What is “The Launch”?

The Launch is a documentary pitch contest, now in its third year,  that invites emerging and mid-career filmmakers (see eligibility below) to submit original pitches showcasing the potential to make a short documentary film that runs no more than 20 minutes.

Five filmmakers will be selected to present their pitches at the competition, which takes place on-site at the 11th Lunenburg Doc Fest (September 18-22, 2024) before a live audience and a screen industry panel.

The industry panel will offer feedback on each pitch up to a maximum of 10 minutes per pitch.

The panel will also select the first, second, and third-place winners.

Application Guidelines:

• The applicant must be a producer and/or director of the project. Please specify your role(s) in your application form. 

• Film projects must either be in the pre-development, development, or production stage. Projects in post-production will not be eligible. 

• The documentary project should be able to be completed in the following nine months and submitted by July 31st, 2025 for LDF 2025. 

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Pitch Guidelines:

• Each pitch will be ten minutes or less. 

• Each pitch must contain some visual element including but not limited to one or more of the following: video clip(s), teaser trailer, reel or PowerPoint. 

• Only one applicant (one filmmaker) per project will be allowed to pitch.

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To qualify applicants must:

• Identify as Indigenous, Black, and/or a Person of Colour (IBPOC), an artist with a disability, a person that is part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, or another underrepresented identity. 

• Be 18 years or older as of July 15, 2024. 

• Not have been a previous winner of The Launch. 

• Commit to attending both online workshops (August 20 & 27, dates subject to change) and the on-site The Launch competition in Lunenburg on September 20, 2024 (date subject to change). 

• *Be a media creator who has at least one producing or directing credit; or who has a comparable level of industry experience in the arts. 

• Entry is conditional upon full agreement to the Guidelines & Terms.

  
  

Should you have any questions or difficulty applying, please email dabreakthrough@lunenburgdocfest.com

By submitting your application, you guarantee that your project is an original work and that there are no ownership or copyright disputes regarding this entry.

The initiative is funded by the Canadian Media Fund, CBC, the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, and the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage. Lunenburg Doc Fest extends its gratitude to the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative (AFCOOP), the Centre for Art Tapes (CFAT), Sunbelt Rentals Film & TV, Star Power Atlantic, and 902 Post Inc. for their generous in-kind support of the program.