They call it the Windy City and, sure enough, there was a whole lot of good in the air at Good Pitch Chicago too. If you were there then you too will have felt the winds of change as 250+ filmmakers, philanthropists, non-profits, community organisers, educators and advocates converged around seven amazing new doc film projects.

The day was characterised by both a generosity of spirit and of chequebook: a $15,000 challenge grant from the Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention was reached by the end of the day, Chaz Ebert – cultural leader and widow of celebrated film critic Roger Ebert – setting the tone with a spirited challenge to support at whatever level possible.

Other pledges included $25k to the outreach campaign for Homestretch by the Chicago Community Trust; Jeffrey Pechter pledged $10,000 towards the production of The Message which was followed by a PUMA Catalyst Award of €5,000 from BRITDOC; POV delivered important news that Private Violence was recommended for national broadcast, ensuring it would be seen by millions; and ten people came up to the mic for Strong Island with grants totalling €25,000, plus another $800 in personal commitments from people moved by the story. ITVS and The Richard Driehaus Foundation both committed funding ($13,000 and $5,000) to The Dreamcatchers; and Jeffrey Pechter, EP of Becoming Bulletproof committed a further $75,000 on top of the time and financial support he had already made.

And then there was the real money shot: Danny Glover embracing Sister Jean – star of feminist doc Sister – exclaiming with a kiss, “You are one of my heroes.” Sister Jean’s response? “You should get out more”. Classic.

The men and women featured in the films truly were the heroes of the day, delivering highly personal stories of overcoming adversity whilst keeping the discussions grounded by the reality they all face; the fight for their basic rights: health, safety, a place to call home, freedom to practice faith, freedom from violence, and access to justice.

Want to come to the next good pitch? Get invited