SUNDANCE SCREENWRITERS LAB
The Sundance Screenwriters Lab is widely regarded as the most prestigious screenplay development lab in the world. Run by the Sundance Institute (founded 1981 by Robert Redford), it is a 5-day residential lab held each January at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah, USA. Selected writers work one-on-one with world-class Creative Advisors — established directors and screenwriters. The 2026 Lab advisors included Barry Jenkins, Lulu Wang, and Tarell Alvin McCraney. International filmmakers are welcome and have been selected every year. Films developed here include Reservoir Dogs, Moonlight, Aftersun, The Witch, Fruitvale Station, and Ryan Coogler's Sinners (2025). All travel, accommodation and food are fully covered for selected participants.
Deadline
NEXT CYCLE: opens approximately April 2027, closes approximately mid-May 2027. (2026 application cycle closed May 2025.)
Cost
Small application fee (typically under USD 100 — confirmed on the portal each year)
Format
Feature films only (fiction). For TV/streaming series, see entry 05 (Sundance Episodic Lab).
Eligibility
International writers welcome. First or second fiction feature only. Writer-director teams eligible.
What You Get
All travel, accommodation, and food at the Sundance Mountain Resort fully covered. Intensive one-on- one mentorship sessions with top Creative Advisors. Sundance does NOT take ownership of your script.
What to Submit
Round 1: logline, 1-page synopsis, first 10 pages of script, biography, artist statement. Round 2 (if advanced): full script.
Insider Tips
The 2026 Lab selected Zimbabwean filmmaker Naishe Nyamubaya with the project Black Snake — proof that African writers are competitive at the world's most prestigious lab. Previous African and African-diaspora alumni include Dee Rees (Pariah, Mudbound) and A.V. Rockwell (A Thousand and One).
Set a reminder for April 2027 — the next Sundance Screenwriters Lab call opens then.
Applications are closed
This opportunity is no longer accepting applications. Browse open opportunities
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