The March 15 deadline to apply to MPI’s 2021 Documentary Development and Production Lab is quickly approaching. This inclusive program is designed for documentary filmmakers who are ready to take their initial film concepts through the process of developing, producing, and releasing a documentary film.

The Lab connects MPI’s Rising Filmmaker Program to MPI Original Films. Top projects will have the opportunity to be acquired and produced by MPI—funded with budgets of up to $500,000. The MPI production team will work alongside the filmmakers, mentoring them in the production and post-production stages.

Through hands-on training and mentoring, filmmakers will learn how to find the story in their footage, develop character, craft compelling story arcs, and strike an honest, compelling balance between story and argument. They will participate in a virtual MPI Documentary Storytelling Workshop led by MPI filmmaker Laura Waters Hinson, director of the award-winning MPI-supported documentaries Dog Days and Mama Rwanda. The Workshop will also feature sessions with industry leaders in the documentary space. 

While our emphasis will be on feature-length docs, we will also accept submissions for short documentaries. Projects that can be shot, edited, and released within one to two years from the completion of the Documentary Lab will also be prioritized.

MPI’s mission is to promote human freedom through film. Though we are willing to consider submissions on a wide range of subjects that advance our mission, we are particularly interested in stories that explore the following themes:

• Exposing hypocrisy and/or confronting corruption of power (e.g., we supported the feature documentary Incarcerating US about over-incarceration in America);
• Individuals fighting against government abuse/tyranny (e.g., we supported the feature documentary Battle for Brooklyn about eminent domain abuse in New York City);
• Freedom of speech/expression (e.g., we supported the feature documentary Los Últimos Frikis about Cuba’s most famous metal band);
• Entrepreneurship success stories and the American Dream (e.g., we supported the feature documentary Dog Days about immigrant street vendors in Washington, DC);
• Innovations and technology solving problems (e.g., we are currently producing the feature documentary Project Home: 3D Printing the Future about how 3D printed homes can help solve homelessness). 

Click here to learn more and apply.