2025 VQFF Pitch Competition

Applications Open |  July 30, 2025 at 12:00am PDT
Applications Close | August 17, 2025 at 11:59pm PDT
Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Please review all information on eligibility, requirements, and procedures.

Selected candidates contacted | August 29, 2025
All applicants, including those rejected to pitch, will be contacted by September 3, 2025. Due to the number of applications, we cannot provide feedback on entries.

Pitch Training Session | September 5 from 10:00am – 12:00pm PDT
The selected candidates will be sent a Zoom meeting link to join the training session virtually.

Live Pitch Competition | Saturday, September 20, 2025
Pitches will take place in front of a live audience and jury members!

Location: SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, Vancouver, BC
Time: 11:30am to 1:00pm PDT

• The primary applicant and pitch participant must identify as a 2SLGBTQIA+ artist.
• Be a Canadian Citizen, landed immigrant, or permanent resident of Canada. 
• Must be 19 years of age or older at time of application.
• Be a creator with at least one producing, directing, or writing credit and have had that work broadcast or air publicly through a non-private platform. 
• Must commit to attend the pitch training session prior to the pitch date.
• Must be able to attend the live competition event in-person and cover their own related costs.

• One application per project and per applicant.
• Applicant must be either the producer, director, or writer of the project.
• A producer must be attached.
• A writer must be attached.
• A director must be attached. Co-directors are welcome to apply.
• Project must be in the pre-development or development stage. 
• Project must be Scripted/Narrative (no Documentary, Factual, or Reality).
• If the project depicts a storyline highlighting an underrepresented and/or underserved community, the Director, Writer, or Producer must be a member of said community.

Application deadline is Sunday, August 17th, 2025 at 11:59 pm PDT. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

All documents must be submitted through the online form. We accept the following file formats: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, and .xlsx.

The application must include the following:

• Director Bio (Max. 150 words)
• Director Resume (Max. 1 page)
• Producer Bio (Max. 150 words)
• Producer Resume (Max. 1 page)
• Writer Bio (Max. 150 words)
• Writer Resume (Max. 1 page)
• Project Logline (Max. 2 sentences)
• Project Synopsis (Max. 150 words)
• Script OR Sample of Script for Proof of Concept (Max. 12 pages)
• Director’s Vision Statement (Max. 3 pages) 
• Producer’s Statement (Max. 150 words) 
• Writer’s Statement (Max. 150 words)
• Project Budget Top Sheet
• Marketing Plan (Max. 1 page)
• For writers, directors, and/or producers with less than 3 professional credits*: One Letter of Support from an industry professional or project mentor per filmmaker (Max. 250 words)

* We define professional credits as credits obtained on projects that received public funding from a funding body or an organization such as Telefilm, National Film Board, Creative BC, TELUS/StoryHive, etc.

JURYING PROCESS

The VQFF Festival Team will do an assessment of projects and select up to 5 projects to participate in the Live Pitch Competition event.

Each selected candidate will prepare a brief presentation on their project. The VQFF Pitch Competition event will take place in front of a live audience, and a jury of film and TV industry professionals.

The VQFF Festival Team and Jury will take into consideration the following criteria to select candidates and a winning project: 

• Originality of concept;
• Quality of script or script sample;
• Strength of the Director, Writer, and Producer’s vision;
• Feasibility of project and budget;
• Potential impact the project will have on the community.

One project will be selected to receive the VQFF Pitch Competition Award by a unanimous vote of the live jurying panel.

QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS

If you have further questions or concerns about applying to the Pitch Competition, you may contact us at selections[@]outonscreen.com .