Emerging talents were given a chance to shine at Pitch This! 2004 held on Sept. 13 atop the Sutton Place Hotel. This year’s animated pitchers dazzled the audience with drag queens and topless men, not to mention a few monkeys, but it was the polished pitch for Remembrance that earned this year’s cheque for $10,000.

Screening a trailer for the film made it easy for the judges to relate to the filmmakers’ vision, but it certainly helped that writer/director Mark Ellis and pitching partner, cowriter Stephanie Morgenstern, are also actors who were able to pull off compelling performances, not only in the trailer but also in front of the audience and judges.

The film, which Morgenstern describes as ‘a psychological film noir’ and ‘Memento in reverse,’ draws on the true story of a man suffering from a rare condition that fuses the body’s senses together. Hearing a certain song could cause the film’s protagonist to taste lemons, or seeing a certain sight could cause him to hear music. As a result, he remembers absolutely everything he experiences in clear detail. Set in wartime Canada, he falls in love with a woman who is trying to recruit him as a spy.

Producer Paula Fleck joined Ellis and Morgenstern to pick up the $10,000 prize, which is added to development funds already received from Telefilm Canada and The Harold Greenberg Fund.