Ten New York Film Academy Los Angeles documentary students had the opportunity recently to practice their pitching skills before representatives of three of the most influential organizations in the documentary world; Rahdi Taylor, Director of the Sundance Documentary Fund, Marjan Sarfinia, President of the Board of Directors of the International Documentary Association, and Francisco Velasquez, Senior Manager for Film Independent’s Project Involve. The ten students pitched both short and long form documentaries on a wide variety of subjects. Taylor, Sarfinia and Velasquez then responded to each pitch with constructive feedback. “Very impressed overall with your students,” Sarfinia wrote after the event. “You have an impressive group of students, “ wrote Taylor, “Their hard work and preparation really shows–strong pitches and projects.” Velasquez was also impressed, writing, “It was very stimulating to hear your students pitch. All had terrific projects.”
The experience was rewarding for the students. Carolina Sosa Andres said afterwards, “Doing the pitch in front of all these important people was really helpful. I felt a little bit nervous but at the same time it’s great practice. Everybody should try it!” “I learned that if you are nervous just share that with the audience and they’ll empathize and create a supportive space,” said Eva Luna Marini (Summer 15 MFA). Ardrien Newell (Fall 14 MFA) commented, “It was a very good experience to be able to pitch an idea in front of professionals. They gave helpful feedback that will definitely be used!”