Just back from judging the Museum of TV and Radio "Pitch Panel". For the first time - there was a 5k prize for the best film/pitch. The prize was sponsored by The American Documentary and POV Executive Producer Cara Mertes brought along one of those huge 'Prize Squad' checks for the winning film.

There were 5 films in competition - narrowed down by the museum staff from more than 50 submissions.

On the panel of judges:

Chana Gazit , Producer/Director/Writer, Steward/Gazit Productions
Lauren Lazin , Executive Producer of Documentaries, MTV, VH1, and LOGO
Cara Mertes , Executive Director, P.O.V.
Steve Rosenbaum , Managing Partner, Magnify Media; Trustee, IDA
Susan Werbe , Vice President, Programming, The History Channel

Here's the films - in the order they were presented:

Round Midnight - Moscow Time: Thomas Burns
Asparagus! Staling the American Life - Anne de Mare and Kirsten Kelly
In The Wake of the Flood - J. Carlos Peinado
Shiny Happy People - Diane Paragas and Jennifer Redfearn
License to Play - Ann Rose

The first film was a Thom Burns take on Jazz in Russia. Using historic footage and new interviews - it's a topic that's both historic and musical. Thom's written presentation was right on - but the trailer didn't to either him, or the subject justice.

Asparagus! is the story of Oceana County, Michigan - the Asparagus Capital of the Nation. This is one of those topics that plays on a bunch of levels. It's Americana. It's Kitsch. And then - once you discover that the US War on Drugs has given Peru incentives to grow Asparagus - hence creating an Asparagus crisis... well, it's not so funny after that. Well done - engaging -and a look at the human impact of globalization. This would be hard to beat.

In The Wake of the Flood. J. Carlos Peinado's story of his ancestors lost tribal land in North Dakota is potentially amazing. But it's hard to know with all the success of Supersize Me and Fahrenheit 9/11 if filmmakers are making personal stories because they want to be the focus of their film, or because it seems like such a natural element of what is now successful in docs.

Shiny Happy People is one of those topics that should be amazing - and important. It's about the huge number of teens who are perscribed anti-depressants and the terrible toll of those drugs on some kids. But it's not hard to take a shot at this topic - and it is hard to nail it. the filmmakers showed just a brief bit, and the pitch started out by saying "our hope is this will be the supersize me of anti-depressants'. It wasn't clear if this was an essay film or a exploration of the topic. But the filmmakers are just getting into it , and it will certainly evolve.

License to Play is a film about clowns. Yes, clowns. And it's a love story. It's based on Moosecamp, a close college in Maple Lake, Minnesota. This was the best cinematography - and the story was constructed really well. I loved this film - and ok, it missed the mark by promising a sociological look at the role of clowns in current society. But i think this film has a lot of promise.

The jury awarded the $5,000 prize to Asparagus! Keep your eyes peeled for this film on festival circuit... it sure to be a crowd pleaser.

HERE'S HOW THE EVENT IS LISTED ON THE MRT WEB SITE:

All documentaries begin with an idea that is eventually pitched to a producer or network. In this workshop/competition, a panel of respected producers will discuss the process of developing a documentary and will hear pitches from novice filmmakers trying to sell a nonfiction concept. Five emerging documentarians (two directing credits or less) will be preselected to make public pitches to the panelists, who will critique both their pitches and their concepts. After all the pitches have been heard, the panel will choose a winner—based on persuasiveness, originality, and viability—who will receive a $5,000 grant to be used toward the completion of the film. The prize is sponsored by American Documentary Inc., the producers of the award-winning P.O.V. series for PBS. Panelists will also take questions from the audience about how a documentary idea grows from seed to fruition.