Great Pitches and Proposals

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So you’ve got a great idea for a documentary. Now how do you sell it? Explore our unique selection of downloadable, tried-and-tested pitches and proposals created by Canadian media experts. Learn how to pitch your documentary project like a pro!

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For information call the Documentary Organization of Canada at (416) 599-3844 x 2 or email adele@docorg.ca.

Fierce Light

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Fierce Light proposal.pdf

Fierce Light explores the meteoric rise of spiritual action that is exploding around our planet. In these times of raging wars, corporate greed, and environmental collapse, people everywhere are wondering, “why am I here?”. Millions believe that another world is possible, and they are answering the call to take positive, peaceful, powerful action. With their individual action, and the understanding that we’re all in this together, they are creating the largest global movement in history. Fierce Light is the story of this human sunrise. These ‘warriors of the heart’ that show us what is possible when human beings are at their absolute best. Gandhi called it 'Soul Force' Martin Luther King Jr. called it 'Love in Action' we're calling it Fierce Light.

Scared Sacred

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Scared Sacred.pdf

ScaredSacred deftly weaves together stunning footage with haunting memories, inspirational stories, and an evocative soundscape. Featuring an engaging, first-person narrative, this film is an exquisite portrait of a search for meaning in times of turmoil, a luminous gift to a world in shadows.

When Hockey Came To Belfast

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When Hockey came to Belfast proposal.pdf

When Hockey Came to Belfast is the striking story of how Canadian ice hockey is transcending religious lines. Bringing Northern Irish youth together in a shared love of the game, the rink gives boys and girls a haven from the turf warfare that pervades their lives. "When you're on the ice, you don't really think about Protestants and Catholics," says Andrew. "You just get on to play the sport with whoever's there." Set against the backdrop of a post-conflict society, this documentary also provides an intimate glimpse into the realities of life in Belfast - the 12 metre-high walls that divide Catholic and Protestant, the precautions Andrew and Paul must take to be friends and the safety they find on the rink at Dundonald.

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A Tribe of One

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A Tribe of One onesheet.pdf

A Tribe of One proposal.pdf

“I will tell you once, but you must never ask me again.” With these words from her mother, Rhonda Larrabee discovered the startling truth about her family. She was not of Chinese and French descent, as she had been told while growing up in Vancouver's Chinatown. Rhonda’s mother was First Nations. Striving to preserve a legacy that her mother felt forced to escape, Rhonda struggled to piece together a hidden history. Her journey led to the life-altering day that she obtained her Indian Status Card. Today, as proud Chief of the New Westminster Band, she is focused on revitalizing the Qayqayt First Nations. With beautiful archival footage and compelling interviews, this documentary captures Rhonda's quest to embrace her roots and make amends for her mother's pain. As she works to restore the land, culture and pride of the Qayqayt First Nations, she becomes an inspiration to the generations that follow.

Dirt

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Dirt proposal.pdf

"What is it about feeling dirty that shames us into silence and disgust?" asks director Meghna Haldar in the feature documentary Dirt. From the slums of Kolkata to Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to a barbeque joint in Central Texas – everyone has a different story – sex workers, poop scientists, sanitation artists, Catholic priests, cemetery workers, historians and little kids. Dirt isn't just a four letter word, it contains a world of meaning spanning the divine to the profane. A panoply of ideas, opinions and images captured with formal precision and overripe colour on super 16 mm, featuring animation to make Hieronymus Bosch blush, interviews with artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles, tracks from Godspeed You! Black Emperor and an experimental soundscape by Clinker, Dirt digs deep to illuminate the positively filthy experience of being human. 52 minute version also available. In addition to festival screenings, Dirt has screened at the Global Conference on Multiculturalism, Conflict and Identity, Oxford University, University of Regina and will also be screened at a conference on dirt at NYMASA. Dirt will also be part of the Wellcome Trust museum exhibit on the same subject in London, 2011.

The Journey of Lesra Martin

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Lesra Martin onesheet.pdf

Lesra Martin proposal.pdf

Lesra Martin was poor, illiterate and struggling on the violent streets of Brooklyn when a chance encounter with a group of Canadians shattered the confines of his life. Pulled from the chaos of the inner city and given a fresh start in Canada, Lesra became a hero when he helped to bring justice to wrongfully imprisoned American boxer Rubin Hurricane Carter. Finding the courage to change his own life, today Lesra is a lawyer and motivational speaker on the world stage. Delving into the intensely personal story beneath the fame, this film brings together intimate interviews with Lesra, his family and friends. From his home in British Columbia to a poignant return to the streets of his childhood, Lesra reflects with humour and grace on the events that altered his life. He also grieves for family still consumed by the unforgiving ghetto, while inspiring viewers to find their own strength in adversity.

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Ice Girls

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Ice Girls proposal.pdf

In competitive figure skating, only the tough survive. 5:00 am practices. Ballet classes. Tutors. Weight training. Injuries. Dedication to a single cause since the time you could walk. Ice Girls is the story of three elite young figure skaters — Canadian Keyla Ohs and UK skaters Jennifer Holmes and Vikki Hodges as they pursue their dreams of one day ascending the Olympic podium. Shot over three years, Ice Girls paints an intimate portrait of these girls’ lives and their dedication to a sport that demands tremendous physical power and psychological strength.

Breaking Ranks

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Breaking Ranks proposal.pdf

Breaking Ranks is a documentary about the plight of four U.S. soldiers seeking sanctuary in Canada as part of their resistance to the war in Iraq. The film documents their experiences as they try to exercise their consciences amidst profound emotional, ethical and international consequences. Filmed over the course of the refugee process, this provocative film explores the meaning of duty through the powerful testimonies of these young soldiers.

Reservation Soldiers

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Reservation Soldiers proposal.pdf

Filmed over the course of several years, Reservation Soldiers focuses on the relationship between the Canadian military and aboriginal youth. For Blair, Mahekan and Noel, three teenage boys from remote Western Canadian reservations, the military represents an opportunity they don’t often see at home – adventure, discipline and cold hard cash. When they attend Bold Eagle, a six-week military boot camp, they face the reality of military life and ponder a possible future in the Canadian Army. Aboriginal recruiter Sergeant Ron Leblanc knows exactly where they’re coming from. After 16 years in the military he is facing a difficult decision; pursuing a career with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or “paying back” the military for helping him escape his troubled youth by shipping out to Afghanistan, Canada’s most dangerous mission since the Korean War. For these young men, the Canadian military seems like the best option, but is it the only option for their future?

Girl Racers

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Girl Racers proposal.pdf

Girl Racers is a high-octane, four-part documentary TV series that chronicles the careers of North America’s top female race car drivers, including six Canadians, over the course of the 2004 racing season. Narrated by former driver and racing enthusiast Jason Priestley, the series goes behind-the-scenes in one of the most highly watched sports on North American television today. Girl Racers documents for the first time, the trials and tribulations that female drivers experience in one of the few sports where women compete directly with men … and win. Two drivers who are competing at the highest level are: Danica Patrick, who stunned the racing world by placing 2nd in a major European Championship when she was only 18. Girl Racers captures her 2004 season in the Toyota Atlantic Championship as she is groomed for the big leagues with the backing of legendary Indy 500 winner, Bobby Rahal and talk-show host David Letterman. On May 29th of this year at age 23, Danica became the 4th woman ever to compete in the prestigious Indy 500. She drove the race of a lifetime, becoming the first woman in history to lead the race, holding it for 19 laps and ultimately finishing 4th. When she was awarded Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, she officially became the story every newspaper, magazine and television camera wants to capture. Milka Duno, a Naval Engineer by training who holds four masters’ degrees, is what’s known in the industry as ‘the complete package.’ This gorgeous sex symbol of auto racing would seem to have it all. She started racing sports cars just 6 years ago in her native Venezuela and quickly attracted high-level sponsorship. Girl Racers captures Milka in her first year in the Grand American Rolex Championship series — the top-level endurance series in America. Not only does Milka become first woman to win (twice) at Homestead Miami and at the Petit le Mans in Braselton, Georgia, but she is featured in the largest ever Hispanic marketing campaign for Pontiac.