''Pitch'' is a 1997 Canadian documentary created by

Kenny Hotz Kenneth Joel Hotz (born May 3, 1967) is a Canadian comedy writer, producer, entertainer and television personality. He is best known as the star of the reality comedy show '' Kenny vs. Spenny'' alongside Spencer Rice. Hotz is the creator of the ...

and Spencer Rice, featuring themselves as two young filmmakers attending the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

to pitch a film concept to various celebrities. Their film idea, titled "The Dawn", concerns a Mafia don who goes for a hernia operation but gets a sex change instead. During the 1996 Toronto fest, they approach

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

Norman Jewison Norman Frederick Jewison (born July 21, 1926) is a retired Canadian film and television director, producer, and founder of the Canadian Film Centre. He has directed numerous feature films and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best D ...

(at a packed press conference),

Eric Stoltz Eric Cameron Stoltz (born September 30, 1961) is an American actor, director and producer. He played the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film ''Mask'', which earned him the nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Support ...

(leaving a limo),

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino (; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he has received numerous accolades: including an Academy Award, two Tony Awards, and two Primetime Emmy ...

, and others without much success. On a roll, they leave Toronto for Hollywood, getting advice from

Arthur Hiller Arthur Hiller, (November 22, 1923 – August 17, 2016) was a Canadian-American television and film director with over 33 films to his credit during a 50-year career. He began his career directing television in Canada and later in the U.S. By t ...

and

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

and finding an agent who expresses interest in their pitch. The film was shown at the 1997 Toronto Film Festival. The film features songs by the Toronto band

Phono-Comb Phono-Comb was a Canadian instrumental/modern surf rock group that formed in 1993 in Toronto. History Phono-Comb first materialized when Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet played with Jad Fair when he was performing in Toronto to promote a film a ...

Trivia

In the Kenny vs. Spenny DVD commentary of the episode "Who Can Stay Handcuffed the Longest?", Spenny revealed that the film did not make the money they expected it to make. During the episode, Kenny flew in an old friend of Spenny's named David Wolfish who Spenny owed money to. Wolfish was one of the investors in the film, investing $10,000 but seeing no return.

External links

*
''Pitch'' on Kenny Hotz's official YouTube channel

Official website of film on producer's website

The shorter, TV version of ''Pitch'' on Kenny Hotz's Official channel
Documentary films about the film industry Canadian documentary films Toronto International Film Festival Films about screenwriters Films shot in Toronto 1997 films 1997 documentary films 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films {{arts-documentary-film-stub