The Pleasure Dome Board of Directors forms the Programming Committee which guides the direction of our programs. Occasionally this will involve inviting guest curators or writers, but in general the committee members are solely responsible for curating and authoring all of Pleasure Domes programming.
In support of our values of fairness and accessibility for the last few years we have made a commitment to programming most of our content from submissions received from our PWYC open calls. The programming committee reviews these submissions collaboratively and tries to identify themes that emerge from them, as well as bringing our own interests and specialisms to the table. At least two board members will view any films submitted through our calls, and rate them using a rubric. We then meet as a group and discuss where our top picks might fit together in thematic screenings for the year.
We receive around 400 submissions for our annual call and an additional 100 submissions for our annual New Toronto Works program. Every year many excellent films are not selected, simply because they don’t fit within the conceptual frameworks that coalesce during our programming that particular year. Sometimes we keep unselected work on file to show later, but board members change every couple years so we encourage you to resubmit and keep us up to date with your practice.
To get a sense of the type of work that we screen, please read the About Us page and check out our programming archive. Although we occasionally screen feature-length works or retrospectives, and stage installations and sound works, the bulk of our presentations revolve around short and mid-length single-channel screenings. In line with our value of advocacy, we are committed to paying artists fees that are at or above CARFAC / IMAA guidelines.
All submissions are PWYC (no minimum) through the website FilmFreeway. We have one annual general call for submissions usually in the beginning of the new year. We also run a call for submissions for our yearly New Toronto Works screening in the spring. These and other exhibition, commission or employment opportunities will be posted on our Announcements and Opportunities page as well as our newsletter and social media.
We are excited to view your work!
For more information on our programming and selection policy, reach out to info@pdome.org.