Submissions open for the 2023 Pitching Sessions in Berlin!


For the fourth time, Sunny Side of the Doc joins forces with IMZ International Music + Media Centre, the global network for the performing arts film industry to offer two pitching opportunities at Avant Première 2023! Submit your performing arts documentary now and be in with the chance to pitch it to international decision makers in Berlin! The winning projects will get two free accreditations for Sunny Side of the Doc 2023 and will be automatically selected for the #SSD23 pitching sessions.

About the event

Avant Première 2023 shines a special spotlight on performing arts documentaries and offers filmmakers and producers the possibility to take their projects further!

As Sunny Side of the Doc and IMZ wish to encourage digital creation, a second pitching session will be exclusively dedicated to digital content within the performing arts - innovative stories or digital installations created through new convergences of documentary, culture and immersive technologies.

Submit your performing arts documentary or your digital project now for a chance to win the unique opportunity to pitch directly to international decision makers and receive expert feedback on the spot.

Avant Première will take place during the EFM European Film Market and the Berlinale through a fully on-site experience from 18 to 22 February 2023.

Sunny Side of the Doc Pitching Session at Avant Première in 2020

Calling for...

Performing Arts Documentaries:
We are interested in linear documentary stories exploring any aspect of the performing arts – be it an artist’s portrait or a historical/genre specific documentary focusing on any music + dance content. We welcome proposals in development or production, that combine quality, originality and innovation.

Digital creations:
We are looking for native web formats, new media narratives and multi-platform content projects, as well as projects in 360, VR, AR, XR, Binaural Sound or Big Format (Dome) films in the genre of performing arts.

Submit your project now on www.imz.at/avant-premiere/

How does it work?

  • The joint Selection Committee pre-selects 4 proposals per pitching session among all submitted projects, which are then eligible to be presented at the 2023 Pitching Sessions in Berlin taking place at Avant Première 2023.
  • In order to increase exposure + business opportunities for the eligible projects, the pre-selected pitches will be published on the IMZ website and in the Avant Première Agenda + Programme Schedule.
  • In addition, the members of the Jury, consisting of international industry experts, can request a One-on-One Follow Up Session, in which further details can be discussed.
  • Moreover, one project within each pitching session will win the chance to pitch once again in front of an international expert jury at Sunny Side of the Doc, taking place from 19-22 June 2023 in La Rochelle, France, as well as two free accreditations each for the event.
December 19th, 2022: Extended deadline to submit your proposal via the online submission tool on the IMZ Website. More information at www.imz.at/avant-premiere/

In association with our partner IMZ International Music + Media Centre

 The Vienna-based IMZ International Music + Media Centre is a Nonprofit Organisation that was founded under the aegis of UNESCO in 1961 to preserve the performing arts as a cultural asset.

With this goal in mind, our mission is to promote the performing arts in and through audiovisual media in order to make music + dance performances available for future generations but also to reach + engage new audiences through the more easily accessible medium film.

As a global business network for more than 150 IMZ Member Organisations, the IMZ provides relevant information + opportunities for those active at the intersection of performing arts + media: leading film + TV production companies, public + private broadcasters, streaming platforms, distributors + record labels as well as opera houses, concert halls, orchestras and dance companies.