The QueerFrames Screenwriting Lab provides a dedicated platform for early-career queer storytellers to refine their craft, expand their networks, and advance their careers in the film industry.
Since launching in 2023, it has supported 22 queer filmmakers from across South Asia and its diaspora, strengthening queer representation in cinema and contributing to shifts in cultural narratives.
In 2026, the Lab expands into Southeast Asia, deepening its commitment to new voices and regional exchange.
The Lab will bring together 8 emerging queer and trans writers and writer-directors from South Asia, Southeast Asia, and their diasporas, working on fiction feature scripts in early development.
We are looking for bold, original projects where queer experience is central to narrative, structure, and perspective rather than subtext.
We are especially interested in genre-driven and audience-facing work—including horror, comedy, crime and suspense, drama, and BL and GL narratives—as well as coming-of-age and character-driven stories that can travel widely, entertain, and reshape how queer lives are seen on screen.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
The Lab will bring together 8 emerging queer and trans writers and writer-directors from South Asia, Southeast Asia, and their diasporas, working on fiction feature scripts in early development.
We are looking for compelling, original projects where queer experience is integral to narrative, structure, and perspective rather than subtext.
We are especially interested in genre-driven and audience-facing work—including horror, comedy, crime and suspense, drama, and BL and GL narratives—as well as coming-of-age and character-driven stories that can travel widely, entertain, and reshape how queer lives are seen on screen.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
PROGRAMME COMPONENTS
Story Retreat
September 25 – October 6, 2026 | Thailand
An immersive residency offering the time, space, and community for focused story development and creative exploration. Fellows work through intensive story sessions, peer feedback, one-on-one guidance, curated screenings, and group discussions, alongside moments for reflection and exchange.
Online Programme
October 2026 – February 2027 | Virtual
Weekly sessions focused on screenwriting craft, including structure, character, and theme, supported by lectures, group feedback, and guided discussion. Masterclasses offer insight into storytelling and the film industry.
Advanced Development
Support for select alumni and their projects, including tailored consultations with industry experts, pitch development, access to short film and proof-of-concept funding, and opportunities for festival and market exposure.
ONgoing
LAB INSTRUCTORS
Vishnu Sinha
Vishnu Sinha is an award-winning writer-director and screenplay consultant with an MFA from Columbia where he teaches screenwriting. He is currently writing for Netflix’s The Royals, creating a legal dramedy with an International Emmy-nominated company, developing a YA series for a global streamer, and adapting his acclaimed short Strawberry Cream.
Paromita Dhar
Paromita Dhar is a Goa-based director, cinematographer, and screenwriter. A Berlinale Talents alum, her work includes Behind the Tin Sheets, Birha, and That Cloud Never Left (Busan, IDFA, Yamagata). She is developing Last Time on Earth, supported by NFDC and the Hubert Bals Fund.
TESTIMONIALS
Personal spaces. Shared experiences.
A glimpse into the experiences, exchanges, and opportunities that shape each cohort
Masterclasses with Michael Lehmann (US) and Claire Chassagne (France), offering insights into directing and international co-productions
A 2025 delegation of emerging queer South Asian filmmakers to the European Film Market, expanding industry access and global networks
An in-person residency in Goa (2025), fostering focused story development, peer exchange, and creative community
Industry mentors
Partners
