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28 Jan – 7 Feb 2027

RTM Pitch

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Get ready: applications for RTM Pitch open earlier this year! Not in the autumn, but already this summer, we’re inviting filmmakers to submit their film plans for the chance to win €25,000 to realise their film. This gives the winning filmmaker just over a year to create a bold and unique film for IFFR. From Monday 13 July, you can submit a plan for a film between 5 and 20 minutes long. The winning film will premiere during IFFR 2028 as part of the RTM programme.

With contributions from the City of Rotterdam, VEVAM Fonds and QISSA, IFFR is once again investing in the city’s film talent. Since RTM Pitch was launched in 2020, we’ve awarded €20,000 each year, funded by the City of Rotterdam to support local filmmakers. The winning project from this latest open call will have its world premiere during RTM Day at IFFR 2028.

Since last year, the RTM Pitch prize has increased thanks to a new partnership with VEVAM Fonds, the Dutch copyright organisation for film and television directors. VEVAM Fonds contributes an extra €5,000  to the winning RTM Pitch project.

We’re also continuing our partnership with QISSA, which provides a development budget of €5,000 for the runner-up selected by the jury and QISSA. QISSA is an agency that helps underrepresented voices and stories find their own path. Thanks to this partnership, we can support not only the RTM Pitch winner but also another filmmaker by providing the guidance, tools and opportunities needed to further develop and shape their submitted film idea.

From Monday 13 July, you can submit your application for the eighth edition of RTM Pitch by sharing a plan for a film between 5 and 20 minutes long. Submissions will be assessed by a jury of film experts and IFFR programmers, who will select:

  • About RTM

    RTM Pitch is part of RTM, IFFR’s programme dedicated to Rotterdam. Through RTM, films and filmmakers from the Maasstad take centre stage, both in the film programme and through special events designed for the exchange of knowledge and experiences among local filmmakers. Expect new short and feature-length films, Rotterdam classics, events, talks, audiovisual art, video clips and installations. 

    This is the eighth edition of RTM Pitch. The six completed films supported through the grant so far are: You Can’t Automate Me (2021), So Loud the Sky Can Hear Us (2022), Fantoomwijk (2023), The Battle of Empty Stomachs (2024), Bubbling Baby (2025) and Rain in August (2026). The project by the seventh RTM Pitch winner, How to Lie, Femme, and Pass., is currently in production and will premiere at IFFR 2027.

  • About QISSA

    Talent is everywhere, but the opportunity to do something with that talent isn’t. That’s exactly what QISSA wants to change. QISSA gives emerging makers more than just a kickstart: it provides an artistic community to draw strength from and fall back on. As a safe haven and a creative incubator, we make space for new voices to develop and support makers throughout their process – from concept to screenplay, web series, theatre production, book or presentation at an arts exhibition.

  • About VEVAM Fonds

    VEVAM is the Dutch Collective Management Organisation (CMO) for film and television directors. VEVAM is a foundation representing approximately 3,100 affiliated Dutch directors, who transfer certain exploitation rights and rights to equitable remuneration to VEVAM through an Affiliation Contract. VEVAM also represents foreign directors through unilateral or reciprocal representation agreements with copyright societies around the world. VEVAM collects and distributes remuneration for the use of audiovisual works.

How to participate

Submit your film plan from Monday 13 July via the application form on this page.

All filmmakers are welcome. This year, we’re especially keen to hear from makers with a plan for a genre film for RTM Pitch. Whether you’re working on a horror, science fiction, thriller, fantasy or other genre project, we’re excited to see films that use genre conventions as the starting point for a distinctive, personal vision.

What should you submit? Include a description of your story, information about its setting, and details about yourself, your team, and the budget and financing plan. Don’t forget to describe your vision for the cinematography. You can also add supporting visual material or examples of previous work as attachments.

Would you prefer to submit a video instead of a written film plan? That’s absolutely fine. Introduce yourself and explain your film idea in no more than three minutes. Then paste a link to your video (Vimeo or YouTube) into the field at the bottom of the application form.

Deadline: Sunday 30 August 2026, 23.59 CEST

  • Selection criteria

    • You are a filmmaker aged 18 years or over (either emerging or established).
    • You live and work in the municipality of Rotterdam. 
    • The city of Rotterdam plays a central role in the setting of your film, regardless of the district.
    • You are able to assemble your own team and work with your own producer, who will be responsible for managing the film’s budget.
    • Your film addresses a contemporary or socially relevant theme that aligns with IFFR’s DNA. 
    • Your film plan is original and innovative in both form and content.
    • The film must not form part of a study programme or graduation project.

  • Additional information

    • Depending on the needs of the selected project, coaching will be provided for up to ten half-days, until the film’s premiere.
    • Your film doesn’t need to be in Dutch or English; films in other languages are welcome, provided they include subtitles.
    • If you live in the Rotterdam region but do not speak Dutch, you’re welcome to submit your plan in English.
    • The prize is intended to support the production of one film only. 
    • Projects with a total budget below €25,000 will not be considered.
    • You are welcome to secure additional funding for your film.
    • If you would like your film to be considered for other IFFR programmes in addition to RTM, it must also be submitted before the general festival submissions deadline at the end of September 2027. General terms and conditions for festival submissions apply.

If you have any questions, please reach out to rtm@IFFR.com.

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