THE HIMALAYAN STORY LAB APPLICATION (2025-26)

Who is the Story Lab meant for?

• The Himalayan Story Lab is open to filmmakers based in the Himalayan regions of India — including Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Assam, and North Bengal.
• This year, we’re excited to welcome applications from filmmakers based in Nepal and Bhutan as well.
• We’re looking for filmmakers developing feature-length documentary films (60 minutes or longer). Please note that short films, series and fiction projects are not eligible for this lab.

What kind of stories is the Lab looking for?

• The Lab is open to all kinds of stories, as long as they’re being developed as a feature-length documentary. Past projects at the Story Lab have explored themes ranging from climate justice, Indigenous identity, gender, land rights and human–wildlife relationships to personal essays. We welcome a wide range of storytelling approaches, including observational, essayistic, experimental and animation.
• Visual material is essential — applications without it will not be considered. Your visual material gives the selection committee a sense of your storytelling approach, visual language and connection to the subject. If you haven’t started filming yet, we strongly encourage you to shoot and submit a rough assembly (up to 3-5 minutes) that conveys the world, tone and characters of your film.

About the Lab:

• The Lab is designed for early-career filmmakers who already have a foundational grasp of filmmaking.
• The Lab runs over a 12-month period, with three in-person Labs hosted in Tezpur (Assam) and Kalimpong (West Bengal). These Labs will be held in the months of November 2025, April 2026 and November 2026.
• Each Lab will run for 6-7 days and selected Fellows are expected to attend all three in person. This time together is core to the Lab experience — for deep mentorship, peer exchange and creative breakthroughs.
• Selected Fellows are expected to cover their travel costs to and from Tezpur, Assam. All other expenses — including boarding, lodging, meals, local airport transfers, and tuition fees — are fully covered by the Lab.

Each of the three labs in the 12-month Fellowship is designed to focus on deepening storytelling craft and producing for feature docs. The Lab lays a strong emphasis on dramaturgy, structure, producing and understanding the larger documentary ecosystem where your story can begin its journey.

Application Timeline

20th September 2025: Applications close
1st October 2025: Shortlisted filmmakers will be contacted for an online interview
15th October 2025: Selected filmmakers will be contacted
November 2025: First Lab
April 2026: Second Lab
November 2026: Third Lab

To submit the application form, click here

If you have any queries, write to [email protected] or visit their Instagram page linked below