North x North Pitch Competition
The first annual NxN Pitch Competition will be held at the festival on April 27th and is open to filmmakers from across the North American midwest. NxN will grant 6 filmmakers financial support for their next film production.
Filmmakers interested in participating should submit their applications for consideration by March 27th. After a review of applications, 12 finalists will be invited to compete in the NxN Pitch Competition and will be awarded accommodation and all-access passes to the 2022 North x North International Film Festival. Those selected must be able to attend the NxN Film Festival in person and will be expected to provide a full budget.
Finalists will have 20 minutes onstage; 10 minutes to pitch their concepts or works in progress to a panel of judges composed of filmmakers and industry professionals, and 10 minutes for constructive feedback.
Upon review of the submitted applications, the NxN Pitch Competition Committee will invite 2 finalists from each of the categories below to participate:
Pitch Competition Categories
Northland Filmmaker Fund: Open to filmmakers from Northern Minnesota & Northern Wisconsin. Award: $2,500
North x North Short Film Fund: Open to filmmakers who reside in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas. Award: $2,500
North x North Feature Film Fund: Open to filmmakers who reside in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas. Award: $4,000
NAACP Black Filmmaker Fund: Open to black filmmakers from Minnesota and Wisconsin. Award: $2,500
AICHO Indigenous Filmmaker Fund: Open to Indigenous filmmakers who are tribal citizens or tribal descendants of the Bois Forte—Anishinaabe, Fond du Lac—Anishinaabe, Grand Portage—Anishinaabe, Leech Lake—Anishinaabe, Mille Lacs—Anishinaabe, Red Lake—Anishinaabe, White Earth—Anishinaabe, Lower Sioux—Dakota, Prairie Island—Dakota, Shakopee—Dakota, Upper Sioux—Dakota. This category is sponsored by the American Indian Community Housing Organization – AICHO. Award: $2,500
IRRRB Iron Ranger Filmmaker Fund: Open to filmmakers who are residents of the IRRRB service area.https://mn.gov/irrrb/
To Apply
Application Deadline: March 27th, 2022
Application Submission Portal: https://filmfreeway.com/
Application Materials
Working Title Logline (75-word max)
Project Description (250-word max)
Synopsis/treatment (500 word max)
Project status (250-word max)
Funding status (250-word max)
Distribution & marketing plan (250-word max)
Name & contact info with bio (175-word max each) for up to 2 pitch members
Link to video sample (6 minutes max)
This project is funded in part by the Blandin Foundation, the Morgan Fund of the Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation, the Upper Midwest Film Office, St. Louis County, the University of Minnesota Duluth, and the Iron Range Resource and Rehabilitation Board. The Duluth NAACP and AICHO have provided scholarship funding.
