Channel 4 Sheffield Pitch
Encyclopedia
The Channel 4 Sheffield Pitch is an annual competition sponsored by British public-service television broadcaster Channel 4
, which seeks to offer one new documentary
maker the chance to make a film for the company. It takes place within the Sheffield International Documentary Festival
, and at £30,000 represents the largest single award for documentary film in the UK.
must then pitch their idea to a panel of Channel 4 commissioners in front of an industry audience at the annual Sheffield International Documentary Festival. The winning director is awarded a £30,000 commission to make their film, and professional mentorship from a Channel 4 editor.
The award, now in its fifth year, is part of the station's 4Talent initiative to help new talent break into the very competitive UK television industry. Other projects in the scheme include FourDocs and the popular 3 Minute Wonder
short film awards.
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, which seeks to offer one new documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
maker the chance to make a film for the company. It takes place within the Sheffield International Documentary Festival
Sheffield International Documentary Festival
The Sheffield Doc/Fest, short for Sheffield International Documentary Festival , is an annual documentary and digital media event that is held in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England at the Showroom Workstation and other venues around Sheffield...
, and at £30,000 represents the largest single award for documentary film in the UK.
Format
Potential pitchers, who cannot already be established filmmakers, must submit a very brief description of their idea for a documentary film. The eight most compelling ideas are selected, and the shortlisted directorsFilm director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
must then pitch their idea to a panel of Channel 4 commissioners in front of an industry audience at the annual Sheffield International Documentary Festival. The winning director is awarded a £30,000 commission to make their film, and professional mentorship from a Channel 4 editor.
The award, now in its fifth year, is part of the station's 4Talent initiative to help new talent break into the very competitive UK television industry. Other projects in the scheme include FourDocs and the popular 3 Minute Wonder
3 Minute Wonder
3 Minute Wonder is a short Channel 4 television slot that broadcasts first time directors' three-minute TV programmes in the middle of the channel's weekday primetime schedule...
short film awards.
Recent Winners
- 2006 - Haryun Kim, English Wonderland
- 2005 - Havana MarkingHavana MarkingHavana Marking is a British producer and director of documentary films. She is best known for the 2009 film Afghan Star which won the Audience Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.Marking was born in England and moved to the United States as a child...
, The Crippendales - 2004 - Dominic Waugh, I Speak Animal