Submissions are CLOSED.
Spotlight on Documentaries is the largest project market for in-development non-fiction work in the United States. Filmmakers invited to attend the Project Market have the opportunity to meet with hundreds of industry representatives from companies such as A24, Cinetic, Dogwoof, Ford Foundation, HBO Documentary Films, IFC Films, Impact Partners, ITVS, MUBI, NEON, POV, Submarine, Sony Pictures Classics, Sundance Institute, SFFilm, and more. They also have the chance to meet with festival and market reps from Hot Docs, IDFA, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca Film Festival, and more. Accepted filmmakers receive pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings with industry professionals and invitations to networking events.
Notable recent alumni of Spotlight on Documentaries include:
Shaunak Sen’s All that Breathes (2020 Project Market)
Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar’s American Factory (2016 Project Market)
Jessica Kingdon’s Ascension (2020 Documentary Lab and Project Market)
Kirsten Johnson’s Cameraperson (2015 Project Market)
Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht’s Crip Camp (2017 Project Market)
Nanfu Wang’s Hooligan Sparrow (2015 Documentary Lab and Project Market)
Rachel Lears’ Knock Down the House (2018 Project Market)
Almudena Carracedo and Robert Behar’s The Silence of Others (2014 Project Market)
Yance Ford’s Strong Island (2012 Project Market)
Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw’s The Truffle Hunters (2018 Project Market)
Other recent Project Market alumni include: Jazmin Renée Jones’ Seeking Mavis Beacon, Stephen Maing and Brett Story’s Union, Reid Davenport’s I Didn’t See You There, Alex Pritz’s The Territory, Rebeca Huntt’s Beba, Sara Nodjoumi and Till Schauder’s A Revolution on Canvas, Jon-Sesrie Goff’s After Sherman, Jessica Earnshaw’s Jacinta, Luke Lorentzen’s Midnight Family, Catherine Gund’s Chavela, Lyric Cabral & David Felix Sutcliffe’s (T)error, David Osit’s Mayor, Angelo Madsen Minax’s North by Current, Li Lu’s A Town Called Victoria, and Keith Maitland’s Tower.
Timeline
| Wednesday, May 1 at 5 PM EDT | Virtual Information Session (Watch the Recording Here) |
| Thursday, May 16 at 11:59 PM HDT | Regular Submission Deadline for Members and Non-Members |
| Monday, June 3 at 11:59 PM HDT | Extended Submission Deadline for Gotham Members Only |
| Late July | Submissions Notifications |
| September 30 – October 4 | Gotham Week 2024 Project Market |