The annual Sheffield Doc/Fest held every summer isn’t just a great place to check out the latest indie film offerings, it’s also a great place for filmmakers looking for help and support. This week the event has now opened applications for the Alternate Realities Talent Market and the MeetMarket 2020 to aid creatives.
The Alternate Realities Talent Market is the place for those wishing to build partnerships with organisations which are keen to use modern digital tech for new storytelling purposes. The market is for discussing new projects that are interactive, immersive, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), AI, mixed reality (MR), immersive sound technology, videogames, 360-video, live performance, motion comic, room-scale experience and/or installation based.
Successful applicants will then be connected with funding bodies, NGOs, broadcasters, international festivals, galleries, and production companies. Projects then have the opportunity to return to the festival to present completed works in the Exhibition.
The MeetMarket, on the other hand, is a dedicated pitching forum for documentary films. Selected projects have the chance to meet from 300+ international funders, broadcasters, distributors and exhibitors. These include the likes of ARTE, BBC, Catapult Film Fund, Channel 4, Curzon, Cinereach, Dogwoof, The Guardian, Google, National Geographic, NETFLIX, New York Times, PBS, SKY, Submarine, SXSW, Universal and VICE.
Previous documentaries which have found partners in the MeetMarket include The Edge of Democracy, Unrest, Bobbi Jene, Searching for Sugarman, The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence, Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, A Family Affair, Forever Pure, Mavis!, 5 Broken Cameras, The Story of Film.
The deadline for both the MeetMarket and Alternate Realities Talent Market is 14th February 2020. Submissions cost £26 GBP ex VAT and Sheffield Doc/Fest has partnered with Getty Images so that applicants have free use of its content.
If you’re selected then you’ll get pre-arranged, match-made meetings during the festival in June. 40-60 projects will be selected for MeetMarket, and 20-25 teams can pitch at the Alternate Realities Talent Market.
Sheffield Doc/Fest runs from 4th – 9th June 2020 with early bird passes now available for £239 + VAT. For further updates on the event and what VR/AR content will eventually feature, keep reading VRFocus.