The Indigenous Screenwriting Shorts Lab is a six-month professional development program that will support six Indigenous creatives from Canada. Each participant will develop a short film script from concept/treatment to final draft.
Indigenous story editors will support the writers’ projects at each stage, providing feedback, advice, and writing resources. Participants will receive four stipends delivered at intervals throughout the lab. It is expected that each participant will meet deadlines and participate in individual feedback calls and group workshops.
Throughout this lab you will be sharing your work with the story editor, select iN staff, session leaders, and other participants for feedback.
Each participant will leave with a completed script and a professional pitch package.
New this Year:
Due to the generous support of the new Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, to support underrepresented female filmmakers, two of the selected short scripts will be granted $25,000 CAD to produce their short at the end of the lab.
Eligibility:
Open to First Nations, Métis, or Inuit applicants in Canada. The script must be for an original narrative short film with a run-time of 40 minutes or less, including credits
Applicant Requirements:
- Complete an application form
- In addition to the application form, applications must include the following documents (sent in one email) to submit@imagineNATIVE.org
- 1 page treatment for your film idea: write the story in prose
- 2-3 pages of a scene(s) to illustrate dialogue
- References – provide stills or images that reference the overall tone/look/feel that you want your short to have. These can be images or stills from popular films/series, stock images, or your own photography.
- Provide a brief, written explanation of the tone/look/feel.
- Writer’s Statement – Why do you want to write this film? Why is it important that this story be told now?
- Headshot
- Brief (50 word) professional bio
Please submit supporting documents to: submit@imagineNATIVE.org
If you have any questions regarding your application or the Shorts Lab please contact jreardon@imagineNATIVE.org or bliss@imagineNATIVE.org.
Deadline for applications is Monday, June 28, 2021 at 11:59 PM ET.
Disclaimer: At this time, the selection committee does not provide feedback on applications.
