by Thinus Ferreira

The Southern African cinema distributor Gravel Road Distribution Group has launched a feature film pitching competition with a cash prize of R100 000 for the best project to support local filmmaking talent as a celebration of its ten year anniversary.

Open to South Africans 18 years old and older, provided they have not had a film made of his or her script concept before, and the prize includes development support, a distribution guarantee and R100 000 cash.

The intellectual property of the film concept will remain that of the entrant.

Gravel Road Distribution Group specialises in the distribution of independent films in Southern Africa, and the distribution of local films internationally. 

The company’s slate of film releases this year includes The Last Bus, The Artist’s Wife, Sodium Day, Tubular Bells and the Princess documentary about HRH, the late Princess Diana. 

“Film pitch competitions are a remarkable entry point for people in an industry that is often difficult to get noticed in,” says Benjamin Cowley, CEO Gravel Road Distribution Group.

“We hope that this competition becomes a valuable steppingstone, that it will enable promising talent to get exposure and help new film concepts come to the fore in South Africa’s vibrant film industry.”

The competition includes three elimination stages – including entries, shortlisting and a final round – culminating in an in-person
pitch to a panel of industry professionals in Cape Town.

Along the way, entrants will receive constructive feedback,
support and input from industry professionals.

The dates are as follows:

Round 1: Entry

Submit
a formal pitch deck – deadline 1 April 2022. This deck must include
plotline, character bible, treatment and short synopsis. 6
shortlisted projects will be announced on 14 April 2022

Round 2: Shortlist

Shortlisted projects to
submit a completed screenplay by 13 May 2022. These will be independently
evaluated by international readers. 3 finalists will be invited
to participate in the in-person pitch. These finalists will be announced
on 3 June 2022.

Script notes will be shared
with the 3 finalists, who are required to submit revised drafts by 24 June
2022 for the judging panel to read ahead of the finale.

Round 3: Finale

In-person pitches to panel
take place on 7 July 2022 in Cape Town.

Each project team will
participate in a closed 1-hour pitch session, where they will present
their project to the panel, which will include a question and answer
session with the judges.

The winning project will be
announced on 11 July 2022.