Deadline: 22-Sep-2025
The filmmakers can now pitch their film idea for a feature film, long animated film, or long documentary to a panel before proceeding to scenario development.
Focus: With the pitch, filmmakers test whether their film idea is convincing as a promising concept for a cinema film. Producers and/or experienced screenwriters who have an idea for a feature film, long animated film, or long documentary first pitch their film idea to a panel before submitting an application for script development. With the pitch, filmmakers test whether their film idea is convincing as a promising concept for a cinema film. During the pitch, you have the opportunity to clearly and concisely express the core qualities of the film idea: what kind of film you want to make, for whom, with whom, and why.
Filmmakers with an idea for a feature film, long animated film, or long documentary must first present their concept to a panel in the “Pitch Film Idea” stage before they can move forward with a scenario-development application. The purpose of the pitch is to evaluate whether the idea is convincing and promising as a potential cinema film. During the pitch, applicants are expected to clearly and succinctly express the core qualities of their film idea: what kind of film they intend to make, who it is for, with whom they are making it, and why.
The panel consists of five independent members from the film and broader cultural sector. If the panel’s judgment is positive, the filmmaker receives feedback to refine their idea for the subsequent scenario-development submission. A positive outcome does not automatically guarantee funding—rather, it enables the next step of formally applying for scenario development. If, however, the pitch is judged negatively, the team cannot proceed with a scenario-development application.
Only a producer or, in some cases, an experienced screenwriter can submit a pitch. A producer must represent a production company that has been established for at least two years in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, an EU/EER member state, or Switzerland, and must have previously realized and released at least one independent majoritarian Dutch film longer than 70 minutes. That producer must be distinct from the film’s director or screenwriter. In the case of feature films or long animated films, an experienced screenwriter may pitch if they intend to independently pursue scenario development and have previously been primarily responsible for the scenario of at least one film of similar length released in Dutch cinemas.
When registering for the pitch, the following will be requested in the participation form: a brief written elaboration (maximum two A4 pages) consisting of a logline, a plan description detailing the story, intended style, theme, genre, and how it will be portrayed, along with why, for whom, and with whom the team wants to create it; a short biography of the team members and key stakeholders (maximum one A4); and an optional mood board. The entry form works with fixed input fields.
There are four pitching rounds each calendar year, and there is no limit on the number of projects that can be submitted per round. However, a single producer or experienced screenwriter may be involved in no more than ten Pitch Film Idea projects per calendar year. The deadline for applications is 22 September 2025.
For more information, visit Dutch Film Fund.
