Nordisk Panorama Forum 2019 Guidelines

Malmö, Sweden, 22-24 September 2019

Nordisk Panorama Forum for Co-financing of Documentaries is open to filmmakers with new documentary projects, decision-makers and experts, observers, other professionals and film school students.

Producers with a new documentary project can apply for access to Nordisk Panorama Forum in two different ways:

  • Applying to pitch a project in public and have priority access to meetings with decision-makers (pitch teams)
  • Applying for access to meetings with decision-makers without pitching (observers+)

Both of these options are subject to a selection based on a project application, which must be submitted by the project deadline. Professionals involved in selected projects must subsequently register for accreditation to Nordisk Panorama Forum by the accreditation deadline.

All participants must apply for accreditation to Nordisk Panorama Forum by the accreditation deadline. The number of seats will be limited and access is only available with Nordisk Panorama Forum accreditation.

Project Eligibility

To be eligible the documentary project must:

  • qualify as an independent production
  • qualify as a Nordic or Baltic production with the main production company being from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Greenland, The Faroe Islands, Åland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania or from the specially invited foreign delegation
  • be supported with credible financial backing from a national, international or regional financier. Documentation may be requested. Producers’ and personal investment should be excluded.
  • be supported by a commissioning editor from a national or regional film fund or broadcaster, who has committed to be present to pitch the project along with the producer at Nordisk Panorama Forum (recommended)

Nordisk Panorama Forum is also open to series and to cross-media documentary projects with a film or television component.

Project Application

A complete project application should be submitted online by the project deadline. Please have all the material listed here in the guidelines ready before you begin. All material must be in English. Application requirements:

  • A completed application form filled in online. Required information:

o    working title
o    short synopsis (English, max. 400 characters incl. spaces)
o    screening format, shooting format
o    anticipated duration
o    production start, production status, expected release
o    total budget in EURO
o    decision-maker who has committed to back the project at the pitch (recommended)
o    production company: address, contact info, VAT no
o    producer: contact info, filmography with max. 3 selected titles
o    director: contact info, year of birth, gender, filmography with max. 3 selected titles
o    confirmed financing (responsible financier, institution/company, amount in EURO)
o    sales company (if you have one): address, contact info, territories covered
o    has the project been pitched before at other forums

  • A pdf-file containing three A4 pages without page numbers ready for print in b/w (with room for margins) including:

o    a synopsis
o    a presentation of the production company, the producer and director
o    a top line budget in EURO (summary budget with the main headings such as development, equipment, travel & accommodation, post production, music & archive etc.)

For projects selected for pitch, the 3-page pdf will be printed in the Project Catalogue distributed to all participants. Applicants are encouraged to include visual material in the 3-page pdf.

  • Trailer or clip to be presented to the selection committee. If the project is selected, the trailer/clip will be made available at Forum Online before the forum in order for decision-makers and experts to request meetings with projects of their choice and for participants to prepare.
    Max 3 minutes, English subtitles or English versioned, MP4, H264, 160 Kbps (stereo) / 48 kHz sample rate, 1920×1080, 25 fps, 1500 Kbit/s. Please make sure that the file is optimized for web/streaming. Max. file size 100 MB. When following the specifications the file size is approx. 20-40 MB.     If you have trouble getting the right trailer format, please see this guide.
  • A still photo representing the project. jpeg, tiff or eps, 10 cm wide, 300 dpi, landscape
    The still submitted will be cropped to fit the size of width 900 x height 506 pixels for web. Please make sure it works with these dimensions.
  • Outreach/impact strategy (max 1 page pdf) applicable for projects planning to work with outreach or impact.
  • Cross-media/interactive description (1 page pdf) only applicable if you’re submitting a cross-media documentary project. The description must include:

o    Platform Strategy (e.g. tv/cinema, web, game, mobile, live event)
o    Interactive Elements
o    User Experience

  • Projects applying to pitch should preferably have secured an agreement with a commissioning editor who has committed to pitch the project along with the producer at Nordisk Panorama Forum. The commissioning editor must be from a national or regional film fund or broadcaster. This agreement should preferably be made before submitting the application. Documentation may be requested. (not applicable if applying as observer+)

The size of all the uploaded files is limited to a total of 200 MB (this includes PDF, trailer, still and cross-media/interactive description if applicable).

Please note: the form will not be saved before it is completed. Depending on the size of your uploads and your internet connection, the upload may take several minutes.

If the submission of a project application is successful, the sender will receive a confirmation e-mail. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Project Selection – Pitch

A selection for the pitch will be made from the applications. The primary selection criteria will be the estimated potential of the project to travel and an assessment of the project’s financial feasibility. Priority will be given to first time participants and projects that have not been pitched at other events before Nordisk Panorama Forum. Selections will be announced no later than 15 July.

If the project is selected, the project fee includes full access for up to two pitch team members who must register for accreditation to Nordisk Panorama Forum by the accreditation deadline. Additional accreditations for project related professionals can be applied for.

Projects pitched at Nordisk Panorama Forum are requested to credit the Nordisk Panorama logo in their final credits. You can download our logo here.

Feedback is not guaranteed if your application is unsuccessful.

Project Selection – Observer+

A selection will be made from the applications. The primary selection criteria will be the estimated potential of the project to travel and an assessment of the project’s financial feasibility. Selections will be announced no later than 15 July.

If the project is selected, it should be represented by at least one project related professional. The project fee includes full access for one observer+ who must register for accreditation to Nordisk Panorama Forum by the accreditation deadline. Additional observer+ accreditations for project related professionals can be applied for.

Feedback is not guaranteed if your application is unsuccessful.

Accreditation

All participants must register or apply for access to Nordisk Panorama Forum by filling in the online accreditation form by the accreditation deadline. Notification about participation in Nordisk Panorama Forum will be given as soon as possible after the deadline and no later than 20 August.

To secure a granted Nordisk Panorama Forum seat the participation fee must be paid before the deadline. Participation is binding and fees will not be refunded. If a granted seat is not paid by the final payment date, the seat may be offered to someone else. No refunds.

To be eligible for an observer seat as a producer or director, you must be Nordic, Baltic or part of the foreign delegation. The number of forum seats is limited and access to the forum is only available with Nordisk Panorama Forum accreditation.

Producers Meet Producers

The networking event Producers Meet Producers will take place on Sunday. The event aims to facilitate the efforts to find suitable co-production partners and form the bonds necessary to access funds across borders.

Producers categorized as pitch team members, observers+ or observers can apply to participate when submitting the online accreditation. Seats are limited. A selection will be made should there be a larger number of eligible producers than available seats. When granted a seat, participation is binding and free of charge.

In connection with Producers Meet Producers Nordisk Panorama Forum welcomes a specially invited foreign delegation for them to connect with the Nordic documentary community and vice versa.

Forum Online

Selected pitch team and observer+ projects will be presented at Forum Online – a password protected area at the Nordisk Panorama website. Each project will be presented with basic project information and a trailer/clip.

Furthermore Forum Online presents professional profiles of all participants, including detailed profiles of decision-makers and experts. Forum Online will be open to Nordisk Panorama Forum participants for preparation 3 weeks prior to the event and until April the following year.

Project Catalogue

The projects selected for pitching will be presented in a printed catalogue with the material submitted for the application. The Project Catalogue offers an extensive presentation of the projects, providing production facts, a summary budget, a synopsis, a company profile as well as presentations of the producer and the director. The Project Catalogue will be distributed to the decision-makers approximately 10 days prior to the event and handed out to participants on the spot.

Participants’ Guide

The Participants’ Guide contains the programme and pitching schedule, practical information, decision-maker profiles and a delegate list including contact information for all participants. The Participants’ Guide will be handed out to participants on the spot.

Pitching Sessions

Pitching sessions will take place during two days of the forum on Monday and Tuesday until lunch. The pitching sessions will be conducted in English.

Each pitch team has a maximum of 7 minutes to pitch their project together with the involved commissioning editor. Visual material should be used for the presentation (file, DVD or content from the Internet, although trailers can not be streamed).

The pitch will be followed by a short discussion of maximum 7 minutes with a panel of decision-makers moderated by one of two moderators. Pitch teams will have a meeting with one of the two moderators prior to the pitching session, in order for the moderator to guide the panel discussion in the project’s best interest. The moderator meetings will take place on Sunday before the pitching sessions on Monday and Tuesday.

Individual Meetings

After the pitching sessions time is set aside for individual meetings between decision-makers/experts and pitch teams or observers+. Individual meetings are scheduled at 15 minutes each.

Individual meetings between decision-makers and pitch teams or observers+ are scheduled in advance by the forum staff on the basis of meeting requests received through Forum Online. Forum Online will be open for submission of requests for a two-week period from the end of August. All requests are to be submitted during this period.

In addition, the forum staff can add meetings for pitch teams after the pitch, in the event of a favourable response from a decision-maker.

Only decision-makers/experts, pitch teams and observers+ can request meetings. A maximum of 8 requests per project can be submitted by pitch teams and observers+. Decision-makers/experts can submit an unlimited number of requests.

The forum staff will try to book as many meetings as possible, but cannot guarantee a certain number of meetings per project. First priority will be given to meetings requested by decision-makers, second to pitch teams, and third priority to observers+. Observers+ will usually be granted fewer meetings than pitch teams, unless decision-makers take a special interest in an observer+ project.

Meeting schedules will be posted at the Nordisk Panorama Forum venue after lunch.

If decision-makers have an available meeting slot in the meeting schedule posted, Nordisk Panorama Forum participants are free to approach them on their own for possible meetings.

Joint Dinner

Sunday night the forum team coordinates an informal dinner for producers, directors and other film professionals taking part in Nordisk Panorama Forum. This gives participants a chance to meet their colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere before the pitching. Participants pay their own dinner, but we will arrange for a standard dinner at a reasonable price. If you want to attend, please sign up when you fill in the forum accreditation. You will then receive an invoice for the dinner.

Nordisk Panorama

Nordisk Panorama Forum is an integrated part of Nordisk Panorama Film Festival. As a Nordisk Panorama Forum participant festival accreditation is included free of charge. Nordisk Panorama Festival accreditation gives access to all festival screenings, seminars and events. Tickets for the Awards Gala Party Tuesday 26 September can be purchased.

Nordisk Panorama Forum Fees

Accreditation fees are exclusive of VAT, bank and administration charges and include:

  • Lunch and coffee
  • Catalogues (film school students will share catalogues)
  • Producers Meet Producers (if a seat is granted)
  • Nordisk Panorama Festival accreditation

Fees:

  • Pitch project DKK 3.600 / approx. € 485 including full access for up to two participants
  • Additional Pitch Team Member DKK 2.000 / approx. € 270
  • Observer+ project DKK 2.600 / approx. € 350 including full access for one participant
  • Additional Observer+ DKK 2.000 / approx. € 270
  • Observer DKK 2.000 / approx. € 270
  • Other Professional DKK 2.000 / approx. € 270
  • Film School Student DKK 1.000 / approx. € 135 (when first or second forum participation)
  • Joint Dinner DKK 350 / approx. € 47
  • Nordisk Panorama Awards Gala Party DKK 225 / approx. € 30

Deadlines

For questions, please contact Forum Manager, Christina Jul Gregersen.