Lunenburg Doc Fest announces finalists in its inaugural live pitch contest

The Lunenburg Documentary Festival is an annual celebration of true stories told on film, highlighting local and international doc creators and their works. Earlier this year, the event announced it was time for it to do more for emerging doc directors from marginalized communities, so it launched a program aimed at pushing back against systemic barriers, called The Launch Documentary Development and Pitch Contest.

Five filmmakers from underrepresented communities (BIPOC, 2SLGBTQiA+, persons with a disability, or individuals belonging to other underrepresented communities) will receive support in developing their doc pitch in preparation for a live pitch event happening during this year’s fest, which is slated for September 22-28. The overall winner will walk away with a $10,000 purse, including cash and in-kind filmmaking services and one-on-one mentorship to help them create a documentary short.

Today, the fest announced its final five: Israel Ekanem, Clinton Ray Howard, Juliet Mawusi, Anna Quon and Gee Stewart. Coast readers will remember Ekanem as one of Halifax’s hardest-working filmmakers, having created over 13 short films in four years. Ekanem is a fixture at the annual Emerging Lens Film Festival, finding movie-making inspiration in everything from the words of rapper Killer Mike to the works of filmmaker Ava DuVernay. Quon is another Haligonian in the running, a poet, novelist and painter who creates animated shorts based on her verses. Juliet Mawusi also calls HRM her HQ, with a background in broadcast and a short film featured at FIN Atlantic International Film Festival under her belt.