The Brief

What The Pitch is looking for

The Pitch is a themed, paid, short-film commissioning programme for emerging writers and writer-directors.

The first commissioning cycle asks: “What does it mean to be human in the age of AI?”

We are especially interested in emotionally grounded, character-led stories exploring intimacy, memory, grief, relationships, belonging and human connection.

• Narrative short-film ideas with a clear central character, dramatic tension and cinematic potential.
• Creative engagement with biblical texts, images, questions or tensions. You don't need personal faith and we are not looking for overtly religious films, but stories should bring a biblical perspective, narrative or character to the discussion.
• A distinctive storytelling voice and an idea that can deepen through development.

Why the Bible?

Whether you've read it or not, and whether you love it or hate it: the Bible has shaped our culture and storytelling in the UK, inspiring everyone from Shakespeare to Martin Scorsese.

The Pitch commissions stories that explore what it means to be human. And as a collection of ancient texts written by a variety of people across centuries and cultures, the Bible probes human nature, as it recounts the story of humanity’s relationship with the divine.

At least that’s one point of view. Another is that it’s purely mythical, or allegorical. You don’t have to have a faith – Christian, Jewish or otherwise – to find material here with rich cinematic potential. From the tragedy of the first murder in Genesis, to the carpenter whose teachings challenged an empire in the Gospels (the books Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), the poetry, narrative, history and wisdom of the Bible continue to inspire and provoke today. 

“I don’t believe in anything in the Bible,” says Craig Mazin, screenwriter of Emmy award-winning miniseries Chernobyl and The Last Of Us. “However, the Bible is evidence of something. And it is evidence I think of deep seeded instinctive narrative patterns in the human mind. They are expressions of these things that are in us. They are not always sensible or logical, but they are there.”

We invite you to approach the Bible with a writer's mind - observing, questioning, searching.

The Pitch is also supported by individuals and company sponsors, as well as trusts and the BFBS (British and Foreign Bible Society), a registered charity with a royal charter to promote the Bible's place in public life.

What to consider as you prepare your application

Story

What is your concise logline? Who is the protagonist? What is the central conflict? What is at stake? How does it end?

Form

Why should this idea be a short, feature or vertical story, and what would need to change in another format?

Connection

How does the project relate to human flourishing, the theme of AI and human nature, and specifically a biblical perspective, text, image, question or tension?

Question

What part of your idea is least resolved? And what specific feedback would help you move it forward?

Further Inspiration

We've prepared a series of 'Biblical Lenses' - in depth articles which engage with key themes that emerge from the Bible. Like lenses, you might find they provide a new way of looking at your idea, as you develop and shape it, ready for submission.

Happy writing!