The BBC is looking for short-form docs to air under its Storyville banner to showcase emerging filmmakers.
Traditionally, Storyville has been exclusively the home of a mix of commissioned, co-commissioned and acquired international documentaries of more than an hour in length, many of which have played the festival circuit.
Now Storyville head Nevine Mabro is inviting pitches for “bold, creative” docs lasting 10 to 40 minutes to play on BBC4 and iPlayer.
Mabro said she was looking for “bold, creative and topical” shorts that push the boundaries of filmmaking.
“Short-form storytelling offers greater agility in responding to cultural, political and social events, and as demand for shorts continues to grow, it creates new opportunities for filmmakers to tell untold stories,” she said.
The BBC is inviting pitches through its PiCos system, with the first commissions set to air in early 2027.
Meanwhile, speaking at DocFest in Sheffield, Mabro said she wanted Storyville as a whole to feature “immersive” and unique films that connect with viewers on an intimate level.
Describing herself as “hands-on”, she said she “likes to get into the weeds from an early stage”.
Calling for greater nuance of storytelling, she cited Oscar-winning Storyville film Mr Nobody Against Putin.
“[It] makes you cry one minute and laugh the next,” she said. “That texture is really interesting. It’s all about a director’s vision for a film and trying to tell things differently.”
