Filmmakers and Writers: Film Independent Is Accepting Applications!

Natalie Nelson

Check out Film Independent’s latest programs, Project Involve and The Screen Writing Lab. Applications are open now through September.

Project Involve 2026

For 30 years and counting, Project Involve has been Film Independent's most vital and impactful program. Film Independent is proud to be a leader in the ongoing mission to build a more inclusive and equitable industry by supporting emerging filmmakers from communities underrepresented in film and entertainment.

This robust program provides invaluable hands-on filmmaking experience from project inception to completion.

Participants are paired with mentors at the top of their respective fields, and receive personalized guidance to help move their projects and careers forward.

Each year, 30 filmmakers from diverse backgrounds are given the opportunity to hone skills, form creative partnerships, create short films and gain industry access needed to succeed as working artists.

• Applications Open: May 19, 2025
• Non-Member Deadline: July 14, 2025
• Film Independent Member Extended Deadline: July 28, 2025

Learn more about the program, or apply here:

https://www.filmindependent.org/programs/project-involve/

Screenwriting Lab 2026

The Screenwriting Lab is a two-week workshop held in the first quarter of the year, designed to provide individualized story and career development for emerging screenwriters with a fiction feature screenplay.

Each Screenwriting Fellow will be paired with a Creative Advisor, with whom they’ll work one-on-one and in group sessions to further develop their project over the course of the program.

The Screenwriting Lab also helps to further the careers of its Fellows by introducing them to film industry veterans who can offer guidance on both the craft and business of screenwriting.

A variety of guest speakers may screen and discuss their own films and offer career insights, and a final pitch event offers further opportunity for individualized feedback and discussion with industry executives.

• Applications open: June 30, 2025
• Non-Member Deadline: August 25, 2025
• Film Independent Member Extended Deadline: September 8, 2025

The Screenwriting Lab is open to any writer applying with a completed draft of a feature-length project they wish to workshop during the program, with an eye toward production.

Details and additional application requirements can be found here:

https://www.filmindependent.org/programs/artist-development/screenwriting-lab/