This year’s edition of the Baltic Pitching Forum, which will take place between October 5-8 in Vilnius, will celebrate its 10th anniversary as it shines a light on the newest filmmaking talents from the Baltic and Nordic countries
The BPF is centered on the short film pitching sessions taking place on October 7th in which 12 projects from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and – this year’s guest country – Norway will be pitched to a panel of industry professionals alongside the Baltic Producers’ Jury. It will also feature a wealth of events and screenings. 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 Andy Norton (festival distributor, Raina Films, Finland), Julie Rousson (coordinator, Euro Connection, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, France), Ben Vandendaele (sales agent, Radiator IP Sales, Belgium), Vanya Rainova (producer, Portokal, Bulgaria), Sari Volanen (TV commissioning editor, Yle TV, Finland), Eugénie Bottereu (managing director, Talents and Short Film Market, Italy) and Carla Vulpiani (sales agent at Film Agency Varicoloured, advisor of programmes for Venice International Film Festival).
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 Marianne Ostrat (founder of production company Alexandra Film, Estonia), Aija Bērziņa (founder of Tasse Film, Latvia) and Uljana Kim (founder of Studio Uljana Kim, 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 offices in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
In 2022 the BPF will introduce two new prizes, open to all participating countries.
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 5th, 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.
On October 6th, in Sustainable Film Production: a Short Film Guide to Rethink Your Workflow, Ludovica Chiarini, project manager for EcoMuvi, will explore current frameworks and concrete steps to implement sustainable production practices from development to wrap.
On the same day, BPF panellist Sari Volanen will present the open lecture TV and Short Films: Case Yle, an opportunity for audiences to hear some truths about TV channels and their acquisition strategies for short films.
In European Short Film Markets: What’s in There? representatives of key international short film festivals will explore the ecosystem of leading European short film markets such as the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market (France), Talents and Short Film Market (Italy), Cannes Court Métrage (France) and T-Port Online Short Film Market (Germany) with representatives from all these markets on hand to speak.
On October 8th Austėja Milvydaitė, the Head of MEDIA Office at Creative Europe Desk Lithuania, will provide an insight into Creative Europe MEDIA: Opportunities for Short Filmmakers.
Later on Short Film Co-production in Baltics: Challenges and Possibilities will see the Baltic Producers’ Jury, alongside Agnė Adomėnė (Art Shot, Lithuania), talk about the important aspects of co-production through the prism of their real-life experiences exploring the main advantages and disadvantages as well as implications for both the financial and artistic aspects of a film.
The BPF Alumni Case Studies will present two projects from the past decade of the BPF, with filmmakers talking about their experiences of the BPF and their journey to getting their films to the big screen. These projects will be Snow Shelter (dir. Robertas Nevecka, prod. Giedrė Burokaitė, Lithuania, 2020, animation) and Elena (dir. Birutė Sodeikaitė, prod. Agnė Adomėnė, Lithuania, 2021, animation).
These films will also be screened, alongside Mia & Liki (dir. Katrin Tegova, prod. Maario Masing, Estonia, 2021, fiction), and Found You (dir. Ragne Mandri, prod. Laura García Baeza, Estonia, 2021, fiction), at the BPF Alumni Screenings open to the general public.
The 10th Baltic Pitching Forum will take place on October 5-8 at the National Gallery of Art (Konstitucijos pr. 22 Vilnius). Attendance is free of charge. For watching pitching sessions online – pre-registration is required. 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, PÖFF Shorts (Tallinn International Film Festival Black Nights) and Estonian Short Film Center ShortEst. “Lithuanian Shorts” is supported by the Lithuanian Council for Culture. Sponsors of the event: Lithuanian Film Centre, Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture, Audiovisual Works Copyright Association “AVAKA”, Vilnius City Municipality. Partners – Creative Europe Desk MEDIA Offices in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, Norwegian Film Institute, Vilnius Film Office.
