DFG and the Sheffield Doc/Fest

DFG is proud to be a major sponsor of this year's Sheffield Doc/Fest (7th - 11th November 2007). We're running the DFG Newcomers Day (hence the name), including the return of the Mini-MeetMarket.

Here is an outline some of the initiatives running at the festival, and remind you of some of the upcoming deadlines.

DFG Newcomers Day

Newcomers Day is a fantastic and unique opportunity to get into the documentary world. Hear from and meet execs who are hiring, commissioners who are buying and the directors who are inspiring the next generation of doc filmmakers.

The ABC of Documentary Commissioning
Kate Vogel, Commissioning Editor for Channel 4's 3 Minute Wonder strand, and Andy Glynne of the Documentary Filmmakers Group, guide you through the maze that is getting your first broadcast commission, with a little help from their commissioning friends. It’s daunting and easy to get lost, but with these tips you will find your way through to the other side where all the smug, successful filmmakers live. This session is an absolute must for all those new to the festival circuit and keen to make their mark in the TV business. Followed by:

Monkey Tennis ...billed by the Independent as one of the highlights of the Edinburgh TV Festival, this secret camera film sees Lee pitching to commissioners with his fake production company, "Monkey Tennis". With ideas as diverse as "Rolf Harris Draws the News" and "18th Century Doctor", how will our undercover reporter fare in the big bad world of TV commissioning?

Self Distribution and the Online Opportunities
This panel offers you dozens of practical tricks and tips about the future of short film self-distribution and how to make the growing number of broadband 'channels' work for your film. With the broadcast landscape changing daily, it's no longer sufficient for filmmakers simply to complete their projects and submit to the 'old' channels: festivals, the usual websites and TV networks. The hunger for content from new broadband channels has open ed up a world of revenue and distribution models. Obviously, it's all getting confusing. This panel offers some light to young filmmakers about to embark on getting their film out in this murky new world.
With: Simon Chambers, Filmmaker, Michelle Coomber, Green TV, Maxyne Franklin, Britdoc, Barry Gibb, FourDocs Filmmaker, Charlie Phillips, FourDocs, Ed Riseman, Babelgum

BBC Impress The Panel
...for a 9 Month Paid Placement with BBC Documentaries.
The BBC is offering the interview of a lifetime. Five people will be given the rare and exciting opportunity to be interviewed onstage by BBC executives for a paid placement with BBC Documentaries and Special Features. The successful candidate will spend 9 months working with Nick Mirsky, Executive Producer, The Armstrongs, Louis Theroux and Wonderland. If you’re a documentary filmmaker or researcher who’s got the talent, this is a great opportunity to gain invaluable and insightful training in researching and storytelling for documentaries. Come along to this session to learn valuable insights into interview technique that could help you get your first job in television.

To enter, we want you to fill out the online form where we want you to submit two documentary ideas, one for BBC Two and the other for any named BBC channel. See: www.bbc.co.uk/newtalent/film/factual/

Deadline: 14th October

Speakers: Nick Mirsky, Executive Producer, BBC Documentaries; Kate Beetham, Executive Producer, Documentary Commissioning; Session Producer/Moderator: Angela Wallis, Executive Producer, BBC New Talent

The Current TV Pitch
8 lucky individuals will get chance to pitch live to a panel of Current TV executives. We hope this will be a lively event in which the commissioners will be open about their deliberations on stage and give detailed feedback. The best pitch will receive a GBP1000 commission to make their pitch a reality as well as 2 more commissions to make further pods for Current.

To enter, just write an idea for a pod in a short paragraph and email it to erenshaw-smith@uk.current.com making sure you put "The Current Pitch " in the subject line, and read the submission terms.

A pod is a factual film no more than 8 minutes in length. It can be about anything - from sex and fashion through to politics and current affairs - as long as it's factual and absolutely compelling! You can sample some of Current's programming here: http://uk.current.com/network/video

The deadline for submissions is November 1st, 4:30pm GMT

To find out more visit www.dfgdocs.com/Events/1083.aspx

Tickets GBP35 for the day, including a reception with complimentary drinks ON SALE NOW!
Call the Showroom box office on 0114 275 7727

Mini-MeetMarket: MeetMarket's Little Sister

Mini-MeetMarket - Call for Entries
The Mini-MeetMarket is a unique opportunity for new and emerging documentary filmmakers to meet producers and commissioners in an informal setting at the Sheffield DocFest.

The Mini-MeetMarket is a project pitching and steering session, running during the morning of Friday 9th November 2007. The session is open to Sheffield DocFest delegates and Newcomer's Day passholders, who will have the opportunity to meet industry movers and shakers in an intimate roundtable environment.

The aim is simple: to enable you to get feedback on your documentary idea, no matter how undeveloped it is at this stage. You'll get a response on how you pitched it as well as pointers on how it needs developing, where to go next, and how to improve your chances of getting funding.

Filmmakers are invited to submit a short proposal, no more than 250 words in length, together with a brief biography and full contact details to kerry@dfgdocs.com by Monday 15th October 2007 . The application must fit on one side of A4.

Up to 25 projects will be selected to take part in this event, and the successful projects will be notified in the week beginning 22nd October.

Please note: to be eligible for this event, you must be planning to attend the Sheffield DocFest either as a delegate or as a Newcomer's Day passholder. You must also be available to attend meetings on the morning of Friday 9th November 2007.

Member Corner

DFG Members get a fantastic discount on passes to the Sheffield Doc/Fest

This year, along with all the fantastic films and events you'd expect from the UK's premier documentary festival, there will be some very special events taking place, which you'd be mad to miss if you're serious about documentaries.

We're very excited to offer 30 discounted delegate passes for DFG Members. The discounted rate is GBP150 + VAT (normal full price GBP210 + VAT) and the pass gives access to all film screenings, sessions, masterclasses and parties, plus the delegate centre and videotheque.

Full members can find their treasure by logging on to the DFG Community and checking out Perks while non-full members can do a wee bit of maths and realise that they could join DFG and STILL save money on the Doc/Fest. Think about it...

http://members.dfgdocs.com/

Not a member? To see even more reasons to join, go to: www.dfgdocs.com/Members

Join BBC for Breakfast
BBC Indies Exec Krishan Arora invites you to network over breakfast with BBC commissioning execs at the Doc/Fest, from the BBC's Documentaries, Entertainment and Multiplatform departments. The BBC Breakfast is on Saturday 10 November from 08.45 till 09.45.

Send an email - deadline 19 October - to louise.cotter@bbc.co.uk with 50 words about yourself, and I'll let you know if you've got one of the 60 places available. One per company/production team, please, to give more opportunities. I'll move you around the execs in groups of ten, to discuss their area of programmes - but come prepared with ideas you want to talk about or questions about the BBC. Execs will include Emma Willis, Mirella Breda, Nick Cohen...others to be confirmed.

Sheffield Doc/Fest Announces Full Programme
The Doc/Fest has released details of this year's film programme, which includes award-winning documentaries from around the world. The 14th festival will screen over 100 films over five days, including 22 World, 8 international, 7 European, and 23 UK premieres.

Doc/Fest has introduced themed film strands. Each night in the festival there will be a music doc, sports doc and a controversial film in the aptly-named strand, Anti-Doc. Running throughout the festival there is also green docs, a strand focusing on the environment and bent docs, which will showcase queer gay/lesbian and transgender documentaries.

Programme highlights include Kim Longinotto's latest film Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go, an astonishing and often heart-breaking look at life inside the boarding school which caters for children suffering severe emotional trauma; the UK Premiere of Forbidden Lie, Anna Broinowski's examination of the story behind Norma Khouri, author of the controversial best selling novel "Forbidden Love" and A Jihad for Love, the world's first documentary film on the coexistence of Islam and homosexuality, receiving its international premiere.

For more details of the Doc/Fest highlights check out http://sheffdocfest.com