Good Pitch is a collaboration with Ford Foundation and Sundance Institute and brings together documentary filmmakers with foundations, NGOs, campaigners, philanthropists, policymakers, brands and media around leading social and environmental issues – to forge coalitions and campaigns that are good for all these partners, good for the films and good for society.

The European line up of filmmakers, who will be traveling from the Netherlands, Turkey, Sweden, UK, and Norway to participate in the live event include Ilse & Femke van Velzen (A Haunting History), Burcu Melekoglu & Vuslat Karan (Blue ID), Dylan Williams & Erik Pauser (The Borneo Case), Mike Day (The Island and the Whales), Peter Middleton & James Spinney (Notes on Blindness), Kari Anne Moe (Rebels!), and Henry Singer & Rob Miller (The Trial of Ratko Mladic).

The seven selected film projects feature stories from across the globe. These documentaries take a closer look at: the challenge of building the new rule of law in South Sudan; the experience of a transgender man in Turkey undergoing transition in the glare of public scrutiny; illegal logging and money laundering in Borneo; whale hunting and ocean pollution in the Faroe Islands; the intimate experience of one man losing his sight; school dropouts in Norway and the inspiring programme set up to reintegrate them into society; the trial of former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic as he faces charges of crimes against humanity, raising profound questions about the very role of the international court.

The independent documentary film projects will be pitched to an invited group of leading European foundations, NGOs, campaigners, philanthropists, policymakers, brands and media with the aim of creating unique coalitions around each film to maximise its social or environmental impact.

Since 2008, 249 filmmakers pitching at Good Pitch have triggered €13.8 million in new production and outreach funding. In that time more than 2600 organisations from across civil society have attended Good Pitch to learn about the films and to think about how they could partner with those projects. There are over 1020 active partnerships which have come directly out of Good Pitch events, connecting filmmakers with new partners from the NGO, governmental, foundation and philanthropic sectors. Currently there are 87 Good Pitch films being used at the heart of national or international social justice campaigns.

Good Pitch Europe is the first Good Pitch of 2015, with more events taking place around the globe this year including Argentina (13th April), Chicago (5th May), Australia (16th September) and New York (20th October). For more information on Good Pitch events in 2015, see www.goodpitch.org.

GoodPitch Europe is made possible by the generous support of Fritt Ord Foundation, Creative Europe, Cultural Foundation of the Swedish Postcode Lottery, Stichting Democratie & Media and Kone Foundation, and our colleagues at the Norwegian Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fund and the Finnish Film Foundation.

Below is a list of some of those attending:

Ford Foundation • Investec • Rainforest Foundation Norway • TRH Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s Foundation • ARTE • SVT • Fritt Ord Foundation • Partnership for Change • Sundance Institute • Balkans Investigative Reporting Network • Danish Film Institute • Nordisk Panorama • The Finnish Film Foundation • Kone Foundation • Nordisk Film & TV Fund • Norwegian Film Institute • CPH:DOX • Chicago Media Project • VGTV • Norwegian Video Art Archive • Dogwoof • UNICEF • Creative Europe MEDIA • CAT&Docs • Tour de Force • Indie Film • Sant & Usant • Film i Skåne • Directors at Work AS • DOCUBOX • DNB Savings Bank Foundation • Synchronicity Earth • UN Women • KORO • Influence Film Foundation • Cultural Foundation of the Swedish Postcode Lottery • Good Business • Hope Street Films • Gjensidigestiftelsen • Bellona Foundation • Stichting Democratie & Media • Oslo Dokumentarkino • NY Tid • Ship Ring Foundation • The Body Shop Foundation • International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association • VPRO • Pembe Hayat LGBTT Solidarity Association • HUMAN • Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) • Norwegian Refugee Council • SF Norge • Free Press Unlimited • Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs • European Partnership for Democracy • Transparency International • Postcode Lottery Norway • YLE • Swedish Film Institute • Ferd Social Entrepreneurs • Creative England • Norwegian Church Aid • Gjensidigestiftelsen • Sudanese Human Rights Activists • Adessium Foundation • IMC Television • Norwegian Helsinki Committee • Amnesty International • Dutch Film Fund • Virke • The Norwegian Film & TV Producers’ Association • Cordaid • Dagsavisen • European Documentary Network • Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation • Piraya Film AS • AVEK Foundation • Rafto Foundation for Human Rights • NAV • Oslo Gay Lesbian Film Festival • Viken Filmsenter • Westerdals Oslo School of Arts, Communication and Technology • Free Radio Sarawak • Manifest • DKS Buskerud • Harvard Public Health Department • European Environmental Bureau • Zero Mercury Working Group • NRK • International Center for Transitional Justice • Cinema for Peace Foundation • Greenpeace International • Molinare • European Fund for the Balkans • Kulturmeglerne • International Law and Policy Institute (ILPI) • PS Hotell • MovieReading • Action for Blind People • SSF Kommunikasjon • DR Sales • 89up • Greenpeace Norway • Hedda Foundation • A-Public • Norwegian Council for Africa • LLH – The Norwegian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Organisation • Cinema Oslo • Kosmorama Trondheim International Film Festival • Østnorsk Filmsenter • The Norwegian Short Film Festival • YWCA-YMCA Global, Norway • SOS-barnebyer Norge •

What’s the big idea behind Good Pitch? This page on the BRITDOC site gives you the lowdown.

If you have any questions, please contact BRITDOC’s Outreach Director, Nicole van Schaik, at nicole@britdoc.org