The Toronto Documentary Forum, an annual international pitch session held at Hot Docs, has proven invaluable to doc makers and commissioning broadcasters alike. A recent exit poll indicates 50% of the 36 projects pitched in May have since managed to secure additional financing as a result of their participation in the forum.

With a coproduction deal from Germany’s ZDF-ARTE and a second window from Life Network Canada, Montreal-based Alan Handel is close to finalizing financing for his 90-minute doc Standing in the Shadow. Toronto’s Take Three Productions has struck international distribution deals with DR in Denmark, NRK in Norway, Sweden’s SVT and Australia’s SBS for Afghanistan’s Daughters, an in-depth look at women and power in Afghanistan with Canadian journalist Sally Armstrong. And Toronto-based Infield Fly Productions’ The Prince’s Violin will coproduce with AVRO in the Netherlands.

TVOntario has closed presales for A Fight for Justice from Italy’s DocLab and the Israeli project Paradise Lost from Zygote Films. CBC has picked up Sexperts from New York-based Sugar Pictures.