The People’s Choice Awards (PCA) and American Film Market (AFM) have teamed to create an unprecedented Favorite Film Pitch contest. The competition will provide industry professionals attending the AFM, Nov. 4-11, with the opportunity to get their pitches in front of producers, distributors and, in a unique twist, the voting public, PCA President Fred Nelson and AFM Managing Director Jonathan Wolf announced today.

“This is a great opportunity for fans to get a behind-the-scenes look into the film industry.” Nelson says. “The People’s Choice Awards has attained overwhelming public and industry support by being the only major awards show where real people vote for their favorites in music, movies and television. Now, for the first time, fans will also have an influential voice in deciding what films get produced. This is a very exciting development that takes our brand, pop culture and user-generated video to an entirely new level.”
“The AFM is about the business of film – everyone is selling something – so it’s the perfect venue for a Favorite Film Pitch contest,” Wolf says. “Imagine the winner telling a producer, ‘The public voted my project the film they most wanted to see get made.’ That’s powerful.”

Submissions to the Favorite Film Pitch contest will be recorded live Nov. 7-10 on a mini-set at the American Film Market Each pitch will be limited to two-and-a-half minutes.

Afterward, the AFM will assemble a group of industry leaders to select five finalists. Their pitches will be posted on www.peopleschoice.com — the official PCA Website — following CBS’ broadcast of THE 2010 PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS in early January, allowing fans to choose the ultimate winner: the film they would most like to see get made.

In addition to receiving the Favorite Film Pitch award, the winner will also receive an AFM 2010 package that includes full access for two to the AFM, including seminars and conferences; airfare for two to Los Angeles; hotel for five nights in Santa Monica; and scheduled meetings with producers and distributors. For more information and contest guidelines, please visit www.AmericanFilmMarket.com/FavoriteFilmPitch .

The People’s Choice website at www.peopleschoice.com serves as a year-round destination for entertainment enthusiasts to voice their opinions on pop culture. Now in its 36th year, The People’s Choice Awards is voted on entirely by the public for fan favorites in music, movies and television. Fred Nelson is the President of People’s Choice, and the website and awards show are produced by Procter & Gamble Productions.

The AFM is produced by the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), the trade association representing the world’s producers and distributors of independent motion pictures and television programs. For more information, visit www.AmericanFilmMarket.com.