WELCOME TO THE THIRD ANNUAL
GREAT CHICAGO PITCH!

TAKING PLACE AT THE BEAUTIFUL RAGDALE FOUNDATION

2023 marks the third year of CMP’s signature pitching event showcasing diverse, emerging documentary storytellers and celebrating the power of community. Think TED Talk meets Shark Tank meets Kickstarter.

The Great Chicago Pitch is a fast-paced afternoon uplifting powerful documentary films, chosen by a jury of industry professionals after an exhaustive curatorial process. The GCP invites audiences to witness a rare moment in the filmmaking process and to meet the next generation of boundary-pushing creators. Their newest works push the art of documentary forward with incredible stories while centering film at the core of social change.

Our audiences call the GCP “a revival meeting for great documentaries”. It inspires audiences to see the world differently while providing an early glimpse into the culture-shifting docs of tomorrow. At the conclusion of the GCP, the audience, along with a panel of jurors, will award one of the films the top prize of a grant from CMP’s Shifting Voices Film Fund (SVFF).

In addition, as a live crowdfunding event, audience members participate to award funds to the films that move them, adding excitement and engagement to the day. The GCP creates a vital new opportunity to access industry and public visibility for BIPOC creators and projects. Each film reveals huge potential for meaningful community screenings and talk-backs designed to spark real-world conversation and change in our communities.

This year we will welcome from across the globe 100+ avid film lovers, investors, grantors, industry executives and social cause organizations that have a real-world stake in the issues featured in each film.