Day Pass £25 | Free with Festival Pass
Have you got a great idea for a movie?
This is it! The Live!Ammunition! the pitching competition returns! In person!
This is your chance to pitch your movie idea directly to a panel of film industry executives and the toughest critics of all, a Live Audience.
The people on our Panel are the people who matter. They decide what gets made.
Pitching skills are the one skill often overlooked by writers, directors and producers. Learn how it’s done by watching the rest and hone your pitching skills by getting instant feedback. Who knows, your pitch could be taken up by one of our panel. Past Pitches that have gone into production include Meet The Parents (1994), 51st State (1995), Siamese Cop (1996) and White Bhaji (2001).
You get up to 2 minutes for your pitch but the panel can, and will, gong you off if they get bored. But they have to give two good reasons why.
Following the event, Boundless Imagination will host a drinks reception at the bar celebrating our winner of the Raindance Script Competition.
The Prizes!
All winners get a year’s complimentary Membership Pro and the overall winner will get a £100 Raindance Voucher to use on any Raindance course or event.
How to Pitch:
Registrations to pitch will be taken on a first come, first served basis in reply to an email which will be sent at a predetermined time on the day of the event. There are twenty places guaranteed to pitch. Once the first 20 places have been filled we will keep a waiting list.
Please note, the demand to pitch is high and admission does not guarantee you a slot to pitch. However, we will accommodate as many pitches as possible and if you’re on the waiting list this does not necessarily mean you won’t get the opportunity.
Not ready to pitch? Then just come, watch, learn and network.
*Verbal pitches only, no visuals
*Panelists subject to change
About the Panel:
Susie Hunt
Susie Hunt works across Production & Development at Hangtime, a brand new production company launched in May 2024 by veteran producers Frank Murray (First Reformed, The Power) and Frida Torresblanco (Pan’s Labyrinth, Disobedience). Susie’s particular focus is on uncovering exciting new voices working towards their first or second features, and building strong relationships with emerging talent.
In addition to her work at Hangtime, Susie has produced a number of award-winning short films that have screened internationally, and has supported Executive Producers on HETV productions such as The Rings Of Power and Willow.
Ali Mashayekhi
Few people have done more deals than Toronto based film producer, Ali Mashayekhi
Ali is the president of Landed Entertainments, a Canadian based film production company. Ali has produced over 90 films around the world since 2003 including; Japan, Indonesia, USA, Netherlands and France.
He is also the Executive Director of the Ethnically Diverse Artists (EDA) Foundation, a non-profit and charitable organization founded by Mena Massoud (Aladdin), which aims to inspire inclusivity and diversity in the arts. Ali is also an ambassador for Inara, a non-profit charity that helps war wounded children around the world, created by former CNN’s Senior International correspondent Arwa Damon.
Ali just finished a Stephen King short story adaptation based on Sherlock Holmes, The Last King, entirely in the Farsi language. This Farsi adaptation stars Maz Jobrani (A Simple Wedding), Navid Negahban (Homeland) and Shiva Negar (American Assassin). Most recently, Ali is the Executive Producer on a Crave TV travel food series (Evolving Vegan) and produced a horror feature film starring Raindance alumni, Cristo Fernandez (Ted Lasso).
Gillian Fortin
Most recently, Gillian has just finished production on her first feature film as an associate producer which was shot in November of 2022 by director Joanna Tsanis (Mourn) and starring Adam Tsekhman (DC Legends of Tomorrow) and Cristo Fernandez (Ted Lasso).
Currently, Gillian is developing a crime-drama feature entitled Snow by writer/director Peter Sreckovic (Hot Local Singles Are In Your Area), that will be filmed in Northern Ontario in the last quarter of 2023 and starring Ramona Milano (Degrassi the Next Generation) and Matt Murray (Snow Piercer). Gillian is also a writer with her first screenplay The Overkill (2022), which was filmed in the fall of 2021.
Since then, Gillian has gone on to write stories that challenge the status quo with a critical lens around women-specific issues. Her latest screenplay called Fathers Paradox is a feminist sci-fi that explores the world of women and AI relationships.
This is scheduled to go to camera at the beginning of 2024 using the 2D Unreal studio. Gillian also wrote, produced and starred in her directorial debut film Portrait of Consumption which is a societal critique on the effects of social media expressed in the style of a silent film.
Gillian is currently working on a sci-fi feature screenplay that explores what it means to be human and DNA manipulation. She will be taking a leading role as a producer on this project which is expected to begin pre-production in early 2024.
Zeus Kontoyannis
Zeus Kontoyannis is a producer and writer with more than a decade of experience in the film industry. He’s worked at Cinetic Media on the Banksy documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” and continued his career under veteran Hollywood and Broadway producer Scott Rudin, working on films including “The Social Network,” “True Grit,” “The Dictator,” “Moonrise Kingdom,” and the original theatre production of “Book of Mormon.” He has also worked on projects produced by Terry Leonard, Mynette Louie, Peter Berg, and Academy Award Winning director Ross Kauffman.
Jurgen Wolff
Discover Be Discovered.
You want to pitch?
- Get your ticket or your pass
- It’s first come, first serve
- Register at the Hospitality Desk at Wonderville on the day
Additional resources:
Evening class: Pitching Skills Workshop
Did You Know?
- Raindance Film Festival is considered one of the top fifteen film festivals in the world?
- The Higher Education programme at Raindance Film School offers HND, BA and MA in Filmmaking and Screenwriting?
- Raindance members support indie film, and enjoy a range of member benefits
- You can call us on +44 (0) 207 930 3412
