WorldView and WaterAid are inviting filmmakers to pitch story ideas for the chance to be awarded a grant of up to £3,000 to make a documentary film, in time for World Water Day 2016.
The global water crisis is one of the greatest challenges facing us today, but we know there are inspirational people who are taking the future of water into their own hands.
Innovators, scientists, campaigners and entrepreneurs across the globe are rising to the challenge. We want to hear and share their stories.
Pitch your film concept today to be in with a chance of winning the grant you need to bring your idea to life.
The Grant
Filmmakers can apply for up to £3,000 from WorldView, a Public Media Alliance project, as part of sH2Orts to produce a three to five minute short film.
We’re looking for original ideas that engage audiences through well-told creative storytelling, in keeping with the brief. Films can be at any stage, whether an idea on paper or a project currently in development that needs new light. You might need the full £3,000 to take the project from start to finish, or require a crucial £500 for that final edit to complete the short. Grant funding decisions will be made on the strength of the application and an assessment of the budget and project proposal.
The Public Media Alliance is the largest global association of public broadcasters. The WorldView team will be using their unique access to this global network of broadcasters to promote and offer screening opportunities for the winning films worldwide. Grantees may also be offered mentorship and support to complete their films from relevant industry experts.
The deadline for entries is midnight 18 May 2015. To see a preview entry form, click here.
The Panel
WorldView and WaterAid will assess the applications, and a shortlisted selection will be reviewed by an external panel of assessors to help us make the final decision.
From Oscar Nominees and BAFTA winners to UN consultants and media commissioners, our panel is made up of a highly experienced group of international judges. The panel includes Adam Gee, Multiplatform & Online Video Commissioning Editor for Channel 4, UK; Charlie Phillips, Head of Documentaries at the Guardian and former Deputy Director of Sheffield Doc/Fest; Guy Davidi (right), Director of Oscar nominated 5 Broken Cameras; Moneeza Hashmi, President of the Public Media Alliance and General Manager-International Relations for Hum TV Pakistan; Victoria Noble, Executive Producer and Director of Production and Development for Discovery Networks International; Shekhar Kapur, Indian film director, actor and producer; and Jordan McGarry, Director of Curation at Vimeo.
The Rules
- We are looking for pitches for films that will be between three and five minutes in duration.
- It must be possible to shoot and produce the film you propose during the seven month period of June 2015 – January 2016.
- Please adhere to the word counts for each section on the application form.
- Entries to the competition are welcome from 6 April 2015 up until midnight 18 May 2015.
- This competition is open to applicants of all nationalities from any region.
- All ideas must be original.
- The film you plan to make would need to include subtitles/dubbing if it is in a language other than English.
- You can enter a maximum of two pitch ideas (which means completing the whole application form twice).
- All pitches will be reviewed by a panel from WorldView and WaterAid.
- A shortlist of pitches will be shared with an external panel. The final decisions on winners will sit with WorldView and WaterAid.
- The winners will be announced on 15 June 2015.
- Winners will be awarded grants subject to a contract with WorldView/PMA.
- Applications are open to those aged 18 or over.
- By entering this competition you are agreeing to the terms and conditions.
- Always respect the feelings and privacy of those you refer to or include in your film and seek their written permission for inclusion in your film.
Please click here for the FAQ section and more information about this brilliant pitching opportunity.
The Partnership
With WorldView’s commitment to support filmmakers in bringing the richness and diversity of the world to mass audiences and WaterAid’s aim to ensure everyone, everywhere has access to safe, clean water by 2030, we want to use our combined expertise to encourage the creation of an eclectic range of films that celebrate the many facets of water and its fundamental importance to life.
The partnership has recently completed the first round of its highly successful sH2Orts competition. With entries from filmmakers across 33 countries, this first round culminated in a shortlist of 21 films, with three runners up and two winners. These brilliant films allowed people of all filmmaking abilities to produce one-minute short films which highlight the diverse uses of water across the globe, in time for World Water Day 2015.
The shortlisted films and winning selection from our previous competition can be seen here.
Find out more about our partnership and how to enter a pitch at the sH2Orts website.
Image top: Wen Zhang / Creative Commons