The Big Pitch :: The Big Pitch is a dynamic competition where the UKs most talented, up and coming filmmakers pitch their film ideas to win the largest feature film production prize in the UK. Who wins - You decide.

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Industry Experts

Lead Facilitators

Christine Alderson - CEO/Producer, Moxie Makers

Christine founded Ipso Facto Films in 1993 and made over 50 short films, one off dramas and documentaries before producing her first feature Film Nasty Neighbours (Dir: Debbie Isitt) in 1998.  Since then she has produced/co-produced a further fifteen feature films. Her last completed feature film Irina Palm starring Marianne Faithfull premiered in competition at Berlin IFF 2007.  The film has since gone on to receive two European Film Award Nominations and has enjoyed over a million cinema admissions across Europe. In 2007 Christine founded Moxie Makers to produce micro-budget feature films and remain at the forefront of developing new talent alongside cutting edge technology and distribution.

Eve Gabereau - Managing Director, Soda Pictures

Eve's background is in film projects - from distribution and production to festivals and journalism - as well as in international communications in both the cultural and corporate spheres. Eve established Soda Pictures, a London based independent theatrical and DVD distributor, in 2002. The company now boasts over 100 feature films in its catalogue including Academy award nominee After the Wedding, Golden Globe nominee Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Best European Film 2004 Head On and Sundance Audience Award winner Brothers.

Lorianne Hall - Head of Development, Moxie Makers

Prior to joining Ipso Facto Films and Moxie Makers, Lorianne served as Head of Development and Creative Producer for Samson Films, one of the largest and most successful production companies in Ireland. With Samson Films, she identified potential European, and American co-productions for the company, using her knowledge of various tax schemes in both Ireland and The U.K., while at the same time developing and acquiring commercially viable projects for the European and North American market. Previous to her career in Europe, she was an agent and manager for 5 years and a Development Executive for 4 years. She personally represented over 20 writers and directors at The Paul Kohner Agency, one of Hollywood's longest standing boutique agencies, and has sold material to and placed clients on projects at Sony, Walt Disney Pictures/Touchstone, New Line, Universal, FoxSearchlight, ABC, and Maverick Films for Madonna.  As a Development/Creative Executive she worked for companies Beacon Pictures - Sony /Universal Studios (Air Force One, Spy Game, End of Days, Family Man, The Commitments) and El Norte Productions - New Line Cinema (Bordertown, Selena, My Family, El Norte).

Selection Panelists

Hayley Manning - Head of Production, The Big Pitch & Moxie Makers

Hayley is a founding director of Moxie Makers and an experienced feature film production manager/line producer having worked on over 10 feature films. The majority of these projects have been on European co-productions where she has worked closely with crew and producers from across Europe. Hayley is also a director of in Ipso Facto Films where she works as Head of Production as well as overseeing the day-to-day business management.

Denise Parkinson - Head of Film, Bauer Media

Denise has over seventeen years of experience in UK film marketing, promotions, creative and media experience. Denise heads up the Film category across Bauer Media's extensive portfolio of Radio, TV, Online, Magazines, Mobile, Digital, New Media Brands as well as Events and Premiere tie-ins. Bauer Media owns more than eighty influential media brands spanning a wide range of interests, including Empire, heat, GRAZIA, Closer, MCN, FHM, Parker's, MATCH, Magic 105.4, Kiss 100, Kerrang!, all-new Q Radio and the Big City Network, their group of twenty local radio stations. Bauer Media reaches over nineteen million UK adults across multiple media channels.

Mark Vennis - Head of Acquisitions, Moviehouse Entertainment

Vennis, a fifteen-year veteran of the film industry is an MA graduate of film studies and responsible for bringing new films in to the company, dealing with producers and financiers in addition to overseeing the company's finances and associated activities. He also works closely with Finishing Post Productions, one of the UK's leading film servicing companies, to ensure satisfactory delivery to the company. Prior to forming Moviehouse Entertainment, Vennis worked in various capacities at Virgin Vision, J&M Entertainment and whilst at the latter, initiated and ran their Alternative Cinema Co. label where he garnered vast experience. Finally, he was a Director of Mansfield Associates, film financing experts.

Workshop Guests

Ben Grass - Pure Grass Films

Ben Grass is Managing Director of Pure Grass Films, and Producer of Beyond the Rave, When Evil Calls and Urban Defender. Pure Grass Films specialise in the creation of short form video series which are designed for consumption across multiple platforms. Ben was previously Director of Internet & Wireless for Sony Pictures Entertainment in Europe and Senior Advisor, Corporate Strategy at the BBC. Ben has five years strategy consulting experience, holds an MBA from Insead and an MA in Modern History from Oxford University.

Abi Harris - Managing Director Talent, Finch & Partners

After graduating from Aston University with the Business Prize and a joint honours degree in Psychology and Business, Abi worked as a Media Buyer and then Media Manager in advertising before moving over to film and becoming a Casting assistant for Hubbard Casting, then a Casting Director in her own right.

After 4 years working in casting Abi then made the move into Talent Management working for Artists Independent Network. She is now the Managing Director of Talent at Finch and Partners. Her worldwide clients include Anna Friel, Diane Kruger, Gillian Anderson and Joely Richardson as well as a host of International talent and several young, rising stars.

Christos Michaels - Partner, Lee & Thompson

Christos trained at City law firm Linklaters before specializing there in project finance. In 1998 he joined the film and television department of a leading west end media law practice (including a stint heading up business affairs at Chrysalis Visual Entertainment) where he acted for producers, financiers, actors and agents on films such as "East is East" and "Kevin & Perry".

In 2000 he joined Mel Gibson's Icon UK Group as Head of Legal and Business Affairs. Christos was in charge of the business affairs department for development, sales agency, finance, production and distribution in the UK, Australia and internationally.  Christos worked on an extensive range of UK and US films with budgets ranging from micro to blockbuster including "Apocalypto", "What Women Want" and "It's a Boy Girl Thing".

Whilst at Icon, Christos was one of the 14 UK film executives selected in 2004 to attend the "Inside Pictures" fast track networking scheme in London and Los Angeles.  He also produced through his company Sound Films the multiple award winning short film "Hibernation" (including Best Short at Edinburgh and Manhattan Film Festivals in 2005).

Christos joined Lee & Thompson and became a partner in 2006. Christos represents variety of UK and international sales agents and leading distributors as well as television and film production companies. Christos specialises in production, independent financing and exploitation of audiovisual products in established and new media.

Christos speaks at industry events and seminars in London and internationally and he also sits on the Media and Marketing Committee of the Medicinema charity.

Agnieszka Moody - UK Media Desk

Agnieszka Moody is the Director of the UK MEDIA Desk, an information office of the European funding programme MEDIA 2007, hosted by the UK Film Council.  Her responsibilities include promotion of the Programme to the UK film, TV and new media industries as well as providing information and advice about the Programme to individuals, companies and industry bodies in the UK.  Over seven years Agnieszka has helped over three hundred British companies secure funding for their projects from the EU and also organised a range of industry events and conferences fostering international collaboration, including the Co-production Express at BAFTA in 2005.

Prior to this post, Agnieszka's most recent experience was running her own independent production company International Media Productions in Newcastle Upon Tyne. She is a graduate of the Film Production Department of the world famous Polish National Film and Television School in Lodz. She has worked on several feature films including Schindler's List. From 1993 to 1995 she was based in Paris as Head of Production at Moon Movies, an independent French production company.

Agnieszka lives in south-east London, with her husband and two children.

Gary Phillips - Head of Sales, Moviehouse Entertainment

Gary Phillips is co-managing director and head of sales at London-based Moviehouse Entertainment.  Before forming Moviehouse in 2001 with co-managing director Mark Vennis, Phillips headed sales at J&M Entertainment from 1995 to 2000.  Films he sold there included Anthony Waller's An American Werewolf In Paris, John Boorman's Cannes 1998 (directing) award winner The General, Shirley MacLaine directorial debut Bruno and Joel Silver (executive) produced titles House On Haunted Hill and Dungeons & Dragons. Prior to that, Phillips headed sales at Majestic Films and worked in similarsales capacities at The Samuel Goldwyn Company, Weintraub Entertainment and Warner Bros.

Rachel Robey - Producer, London To Brighton

Rachel Robey set up Wellington Films in 2000 with producing partner and long term collaborator Alastair Clark.

Rachel's debut feature film production was the critically acclaimed LONDON TO BRIGHTON by Paul Andrew Williams (UK Film Council New Cinema Fund) which premiered at the 2006 Edinburgh International Film Festival, winning the Skillset New Director's Award.  Its international premiere followed at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Discovery section and has since won the Hitchcock D'Or at Dinard, Best UK Feature at Raindance, and Best Achievement in Production at the British Independent Film Awards.  It was also nominated in three categories at the London Critics Circle Film Awards including British Film Producers of the Year and nominated for the Carl Foreman Award at BAFTA 2007.  It's released in the UK by Vertigo Films and Momentum Pictures.

BETTER THINGS, the debut feature film from Duane Hopkins, is her second feature production which she produced with fellow producer Samm Haillay, co-producer Alastair Clark and executive producer Christopher Collins (MY SUMMER OF LOVE, BRICK LANE) and backing from Film4, UK Film Council, EM Media and Arte/ZDF.  The screenplay was awarded the MEDIA New Talent Prize for Screenwriting in 2004.  BETTER THINGS is sold internationally by Celluloid Dreams and will be released in the UK by Soda Pictures.

Movie Headline Widget

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Blackout

Blackout

More Fantastic Casting News!...
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Til Jihad do us Part

Til Jihad do us Part

Unseen Trailer...
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Different Shades of Graham

Different Shades of Graham

We're still alive... and oh, by the way, WE WON!...
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The Brightness

The Brightness

Julia Davis joins our cast!!!...
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