Young filmmakers learn the art of the pitch at Cannes

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

CANNES, France (AFP) — Looking for a million dollars to finance your "political horror film"? A Cannes workshop on the art of pitching will show you how.

Organised as part of the Short Film Corner at the world's biggest cinema showcase, a dozen young movie-makers are invited to pick up tips in selling a project to potential investors in a matter of minutes.

The thirty-somethings from around the world take notes from veterans such as Ido Abram, who heads up a training institute in Amsterdam.

"The most important thing at a festival is to make yourself heard," Abram says. "So speak up."

The group around the table begins brainstorming and puts forward an idea to test out at the workshop: a director who has made a short film set on a boat in Greece under...