David Fortune Used Ice Cold Showers to Prep for AT&T Award Pitch — SkimNews
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- David Fortune used ice-cold showers to simulate pressure while rehearsing his pitch for the AT&T Untold Stories Award, aiming to remain composed during the live presentation at the Tribeca Festival
- AT&T Untold Stories Award awards $1.2 million and mentorship to emerging filmmakers, narrowing hundreds of applicants to five finalists who pitch before a live audience and judges
- Color Book, Fortune’s 2024 feature film funded by the award, centers on a Black single father raising a son with Down syndrome and taking him to his first baseball game, offering a rare on-screen narrative
- Lilian T. Mehrel, winner of the 2024 AT&T Untold Stories Award, used her prize to complete her debut feature 'Honeyjooon,' which went on to screen at over 50 film festivals
- IndieWire Future of Filmmaking Summit, presented by AT&T, hosted the conversation with Fortune and featured a message from Mehrel, highlighting the ongoing impact of the Untold Stories collaboration
Why it matters: Independent filmmakers gain access to life-changing funding and industry visibility through the AT&T Untold Stories Award, with $1.2 million and mentorship directly enabling films like 'Color Book' and 'Honeyjooon' to reach global audiences—proving high-stakes pitch preparation can translate into real-world creative opportunity.
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