MeetMarket

MeetMarket is a new pitching initiative at Sheffield International Documentary Festival, designed to match documentary makers’ most innovative project ideas with UK and international buyers.

Buyers view online one-minute pitch teasers of innovative documentary ideas, along with one-page treatments, in advance of Doc/Fest. From this, they select which projects they would like to discuss in one-to-one meetings at MeetMarket.

At Doc/Fest 2007 The Meet Market selected 25 from 200 documentary projects submitted on-line, and introduced producers to UK and international buyers in 280 meetings with 50 commissioning editors. And Digi Docs 360 put new media at the center of the agenda. The word was out from the start. Delegate tickets sold out, and 130 commissioning editors came to Sheffield, 30 from abroad. [ [cite web|url=http://www.vertigomagazine.co.uk/showarticle.php?sel=bac&siz=0&id=631]

Online submissions open 16 June 2008. Apply online by filling in the online form and uploading a one-minute pitch trailer before Friday 12 September.

* MeetMarket is based on an original initiative of the Australian Film Commission (AFC) and the Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC).

Dates for MeetMarket 20086 November – Pitch Workshop & Who is Who7 & 8 November - MeetMarket

Comments about MeetMarket

‘I enjoyed the time in Sheffield and found some very promising projects. It was perfect and the new format of the pitchings is very effective and gives creativity more space.’- Hans Robert Eisenhauer – Head of Theme Nights – ZDF/ARTE - Germany

‘MeetMarket surprised me: I had an extraordinarily creative response from 23 intelligent men and women who care passionately about documentaries. They reflected my story back to me and I came out richer – not just financially but in terms of valuing my project.’- Amy Hardie – director - Scotland

* 93% of participants said MeetMarket gave them access to commissioners, distributors and funders that do not normally have access to

MeetMarket 2007

* 39 projects
* 67 independent producers & freelance filmmakers
* 42 international commissioners, funders, distributors & sales agents
* 46 UK commissioners, funders, distributors & EP’s
* 452 meetings
* 11.5 meetings per project (on average)

In attendance 2007

Jan Rofekamp - Films Transit International * Mette Hoffman Meyer - DR TV * Outi Saarikoski - YLE Co-productions * Christoph Jorg - ARTE France * Catherine Le Clef - Fortissimo Films * Hans Robert Eisenhauer - ZDF/ARTE * Nobuo Isobe – NHK * Eamon Hardy – BBC * Nick Cohen – BBC Interactive * Greg Sanderson – BBC Storyville * Sandra Whipham – More 4 * Meredith Chambers – Channel 4 * Matt Locke – Channel 4 New Media * Alex Sutherland – FIVE * John Battsek – Passion Pictures * Mark Atkin – SBS Australia * Julie Goldman – Cactus 3 * Andrea Meditch – Discovery US * Claire Aguilar – ITVS * Ian Bricke – Sundance Channel * Bruni Burres – Sundance Documentary Fund * Charles Schuerhoff – WGBH International • Anna Miralis – SBS Independent * Diane Rotteau – CBC * Michael Haslund-Christensen - Danish Film Institute * Barbara Truyen – VPRO * Flora Gregory – Al Jazeera * Jonathan Miller - First Run / Icarus Films * * Stephen Segaller - Thirteen/ WNET * Melanie Wallace – WGBH * * Debra Zimmerman – Women Make Movies

References