OUTPITCH is a new platform connecting and supporting emerging queer filmmakers across Central Europe and Ukraine. In its first edition, it will offer up to four projects a two-month online mentorship and an in-person program in Prague during the Mezipatra Queer Film Festival – including public pitching sessions, professional feedback, masterclasses, and networking.

Emerging queer filmmakers often lack access to networks, funding, and professional guidance. OUTPITCH provides them with the tools, connections, and visibility that can determine the future of their projects.
At a time of growing conservative backlash — when the rights and visibility of queer people are being systematically suppressed in countries like Hungary and Slovakia, and as Ukraine faces the fourth year of war that deeply affects both daily life and the cultural scene — supporting a new generation of queer voices is more urgent than ever.OUTPITCH aims to create a safe and empowering space where films with the potential to change how society sees the world can be born.
Help us create a space where queer stories can grow. 💜

 Your contributions will help:

 You will help queer filmmakers from the V4 region and Ukraine develop their projects, gain experience, and connect with peers across borders – building an inclusive future for queer cinema in the region.

The idea for the project came from Jakub Knott, a FAMU graduate and long-time member of leading Czech film festivals, who recognized from his own experience the lack of support for queer filmmaking in the Czech Republic. In addition to his work in film, he is also an activist — in the past, he founded the initiative “Why I Didn’t Report” (Proč jsme to nenahlásilyi*).
Together with Tobiáš Frýdl (founder of the project In the colors of the rainbow) and Suzane Nushi (a programmer with a passion for film and helping communities), they created the platform OUTPITCH, which aims to support the creation and development of audiovisual projects with queer themes across Central Europe.