH — Below Zero is the pre-pitch workshop, where the selected projects will be developed under guidance from experienced international experts from the documentary business.

The NORTH PITCH — Below Zero program

The programme will consist of the following elements:

• a pre-pitching workshop where the selected projects will be developed under guidance from experienced international experts from the documentary business. The workshop will focus on how the project can be developed in the best possible direction and how the presentation of the project can be optimized. During the workshop, there will be a possibility to work with both the pitch trailer and the written presentation.
• a pitching session where each project will be pitched in seven minutes for a panel of international financiers and possible future collaborators. The pitch will be followed by a brief round of feedback from the panel and individual meetings between filmmakers and financiers
• networking events to encourage future collaborations between organizations, financiers, producers and filmmakers.

Panelists 2020:

Piia Nokelainen – Finnish film Foundation, Finland

Anna Svensson – SVT, Sweden

Natalia Arshavskaya– Current Time TV, USA

Ingrid Kristin Dokka, North Norwegian Film Centre

Helle Hansen, Norwegian Film Institute, Norway

Katrin Fürnkranz, Autlook Filmsales, Austria

Fredrik Færden, NRK, Norway

Ralf Quibeldey, NDR, Germany

Sari Volanen, YLE, Finland

Frank Piasecki Poulsen, DFI, Denmark

Juan Pablo Libossart, SFI, Sweden

Anja Dziersk, Rise and Shine World Sales, Germany

Liisa Holmberg. International Sámi Film Institute

Mandy Chang , BBC, UK

The list of panelists will be updated for 2021, as soon as the panelists are confirmed.

The NORTH PITCH - BELOW ZERO Tutors:

An essential part of the Below ZERO is the pre-pitch workshop, where the selected projects will be developed under guidance from experienced international experts from the documentary business.

The tutor team for the workshop in 2020:

• Phil Jandaly, Editor, Sweden
• Jan Daae, Consultant
• Salomé Jashi, Director, Georgia
  
• Mikael Opstrup, Denmark
• Stefan Kloos, Sales agent, Germany

Projects Selected for NORTH PITCH - Below Zero 2020

• THE VISITORS | Prod: Kristýna M.Květová | Dir: Veronika Lišková | Cinémotif Films| Czech Republic
• ESKIBOI | Dir: Joanna Karlberg | Sweden
• THE ASSIMINATION | Prod: Suvi West | Dir: Janne Niskala | Vaski Filmi | Finland
• THE RAABY MYSTERY | Prod: Thorvald Nilsen | Dir: Stian Indrevold | Screen Story |Norway
• GOLLIS | Prod: Mathis Ståle Mathisen | Dir: Carl Christian Lein Størmer | It`s Gonna Happen | Norway
• INTO THE ICE | Prod: Malene Flint Pedersen | Dir: Lars Henrik Ostenfeld | Hansen & Pedersen Film and Television | Denmark
• MOOSE LATITUDES | Prod: Laura Shacham | Dir: Michèle Noach | She Makes Productions/Original Film | UK/Norway
• THE LAST HUMAN | Prod: Rie Hougaard Landgreen | Dir: Ivalo Frank | Ujâvaaq Pictures / Kran Film | Greenland/Denmark
• TSUMU | Prod: Niels Christian Sixhøj | Dir: Kasper Kiertzner | Playground Production | Denmark
• ELLA`S RIOT | Prod: Eirin O. Høgetveit | Dir: Anne Marte Blindheim | Norsk Fjernsyn |Norway
  
• FUELLED BY NATURE | Prod: Melissa Brandner | Dir: Melissa Brandner | Media on the edge/Media på kanten | Norway
• THE WINDOW & THE MIRROR | Prod: Harmen Jalvingh | Dir: Diego Gutierrez | Doxy Films | The Netherlands

What do previous participants say about NORTH PITCH — Below Zero?

The 2018 participant at NORTH PITCH – Below Zero "Where Man Returns" (working title ‘The last Hunter’) was the opening film of Tromsø International Film Festival 2019. Producer Racha Nia says this about NORTH PITCH:

"Below Zero became a very important arena for our film and for whom we ended up collaborating with. We got incredible support, and not least important feedback to determine and understand the strengths and weaknesses of our project. We encountered a lot of resistance, but also met the people who loved our project and became our invaluable partners."

How to Participate

You submit your project by sending a written 2-page presentation of your project accompanied by visual material. The deadline for submitting projects is November 25th 2020. You can submit your 2-page presentation by email to :bz@northpitch.no

The 2-page presentation

Your written 2-page presentation should include the following elements:

• Project info: project title, status of the project, expected time of delivery, length, & format
• The film: depending on the nature of the project this can include the story, characters, visual approach, director’s note, etc.
• Contacts: name of producer, production company, director and contact information
• Profiles: short CV & filmography of company and director
• Financing: budget sum (total sum for the production, not the whole budget) and brief financing plan.

You can submit your 2-page presentation by email to: bz@northpitch.no

The visual material

Applications must be accompanied by visual material shot for the submitted project. Applications with no visual material / visual material as a previous work will normally not be considered. You submit your visual material by including a link to an online streaming facility like Vimeo or YouTube when you email your 2-page presentation.

Participation fee

Each selected project pays a participation fee of 300 Euro, which includes one participating person. Every other member of the pitching team pays an individual fee of 200 Euro. We strongly recommend participation of both director and producer.

Participating as Observer

For NORTH PITCH - Below Zero a number of observer seats are available. When participating as an observer you will take part in all sessions on equal terms with the pitching participants. Only exception is not having a concrete project developed and pitched. Observers pay 200 Euro for participating.

Background on NORTH PITCH - Below Zero

The NORTH PITCH - Below Zero event was initiated in 2009 to bring together filmmakers, producers, decision makers and organizations whose common interest is documentaries thematically rooted in the Northern Polar region. Building on the success of the first twelve editions of NORTH PITCH - Below Zero, this thirteenth edition will further strengthen and develop the international network for documentaries made around or focusing on the Arctic region. NORTH PITCH - Below Zero is set in Tromsø, Northern Norway, during the last days of the polar night.

For questions regarding the pitch, please contact Mikael Opstrup, mikael@northpitch.no.
For practical questions regarding the event, please contact Herdis Levang, herdis@nnfs.no.