Two commissioning editors from Al Jazeera will listen to pitches from 16 African
filmmakers on Saturday 15 June 2013 in Cape Town. Each person has a maximum of
five minutes to pitch his or her film, with an additional 10 minutes allocated for
feedback and questions from the panel. Visual aids will be provided for those that
have DVDs or presentations during the pitch.
This is the second year in a row that Al Jazeera has hosted a pitching session during
Encounters International Documentary Film Festival that runs from 6 to 16 June in
Johannesburg and Cape Town.
In 2012, Mayenzeke Baza pitched Ndiyindoda: I Am a Man, which went on to screen
on Al Jazeera earlier this year.
Submissions
Interested parties should send not more than:
- A one-page synopsis of their film
- A one-page biography of the filmmaker, including complete contact details
(telephone number, city of residence, home and work address)
Send submissions to Nikissi Serumaga at manager@encounters.co.za on or before
16:00 on Monday 27 May 2013.
Selections will be confirmed by Friday 31 May 2013.
Please note that all participants who have been selected to pitch must be available
for a one-day pitching workshop that will take place on Friday 14 June 2013.
The Al Jazeera Pitching Forum takes place on Saturday 15 June 2013 at the Protea
Breakwater Lodge, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.
The Panel
Dominique Young
A senior producer based in Al Jazeera English’s bureau in London, Young commissions
a wide range of documentaries on African and Middle Eastern subject matter for
broadcast in the channel’s flagship observational documentary strand, Witness, as
well as other documentary seasons.
Diarmuid Jeffreys
An award-winning journalist and television producer with 30 years’ experience in the
media industry, Jeffreys has been an executive producer at Al Jazeera English since
2008. Now based in Doha, he is responsible for its People & Power investigative
current affairs programme and a range of other documentaries across the network.
For more information, visit www.encounters.co.za.
