BravoFACT and Women in Film & Television – Toronto Announce New Partnership as Part of BravoFACT’s Year of The Female Filmmaker Initiative

TORONTO (September 11, 2015) – Bell Media’s BravoFACT (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent) and Women in Film & Television  – Toronto (WIFT-T) announced today they have partnered for a new pitch contest, beginning Oct. 1. The announcement was made from the annual BravoFACT brunch celebrating the Toronto International Film Festival Short Cuts Programme. As part of BravoFACT’s Year of The Female Filmmaker initiative, the BravoFACT WIFT-T pitch contest welcomes interested WIFT-T members to submit their short film pitch for a chance to win a $40,000 first place award, and a $30,000 second place award. “As part of our Year of the Female Filmmaker initiative, partnering with engaged and respected women’s organizations such as WIFT-T was a priority,” said Tracey Pearce, Head, Specialty and Pay, Bell Media. “Beyond supporting female-led projects, BravoFACT will work to implement programs that offer high-profile platforms for female creatives to showcase their work. We look forward to working with our partners at WIFT-T to review the submissions, and applaud everyone who participates.” “We firmly believe in promoting diversity in our industry by fostering strong female voices,” said Heather Webb, WIFT-T Executive Director. “By declaring 2015 the Year of the Female Filmmaker, BravoFACT and their generous support is providing an exceptional and invaluable opportunity for us to nurture the creative development and growth of our members working in the screen-based industry.” Launching Thursday, Oct. 1, teams submitting their short film for consideration must include a female producer or director. From the submissions, six teams will be selected to participate in the pitch competition and will receive the following:

• A pitch coaching session led by an industry professional to help fine tune pitches
• Four tickets to the 2016 WIFT-T Showcase
• An opportunity to showcase their project in front of a high-profile jury comprised of BravoFACT professionals and industry experts

The six teams selected will present to an audience comprised of WIFT-T members, industry professionals, and content creators, affording all presenters excellent exposure for their projects, regardless of the outcome. Aside from the cash awards, the first place team receives two, $500 WIFT-T programming passes that can be put toward the fee of any one of WIFT-T’s paid programs. The second placed team receives onstage recognition at the 2016 WIFT-T Showcase in March. Deadline to submit is Friday, Jan. 8, 2016. Interested teams can download a BravoFACT application form at www.bravofact.com. For more information and contest rules, applicants can visit here. Since its launch in January 2015, BravoFACT’s Year of the Female Filmmaker initiative has been providing support to up-and-coming female filmmakers across the country by committing a guaranteed minimum of 50% of its funds, in perpetuity, to female-led projects. To date, BravoFACT has awarded a total of $1,255,044 million to female-led projects, and Women in Film & Television-ATLANTIC (WIFT-ATLANTIC), Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC), HOT DOCS and Victoria Film Festival, to continue to offer young filmmakers support and funding for their projects. BravoFACT has also welcomed high-profile female guest jurors to its quarterly juries including actor and filmmaker Amy Jo Johnson, actor Natalie Brown, and Hot Docs programmer Angie Driscoll.