Explore storytelling with the natural worlds & pitch your vision!
FilmEU invites undergraduates (BA level) and postgraduates (Master and PhD) to submit ideas for the screen to the Changemaker program. Here you will sharpen your pitching skills and get the opportunity to travel to Dublin and present your pitch live on stage this October during the FilmEU Industry Summit 2026.

The theme for this year’s Changemaker program is “Exploring the Natural Worlds”.

WHAT IS THE CALL ABOUT?
FilmEU is an alliance of 8 European Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) forming one joint European University. FilmEU is advancing innovation in the multidisciplinary realm of Film and Media Arts. This collaboration aims to create a truly international teaching and learning environment, capable of providing unique experiences to students.

Changemaker – Pitching for Change offers you an opportunity to take your film or audiovisual project idea and develop it into a well-formulated pitch - preparing you for real world scenarios where presenting your creative ideas effectively is paramount to your success as a filmmaker.

Your target audience should be young people ages 15–25 in Europe.
We seek out ideas in audiovisual short formats (maximum 6 minutes).
The format can be fiction, as well as documentary, animation, innovative social media content/campaign or other XR/immersive formats.

We also want you to make considerations on how you may include emerging technologies in your project. This could be but isn’t excluded to VR/AR, Immersive Sound, Generative AI, data-driven storytelling, new filming techniques or innovative production methods with technology.

WHY?
Exploring the Natural Worlds

In this year’s edition Changemaker we raise the question: Can we really know what it is like to be anyone or anything other than ourselves? Can we explore hidden dimensions of our natural worlds?

In simple terms, we are looking for stories that explore nature beyond the human perspective - from animals and ecosystems to unseen or technologically enhanced views of the natural world.

Putting ourselves in the shoes of others is perhaps one of the most unique features of our human experience and it’s exactly what we try to do when immersing ourselves in stories - even if the shoe’s owner happens to be that of an elephant, mouse or even a straw of grass bending in the wind.

Our understanding of nature is expanding far beyond the human eye. From microscopic ecosystems to planetary-scale patterns, emerging technologies are transforming how we perceive, record, and interpret the living world.

Changemaker 2026 invites young filmmakers to uncover hidden dimensions of nature and bring these worlds to the screen through bold storytelling and innovative production methods.

Your project could potentially explore environmental relationships, non-human perspectives, deep-time processes, biodiversity, or the evolving entanglement between natural systems and technological ones.

With Changemaker we want you to explore the natural worlds that we all inhabit, but still as human-beings have a limited understanding of.

So, if you’re curious to investigate stories beyond our individual and social bonds with the world. Then join Changemaker – Pitching for Change.

WHAT’S EXPECTED?

• Submission materials consist of the following:
• Title & tagline
• Synopsis (400–700 words) linked to the theme
• Team description (max 2 people, roles specified)
• Considerations on how to use emerging technology in the project
• (Optional) portfolio can be sent separately to jeppe.olesen@filmeu.eu

• If selected, you will benefit from the opportunity to:
• Join online pitch training (Sept/Oct)
• Travel to Dublin (Oct 26–31, 2026 - expenses covered - exact dates TBD)
• Pitch on stage (5–7 minutes, in English) and receive feedback from a panel of industry professionals

We welcome early-stage ideas, and finished projects are not required. Projects will be evaluated primarily on the quality, originality, and potential of the concept.

ELIGIBILITY
To participate, you must be enrolled as an undergraduate (BA level) or postgraduate (Master and PhD) one of the 8 FilmEU partner universities during the Fall semester of 2026.

TIMELINE

• Call Launch - Monday 13th of April
• Call Deadline - Friday 29th of May
• Selection Process - Beginning of June
• 8 Finalist Projects Announced - Mid-June
• Summer Break - July and August
• Online Training #1 & #2 - September and Start-October
• In-person Training - 26–30th October (During Industry Summit - Exact Date TBD)
• Pitch Competition - 26–30th October (During Industry Summit - Exact Date TBD)

HOW TO APPLY

1. Click here to apply
2. Optional portfolio (remember to add project title) and other questions regarding Changemaker can be sent to Jeppe Olesen at jeppe.olesen@filmeu.eu

DEADLINE May 29th

Applicants will be notified in mid-June if their project is selected. Travel arrangements will then be coordinated in collaboration with the FilmEU representative of your home institution.