Storytelling structure
Absorb, understand and execute the fundamentals of the universal three-act structure and how they work in all genres.
Learn the core skills of screenwriting and build your story into a solid ready-to-pitch screenplay draft.
Absorb, understand and execute the fundamentals of the universal three-act structure and how they work in all genres.
Develop the central premise or theme of your film to unify story, characters and plot into an impactful whole. And learn how to identify the rules of your story's genre.
Learn and deploy world-building techniques to create original and evocative settings for your characters.
Study and workshop the creation of three-dimensional, authentic characters with layered emotions, conflicts and complete character arcs.
Discover how to keep your audience engaged by setting up and paying off twists, and developing plot and sub plots that deepen your story. Enhance dramatic conflict and learn how to use tension and timing in your story to propel your protagonist towards a great ending.
Known as the “lifeblood” of screenplay, dialogue is a crucial part of character development, giving each character a unique voice.
Learn the "Show, Don't Tell" visual storytelling techniques to write with visual direction.
Before diving into screenplay, learn how to map your story with essential tools such as Beatsheet and Scene Breakdowns to simplify the process of screenwriting.
Professional formatting and accepted global industry standards all affect the presentation of your script - make sure you get them right!
Practice this essential collaboration skill for script development with your peers, advisors and teachers.
Learn how to select your producers and talent agents, get key legal information about your rights as a writer and understand how to navigate the international grants and co-production landscape.
Learn how to pitch your stories in the industry and how to network to grow your career as a screenwriting professional.
Only Indian citizens above 18+ years of age can apply. Indian citizens residing outside of India are also eligible to apply, however, they need to make payments via an Indian bank account.
You should apply to the Lab only if you can dedicate time and attention to your project between April to Aug 2026. This is an intensive Screenwriting Program that will require you to prioritize your project by dedicating at least 20-25 hours of work per week with mandatory attendance for each session.
This is a First Draft Screenwriting Lab, hence you should apply with a feature film project that is early stages of development. You don't need to have a script while applying to the Lab. We just need the following during application:
Please see this link to know more about our submission requirements
30 upcoming filmmaker-writers will be chosen for the Lab.
The Lab is divided into 3 stages:
Please note: All 30 participants will not be developing their screenplays and only the the top 10 from the cohort who would have developed an in-depth understand of their stories, will be selected to graduate to the Development and Pitching track. In doing this, Writers INK's screenwriting pedagogy simulates a real-world screenwriting process, where students first flesh out the building blocks of their stories before diving into screenplay writing, resulting in a more productive way of developing stories.
Only for final participants Scholarships Available EMI Available
*Taxes extra. All fee are one-time and non-refundable
Applications Opening Soon
Executive Lab Director
Faculty at AFI Conservatory
Sundance Mentor
Bafta Mentor
Writer, Director
Faculty at Tisch NYU
Lab Instructor
Faculty at AFI Conservatory
Alum - Sundance Lab
Lab Instructor
Faculty at LMU
Alum - Berlinale Talents
Lab Instructor
Script Consultant
to be announced soon
We are only accepting up to 30 participants.
The medium of instruction will be English.
This Lab is conducted online and the session recordings will be available to participants after each session.
The Lab is open to all kinds of narrative fiction full-length feature film projects across genres and languages. We are not accepting documentary or short films for this Lab.
Exact dates and timings of the Lab session will be shared with the selected participants, however, the Lab sessions are either conducted early mornings or in the evenings due to timezone overlap with our US-based faculty.
With 3 sessions per week of 3 hours each along with homework, please expect to dedicate 20-25 hours per week and consider this a full-time activity for the period of the Lab.
You will need a good internet connection and the Zoom website and mobile app plus the ability to read and view assignments online. If you don’t know how to operate Zoom, an assistant from our team will take you through it.
Only the top 10 shortlisted participants get an opportunity to pitch their ideas at the Writers INK Pitchfest that takes place at the end of the Lab. However, all projects and all participants are featured in our annual Lab showcase, which is shared with the attending producers after the Pitchfest.
If you are selected in the top 10, you will be required to shoot a 2-min video pitch for the Pitchfest. We will take you through sessions on how to make a good video pitch, to ensure that you make a good pitch video. You are required to arrange your own shooting and video recording equipment to shoot the pitch video.
Please note Writers INK reserves the right to cancel your Pitch showcase if it does not meet the presentation quality that it requires.
We will be inviting programmers, studios, producers, talent managers and other industry professionals for the pitchfest.
Yes, everyone will get to attend the pitchfest, in fact we highly encourage it.
Since this will be an online event, there won’t be any networking. But you will be provided contacts of the attendees, so that you can connect with them after the pitch. The attendees will also be provided a catalog of all the participating projects with the contact details of the participants, so that they can directly reach out to the participants. We will also help facilitate connections in case an industry professional reaches out to us and shows interest in any of the screenwriters.
The Lab recordings will be available to the participants for a period of 6 months after the end of the Lab
You will be provided the recordings of the sessions in case you cannot attend one. But we strongly recommend that to get the full benefit of the Lab, you should attend the live sessions, as they are going to be interactive and avoid skipping the sessions unless there is an emergency.
You can choose to opt out of pitching. But we highly recommend you attend the Pitch event to hear the pitches of your fellow participants.
If you have a co-writer, you can apply to the Lab, however, only one of you will be eligible to attend the Lab
You are eligible if you meet the following criteria:
As long you have an Indian citizenship, you are eligible to apply, however, if you get selected you will need to pay the participation fee via an Indian bank account.
You do not need a completed script to apply to this Lab.
Our Screenwriting Lab helps you flesh out your story into a solid first draft of your screenplay under the mentorship of a global faculty. So if you want to learn the fundamentals of screenwriting, workshop your script under expert guidance to make it stronger and get peer feedback, you are welcome to apply. However, if you have already spent a long time developing your idea, you are confident about your script and won’t be open to faculty and peer feedback, this Lab may not help you a lot. The only other reason to apply for the Lab even after you have finished your script is to learn the fundamentals of screenwriting from a global faculty and be part of the Writers INK alumni community for lifelong benefits through mentorship, community collaborations, bootcamps and workshops etc.
The script must be submitted in English language but the film can be in any Indian language
The Lab is open to all the languages of India. However, you will be developing your script in English.
The Lab is open to all kinds of projects across genres and languages.
No, you have to apply with only one idea that you want to develop in the Lab.
Absolutely, you can apply for the next Lab.
Yes, you can apply, as long as the dates of the Labs won’t clash, because you will be expected to devote time to both the Labs.
You can apply for the Lab by filling this form.
No, unfortunately you won’t be able to do that. So you have to fill the form in one go. Hence we suggest that you go through the questions of the sections and keep the answers ready so that you can submit all the information at one attempt.
No, you won’t be able to edit the information after you have submitted the form.
Please email us your questions at program@thewritersinkinstitute.org
Please ensure that you don’t upload more than 1 MB per document and try again. If you are still facing problems, email us the screenshot of the problem you are facing at program@thewritersinkinstitute.org
The application fee is a one-time, non refundable fee.
The Lab participation fee has to be paid only by the 30 selected participants. Please note that participants will need to make payments within 48 hours of the finalist announcements, so we request you to keep the timelines in mind.
No, once paid, the Lab participation fee is non-refundable.
We only accept online payments via netbanking, debit card and credit card. Please not that if you are applying from abroad, you will need to make the fee payment through an Indian bank
We only allow payments in two installments; 50% of the fee at the beginning of the Lab and the remaining 50% after 30 days.
Yes, limited scholarships are available and can cover up to 50% of the Lab fee. You can mention your scholarship requirement in the application form. Please understand most scholarships are reserved for people from underrepresented communities.
You need to select the Scholarship option in the application form and also need to give us a detailed note on how a Scholarship will impact your ability to participate in this Lab. If you are shortlisted for the scholarship, we might also conduct an interview to fully understand your requirements.
Please email us at program@thewritersinkinstitute.org and let us know the issue you faced during the payment stage.
Please email us your name, account number and any transaction id you might have received at program@thewritersinkinstitute.org and we will check our records.
