I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to develop my film Infraction through MPI’s Short Film Lab. To have the opportunity to workshop your story with other filmmakers under the guidance of MPI is immensely valuable. Being in a group of filmmakers that are writing at a high level and believe in their work is immensely beneficial, whatever the outcome.
Overview
The MPI Short Film Lab is a comprehensive program that provides filmmakers with hands-on training and mentoring to take their initial film concepts through the process of developing an outstanding short film script for production.
Filmmakers accepted into the program receive fellowship grants and participate in screenwriting workshops followed by directing workshops. After the workshop stage, MPI will choose an official selection from the lab. The filmmaker who wrote this script will receive a grant of $10,000. MPI may also select scripts to develop further for possible production as an MPI Original Film.
LAB PROCESS
Stage 1: MPI SCREENWRITING WORKSHOPS
In these ten-week virtual workshops, filmmakers develop and rewrite original concepts and scripts under the guidance of MPI’s creative development team and award-winning screenwriters. The workshops are designed so that filmmakers can hone their storytelling craft through an intensive process of writing, revising, reading, and the giving and receiving of constructive criticism. Writers present their work to the group twice: first to get initial feedback on their treatment and a second time to get feedback on the first draft. Featuring exclusive virtual masterclasses with acclaimed industry screenwriters and direct project feedback from award-winning writers, this is a unique opportunity for participants to take their screenwriting skills to the next level—enhancing their chances of success in this business by developing producible short film scripts that stand out in a competitive market.
Stage 2: MPI Directing Workshop
An estimated six to eight filmmakers from the MPI Screenwriting Workshops advance to participate in this workshop. Led by award-winning directors, most of whom have made feature films with MPI, this course teaches the skills needed to effectively manage a crew, communicate with a cast, and prepare for pre-production, production, and post-production. In a special in-person summit in Los Angeles, participants work directly with actors to rehearse scenes. At the end of the workshop, each filmmaker presents a final proposal drawn from the lessons learned throughout the lab, which includes their final script and a pitch deck describing their vision for their short.
Stage 3: MPI Original Films
MPI will choose an official selection from the lab. The filmmaker who wrote this script will receive a grant of $10,000, which includes the acquisition of the script for further development. MPI may select additional scripts for development and possible production as MPI Original Films.
Timothy Blackwood, MPI Filmmaker
HOW TO APPLY
MPI is pleased to invite applications for our 2026 Short Film Lab. Each year, MPI issues a call for submissions centered on a specific theme. For the 2026 lab, we are seeking project concepts exploring the following:
A Republic, If You Can Keep It: Reflecting on America’s 250th
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, we invite filmmakers to explore the fragile heartbeat of a democratic republic: the ongoing struggle to balance individual rights with the duties to sustain a free society.
Inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s warning—“a republic, if you can keep it”—this theme asks filmmakers to consider what it truly takes to preserve America’s ideals. Our freedoms and institutions are not self-sustaining; they rely on citizens who embrace personal responsibility, practice civic virtue, and make everyday choices that strengthen the fabric of our nation.
We’re seeking pitches that illuminate the small moments, difficult decisions, and acts of courage that help a free society flourish—or reveal what happens when those obligations are ignored. What does it mean to keep a republic today, and what stories show the forces that hold it together or pull it apart?
We invite you to pitch concepts for short films that reflect on the continuing American story and its ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. From unsung heroes to historical figures, from innovators to ordinary people who do the right thing when it counts, what does it mean to be an American? What will it take to keep the republic free and thriving for another historic 250 years?
The possibilities are endless, and you’re free to pitch a story in any genre, but this theme is your jumping-off point.
Priority will be given to projects that:
- Have a limited cast (fewer than five principal actors, with limited or no extras)
- Have limited locations (ideally one)
- Can be shot within two days in the Los Angeles area
- Tell stories about characters within the United States
Click the button below to get started. Application requirements include a résumé and a completed questionnaire detailing your concept and explaining how your project relates to MPI’s mission and the theme above. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. (PT) on Sunday, January 4, 2026. Submissions will not be accepted after that time.
PREVIOUS SUCCESS
Through this program, MPI produced A Piece of Cake by The Bragg Brothers, which premiered at festivals in 2020 and was nominated for Best Narrative Short at the Tribeca Film Festival. MPI continued to work with the Braggs to produce their feature debut, the award-winning MPI Original Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game, which the New Yorker called one of the best films of 2023.
Other projects developed in and selected for production from the lab include Melons and Infraction.
