Mumbai, February 27, 2015: Manish Mundra’s film production company, Drishyam, in partnership with Sundance Institute, is organising Dhrishyam – Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab 2015 to be held in Goa April 12-16.

 The Lab is inviting applications as a part of its Open Submission Process. The deadline for submission of scripts is March 5, 2015.

 The Lab is for filmmakers making their first or second narrative feature; we will consider co-writers, writer/directors, or writer/director teams, and the scripts should be independent in terms of story and spirit and also in terms of budget.

 The Drishyam Sundance Screenwriters Lab will provide an opportunity for writers to develop their work under the guidance of accomplished international advisors in an environment that encourages storytelling at the highest level.

 In order to apply, filmmakers must submit a complete draft of a screenplay as well as supporting materials (cover letter, artistic statement, bio, synopsis, and directing sample if applicable).  Interest and inquiries should be directed to drishyamsundancelab@sundance.org

Srinivasan Narayanan, the former Festival Director of Mumbai Film Festival, MAMI who will be heading this initiative says, “With our rich tradition of storytelling, the effort is to hone the skills, open new perspectives in narration and usher in the international idiom in film making to our own tales. To goal is to help Indian films and film makers to find their rightful place in the global space.”

Manish Mundra, the chairman of Drishyam says, “The idea behind Drishyam’s collaboration with the Sundance Screenwriters Lab in India, is to promote and nurture the new breed of young and talented writers and directors and give them an opportunity to be mentored by the finest International filmmakers. “

 “The lab will be very beneficial for Indian Cinema in the long run. It goes well with our idea of promoting content driven cinema. Films like Margarita with A Straw, Umrika and Masaan have come out of Sundance Screenwriters Lab.”

 More information to follow in the April press release.

 About Sundance Institute

Sundance Institute is a global non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981.Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to inform, inspire, and unite diverse populations around the globe.

 Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Son of Babylon, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, I Am My Own Wife, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America.

  About Drishyam

Drishyam is a company established by Manish Mundra, which is focused on actively working towards contributing to the development of Indian independent cinema. The company has already invested in films that are being recognised internationally, and is in the process of finalizing more projects for the upcoming year. The journey started with the film Ankhon Dekhi directed by Rajat Kapoor. The film was one of the best-reviewed films in India in 2014 and was critically acclaimed for its simplicity, philosophy, ensemble cast and acting. The two projects that followed Ankhon Dekhi won great accolades as well – Umrika, directed by Prasant Nair won the Audience Choice Award at Sundance Film Festival 2015 and Dhanak directed by Nagesh Kuknoor won the Grand Prix award and Crystal Bear Special Mention at Berlinale 2015 – Generation Kplus. Committed to its cause of developing and nurturing film talent in India, the company has also partnered with the Sundance Institute to set up a Screenwriters’ Lab in India.