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 NARRATIVE SHORT SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP
In these ten-week virtual workshops, filmmakers develop and rewrite original concepts and scripts under the guidance of MPI’s creative development team. 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 industry professionals 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 Narrative Short Screenwriting Workshop 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
Each year, MPI invites applications centered on a new theme.
The 2027 theme, “For the Greater Good?” invites stories that explore the tension between collective goals and individual freedom. What happens when serving the many comes at the expense of the individual?
Efforts to create a safer, fairer, or more prosperous society can sometimes require individuals to surrender choices of their own. We invite filmmakers to explore that tension. When does cooperation become coercion? When does protection become control? And how much individual freedom should society be willing to sacrifice in pursuit of a collective goal?
The conflict could unfold within a family, workplace, school, neighborhood, political movement, government, or an imagined society through a film exploring the central question: When, if ever, should the freedom of one be sacrificed for the benefit of many?
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:
• feature a limited cast (fewer than five principal actors), with limited or no extras;
• have limited locations (ideally one);
• tell stories about characters within the US.
Applications for the 2027 lab will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. (PT) on Sunday, November 29, 2026. Applicants may be based anywhere in the world.
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.
