ABOUT EUROPEAN SHORT PITCH

European Short Pitch dedicates a space to projects in post-production to provide the selected filmmakers with a platform to find co-producers, distribution and sales partners, to complete the film and to promote it on a European and international level.

Selected on the basis of the quality and the potential of their short film projects, 4 European talents will pitch and showcase excerpts of their Works in Progress in front of a panel of professionals invited both on site and online for the ESP Coproduction Forum.

European Short Pitch aims to bring emerging European talents into the spotlight, give them a high-end promotion opportunity, and develop short film coproduction in Europe. 362 projects were developed in the previous editions – many with a very successful international career.

CONTENT OF THE PROGRAMME

Prior to the Coproduction Forum, participants will benefit from online editing and marketing & distribution consultations, as well as a pitching training to prepare and rehearse for the event. 

The Coproduction Forum will take place in a hybrid format: on site on 1-2 June, 2026, in partnership with Leiden Shorts Industry Days, and online on 4-5 June, 2026. After presenting the films and their specific needs, participants will benefit from tailored matchmaking through one-to-one meetings with carefully selected professional guests. 

From year to year, the industry professionals invited to the ESP Coproduction Forum are chosen on the grounds of their experience in European short film coproduction and according to the profiles of the selected projects. They will be mostly film producers, the remaining professionals being either distributors/sales agents, festival representatives, financiers (representatives of film funds), or buyers (TV commissioning editors, platforms, etc.).

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

➤ European Short Pitch is open to creative teams working on international short film projects. It is therefore open to directors and producers. In order to foster European coproductions, ESP favors projects that have a national production company attached at the moment of the application. 

➤ European Short Pitch is open to everyone and we strive to welcome a diversity of projects at each edition. We encourage all underrepresented voices to apply in order to foster and promote plurality in the sector, against discrimination.

➤ The programme is aimed at up-and-coming authors and emerging talents.

➤ The author’s nationality or country of residence should be one of the member states of the Council of Europe. 

➤ Applicants must confirm their availability for all sessions. 

➤ The working language of European Short Pitch is English; thus, a good knowledge of English is essential in order to participate.

➤ European Short Pitch accepts fiction, animation, documentary or hybrid short film projects at work-in-progress stage, with a duration up to 59’. 

 ➤ It is important to note that  in order to qualify the shooting needs to be finished or close to completion at the time of the application.

 ➤ Furthermore, the films cannot premiere before the ESP Coproduction Forum in June 2026. It is therefore not recommended to apply to ESP in case you have already submitted the film to a festival taking place prior to the Coproduction Forum dates. The programme is aimed at works in progress, not finished films.

➤ European Short Pitch accepts projects in the editing phase, from assembly to advanced cuts.

PARTICIPATION FEE

The participation fee for one project is 400 Euro. 

The fee covers tuition, as well as accommodation and subsistence for one person – director. The fee does not cover travel costs, which will be at participants’ expenses. 

European Short Pitch accepts a maximum of 3 persons per project; extra participants have to cover their own expenses: accommodation, subsistence and travel.

Many countries support such participation costs. We advise participants to apply for scholarships through their national film funds.

REQUIRED MATERIAL                               

Please register by filling out THIS REGISTRATION FORM: (https://forms.gle/nHaBZ54Qjd2nWKpa7)

• Gather the following materials in a project application package:

1. Completed application form containing the general project information (DOWNLOAD the application form)

2. Project synopsis (max. 1 page);

3. Author(s)'s intention note(s) (max. 1 page);

4. Links to previous audiovisual works (max. 2): we will only accept links to watch online, please do not send us files to download. All works must have English subtitles added, if applicable. 

5. Motivations and goals to take part in European Short Pitch (max. 1 page);

6. Producer’s note (if applicable, max. 1 page);

7. Bios of team members (writer, director, producer/production company), including mentions of the main festival selections and awards for each of your listed previous works;

8. Additional materials (optional): i.e. estimated budget, financing plan, etc.

9. The Work in Progressvideomaterial can be up to 59 minutes in length, with embeddedEnglish subtitles, delivered as an .mpeg4 or .H264 via WeTransfer or a similar online transfer service.

GUIDELINES

• Please send the full project application package to info@europeanshortpitch.org. Please note that the materials should be:

• all in English,

• in the order indicated in the list above, 

• in one PDF file (max. file size 25MB), 

• named after the project title and director’s full name (i.e. THE PIANO LESSON_Jane Campion)

• Please keep to the number of pages and ensure that the information is clear and readable (for example, avoid using too small fonts or complex layouts).

• Please note that you are free to submit pitch decks and other additional materials: however, reading them is totally optional for the ESP reading and selection committees. So please do not rely on additional materials for key information about your project: all relevant information for the application should be present in the mandatory requested materials.