Scottish Screen have provided a very handy downloadable guide to the world of short film distribution. It covers all the bases from festivals to sales agents to digital distribution. If you are even considering making a short film you should read this guide. One of the things I am learning is that thinking about distribution AFTER your film is made is usually way too late. You should be thinking about the goals you have for your film from day 1 of pre-production. It saves a lot of headaches in the long run and it actually makes the whole distribution process more empowering and creative for you, the filmmaker. So get reading!

The call for entries is now open for the Good Pitch at Hot Docs. The Good Pitch gives filmmakers a unique opportunity to pitch social-issue documentary projects and associated campaign strategies to an audience of NGOs, foundations, campaigners, advertising agencies, brands and media.

The Good Pitch at Hot Docs welcomes submissions from filmmakers of any nationality working on documentary projects with a human rights focus. There is no entry fee to apply. Deadline: 20 Feb 2009. Apply at www.britdoc.org/goodpitch.

The Good Pitch will make its first stop at the Toronto Documentary Forum (TDF), May 6-7 2009, part of the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto, April 30-May 10, 2009. See www.hotdocs.ca for more info.

The Good Pitch will then call at SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival in Washington D.C. (June 15-22, 2009) and IFP’s Independent Film Week in New York City in September. Sign up for email updates at www.britdoc.org.

The first Good Pitch was held at the BRITDOC Film Festival in 2008 – see the trailer at: www.britdoc.org/goodpitch. The Good Pitch North America tour is a partnership between the Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation and the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program (DFP).

APPLY HERE.

Here’s the announcement that was made by Cara Mertes and Jess Search about the partnership between the Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation and the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program during the Sundance Film Festival in January this year.