The Call for Projects for Quebec and All of Canada
is open until August 25, 2025
Rough Cut Pitch, a showcase for projects from all across Canada, is back for another edition. This call is open to auteur-driven documentary projects that embrace an authentic and creative artistic approach and are currently in post-production.
Selected participants will have the opportunity to present their project, along with a video excerpt, during a live pitch session in front of an audience of renowned international industry professionals from the documentary field, including representatives from festivals, distribution companies, sales agents, broadcasters, and digital platforms. This activity, which includes a competitive component, will feature several prizes offered by our partners — one of which is already confirmed by Vital Distribution. Additional prizes will be announced soon.
Selected teams (filmmakers and producers) must be available for the full duration of Forum RIDM’s Industry Market, from November 24 to 26, 2025, and will have the opportunity to take part in the One-on-One Pitches, the Forum’s flagship networking activity.
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OBJECTIVES
• Generate interest in the project among local and international buyers.
• Define the film’s identity and positioning in a context of international distribution.
• Develop international marketing and distribution strategies.
• Showcase Canadian documentary talent.
• Build relationships between local producers with buyers, distributors and programmers attending Forum RIDM.
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ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
• Canadian citizenship or permanent residency (for filmmakers).
• Documentary projects produced by a company primarily based in Canada, or self-produced.
• Creative documentary projects of at least 60 minutes in length, currently in post-production and with international distribution potential.
• A video excerpt of no more than 10 continuous minutes, subtitled in English. For films shot in a language other than English, selected teams will have one month to produce a temporary English-subtitled version of the excerpt.
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HOW TO APPLY
Submit your project by completing this form by August 25th, 2025, including:
• Project dossier (combined in a single PDF), containing:
- Updated filmmaker CV
- Updated producer CV
- Motivation letter explaining how the project and your career would benefit from participating in the Rough Cut Pitch
- A long synopsis, a budget summary and financial structure, a production timeline, sources of funding, partners, distribution plan, festivals, etc. (maximum 4 pages)
• A video excerpt of no more than 10 continuous minutes from the project
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PARTICIPATION FEES
If selected, a $170+tax fee will be required. This covers all activities, including one team member’s participation in One-on-One Pitches. By purchasing a buy-in for this activity, a second team member may also take part.
All participants will receive a RIDM + Forum accreditation, which grants access to festival screenings, the full Forum RIDM program, and — where applicable — One-on-One Pitches.
For any questions, please contact forum@ridm.ca