Call for submissions: ReelWorld's Indie Film Lounge

The ReelWorld Film Festival has announced its call for submissions for participants in their development program for diverse and emerging filmmakers called Indie Film Lounge.

The Indie Film Lounge is a career-maker

Each year, we offer 20 emerging and racially diverse artists (E20s) a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

We promote their project concepts and bring in an industry veteran to coach them about topics which may include:

• story development
• the impact of crew selection
• how to pitch themselves and their projects
• how to find financing and funding
• how to market themselves and their films.

After this intensive six hours of focussed bootcamp in August (called ReelPrep), we bring our E20s together at September's Indie Film Lounge and introduce them to more than 200 industry insiders - producers, directors, actors, distributors, funders, buyers and agents. And, we help them to build lifelong, career-making relationships with the influencers and decision makers of North American film and television.

During the Indie Film Lounge, each E20 meets Face2Face with up to 10 industry insiders with expertise in producing, programming, marketing, distributing, story development and financing. These mini-mentorship sessions (each are 15 minutes long) often develop into micro bursts of pitching.

Then, guests enjoy a networking brunch before our E20s broaden their skills and knowledge of Canada’s entertainment industry during an afternoon of case studies where professional filmmakers and funders discuss their most recent film or television projects in front of an audience.

The Indie Film Lounge is an immersive mentorship and professional development experience and one of the many ways that ReelWorld helps foster the talent and careers of racially diverse artists.

It is hosted each September during the Toronto International Film Festival, thanks to the generous support of Telefilm Canada and Kodak Canada.

Apply for the 2014 Indie Film Lounge.

The deadline for applications is June 30, 2014.