Seek Community and 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 Lisbon and present your pitch live on stage this November during the FilmEU Industry Summit.
This year’s Changemaker theme is Community – young people seeking safety in an insecure world.
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.
We are looking for projects surrounding the theme Community, as described above.
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 or innovative social media content.
WHY?
War, political conflicts, and a rapidly changing climate are creating extreme conditions around the globe. All the while we’re bombarded with brain rot, senseless narratives and media platform algorithms. Species are going extinct and rainforests are destroyed. The list goes on.
Right now, the world is full of alarming things and the pace of change is relentless. You would be right to be concerned.
But! In trying times, people have always found ways to persevere.
It is when we are tested that we realize what our values mean to us. What is worth fighting for? Why do we love what we love? In times like these we seek togetherness. We build community. We help each other.
'Community' conveys the image of a warm and comfortable place, like a fireplace at which we warm our hands on a frosty day. Out there, in the street, all sorts of dangers lie in ambush; in here, in the community, we can relax and feel safe. 'Community' stands for the kind of world which we long to inhabit but which is not, regrettably, available to us. Today 'community' is another name for paradise lost - but for a paradise which we still hope to find, as we feverishly search for the roads that may lead us there.
– Zygmunt Bauman (Polish-British sociologist and philosopher)
Do you have the courage to stand up and help create a safer world and a bright future. Do you want to share stories that emphasize sticking together and finding each other?
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 3 people, roles specified)
- (Optional) portfolio can be sent separately to jeppe.olesen@filmeu.eu
If selected, you must:
- Join online pitch training (late Oct/early Nov)
- Travel to Lisbon (Nov 10–12, 2025 – expenses covered)
- Pitch on stage (5–7 minutes, in English) and receive feedback from a panel of industry professionals
Finished projects are not required — we want early-stage ideas. Projects will be evaluated primarily based on quality of the idea.
We expect you to be able to travel to Lisbon in November 2025 – selected projects will be chosen in the mid-October). Travel Expenses are covered by FilmEU.
You must as part of the Changemaker program:
- Participate in online pitch training session
- Travel to Lisbon, Portugal during the FilmEU Industry Summit
- Pitch on stage for about 5-7 minutes followed by feedback from a jury
- Deliver your pitch in English
We do NOT expect finished projects. This call is for early-stage ideas. The Changemaker program helps you develop your project toward the pre-production and financing stage.
ELIGIBILITY
You have to be enrolled as an undergraduate (BA level) or postgraduate (Master and PhD) in the fall semester of 2025 at one of the 8 FilmEU partner universities.
TIMELINE
- September 16th 2025 – Call opens for submissions
- October 7th 2025 – Deadline for submissions
- Mid-October 2025 – Projects are selected for Changemaker
- Late October/Start November 2025 – Online Pitch Training (Date TBD as it depends on availability)
- November 10th-12th 2025 – Pitching on stage in front of professionals and jury in Lisbon (exact date and time TBD, depends on FilmEU Industry Summit Schedule)
HOW TO APPLY
- Fill out the submission form on this link before Sept 30, 2025
- Optional portfolio (remember to add project title) and other questions regarding Changemaker can be sent to Jeppe Olesen at jeppe.olesen@filmeu.eu
DEADLINE OCTOBER 7th 2025
You will be notified in mid-October, if your project is selected. Travel arrangements will then have to be coordinated with your institution.
