Image Description: (Left to right) Karen Magee, Britney Canzi, Kate Solar, Seán Maheux Galway, and Audrey Chan pose for a picture in front of a tall, blue pull-up banner featuring the text “The Launch: Documentary Pitch Contest.” Positioned in the middle, Solar holds up a large blue novelty cheque to celebrate her first-place win in The Launch 2024.
Photo Credit: Bea Schuler-Mojon
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. On Saturday, three filmmakers walked away from The Launch 2024: Documentary Pitch Contest with prize packages worth over 20,000 CAD. The prizes will support them as they create their short documentaries over the next year.
First-place winner Kate Solar took home 3,000 CAD in cash and over 15,000 CAD in filmmaking services including a mentor who will help her complete her film to be premiered at next year’s Lunenburg Doc Fest. Nate Gaffney came in second place and received 2,000 CAD plus filmmaking services. Andre Anderson, who came in third, was awarded 1,000 CAD as well as filmmaking services.
“I’ve been wanting to tell this story for such a long time,” said Solar. Her winning pitch for the experimental film, Teleplasm, will explore a haunting family history of seance photography through the lens of the women archivists, probing at the relationship between image and truth.
Targeted toward filmmakers from communities underrepresented in the Canadian documentary industry, The Launch gives five selected emerging to mid-career media artists an opportunity to pitch their short documentary ideas in front of a live audience and screen industry jury.
The contest, held at the Lunenburg Opera House, is presented by Lunenburg Doc Fest and is part of the professional development conference, the Dock Market (Sept. 20-22).
John Walker, one of Canada's most respected documentary filmmakers, moderated the competition. The pitch presentations were five minutes each. A screen industry panel – composed of producer, writer, and actor Britney Canzi, Karen Magee, Content Developer at Accessible Media Inc., and Seán Maheux Galway, the Director of Programming at The Charlottetown Film Festival – provided five minutes of feedback after each pitch.
The jury selected the winners. During this time, the audience viewed the world premiere of Wave Theory, the short documentary completed by Brandon Boyd, the winner of The Launch 2023. The 2024 winners were then announced at a lunch reception after the contest.
“This year, all the participants were fabulous with their stories – all very important to the community and really impactful,” said Canzi. “We are super excited for the winners. This is just the beginning for everyone involved.”
Besides receiving the opportunity to pitch, finalists were given pitching workshops in the weeks leading up to the contest. Alison Duke, the founder of Oya Media Group and an award-winning writer-producer-director, led a Pitching 101 session, covering the anatomy of a good pitch and providing personalized project feedback to participants.
Omar Majeed, an award-winning Toronto-based filmmaker (and co-director of Disco’s Revenge which played at the festival) followed up with a mock pitch session, allowing participants to gain hands-on pitching experience within the structure of a real pitching competition and offering one-on-one feedback.
The finalists of Lunenburg Doc Fest’s The Launch 2024 Pitch Contest included:
Andre Anderson is an African Nova Scotian visionary director and alumnus of Neptune Theatre, Saint Mary’s University, and Nova Scotia Community College. With over 13 years of experience in the film and television industry, coupled with business studies since 2017, he brings a wealth of knowledge and creativity to his work. Beyond storytelling, Andre is a transformational leader dedicated to making a difference in his community through his creativity. Andre's projects have earned him significant recognition – he has won the Halifax Innovation Challenge twice.
Eunice Abaga is an accomplished professional with a Bachelor of Education degree from Kenya and graduate degrees in Adult Education and Public Administration from Canadian universities. She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of King's College in Halifax. Despite facing chronic health challenges, Eunice has received multiple awards for her exceptional contributions and resilience. She is interested in storytelling projects focusing on health, education, equity, climate change, and community development.
Kate Solar is a filmmaker based in Kjipuktuk/Halifax primarily working in documentary. Her work investigates the boundaries of memory, looking for what exists in the space between an experience and the photographic documentation of it. Kate holds a BFA in Film from NSCAD University. She was recently selected for the prestigious Independent Images Retreat in Mount Forest, Ontario, where she had the opportunity to pursue her interests in analog processes.
Madeline Toal is a Nova Scotian filmmaker who has written and directed numerous documentary and fiction films. She holds a BFA in film production from York University and a JD from the Schulich School of Law. In addition to writing and directing, she works as an editor primarily in the realm of documentary TV. Her films have screened throughout Canada and internationally, and she is currently in post-production on her two newest shorts.
Nate Gaffney, as a Wolastoqiyik, is deeply driven by his connection to his heritage and culture and believes filmmaking is his way to continue his ancestral tradition of storytelling. His documentaries My Name Is Wolastoq and Indian Braves spotlight Indigenous narratives, with the former earning a screening at the Atlantic Film Festival and both acquired by CBC. Nate's work for Indspire captured inspiring Indigenous success stories across Canada, showcasing resilience and achievement. Based in Wabanaki Territory, Nate co-founded Wabanaki Media and is currently directing a spectrum of film projects.
The five finalists also received a full-access pass to Lunenburg Doc Fest 2024. This included access to the Dock Market industry conference, where the finalists received further professional development and opportunities for one-to-one meetings with peers, industry stakeholders, and decision-makers.
“First steps are hard,” said Bruce MacCormack, Chairperson of Lunenburg Doc Fest. “We are happy to help expand the filmmaking community by providing mentorship, visibility and production support prizes to a talented and underrepresented group of aspiring storytellers.”
The Launch 2024: Documentary Pitch Contest is made possible with the generous support of our partners, including the Canada Media Fund, CBC, the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, and the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage. In-kind support for The Launch 2024 was provided by the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative (AFCOOP), the Centre for Art Tapes (CFAT), Sunbelt Rentals Film & TV, the Documentary Organization of Canada, 902 Post Inc. and Village Works Content Co.
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Lunenburg Doc Fest showcases documentary films that entertain, educate, and inspire, creating a cultural experience and place of connection between filmmakers and film enthusiasts in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The festival is presented with generous support from Canadian Heritage, The Government of Canada, Telefilm, Nova Scotia Communities, Culture and Heritage, and a valued community of sponsors.
For media interviews or more information, please contact:
Audrey Chan, DOC Atlantic Breakthrough Coordinator
Mail: 12 King St | Box 1497, Lunenburg, NS B0J 2C0 Canada
Website: www.LunenburgDocFest.com
Facebook: facebook.com/LunenburgDocFest
Twitter: @LunenburgDocs
Instagram: @LunenburgDocFest
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