Photo: Stowe Story Labs alums and filmmakers Sonia Albert-Sobrino (left) and Miriam Albert-Sobrino (right), on set making short film The Unbearing, written by and starring Stowe's Katerina Eichenberger. The project recently won best international short film at FanCine de Lemos, and was made with Stowe Story Labs fiscal sponsorship. Photo by Daniel Cutts.

We are excited to open for submissions for our $50,000 Curated Short Film Production Grant Program. Stowe Story Labs will award a grant of $50,000 to support the development, production, and distribution of a narrative short film with a total run time of approximately 10 minutes. Please read on to learn more.

Early Bird Deadline - September 15, 2025 by 11:59 PM PT: $65

Regular Deadline - November 15, 2025 by 11:59 PM PT: $75

Late Deadline - December 16, by 11:59 PM PT: $85

We were honored to receive the video to the right, sent to us by last year’s grant winner Ali Imran Zaidi. Ali won the grant with his script for his short film The Boy With the Dinosaur Head. Please take a few minutes to learn about Ali’s experience, and best of luck in the process if you choose to apply.

Video: Ali Imran Zaidi shares his Stowe Story Labs Short Film Grant experience. Read more about the project in Filmmaker Magazine.

Benefits

This is a $50,000 curated grant to support the production of a narrative short film with a total run time of approximately 10 minutes. Mentoring will be available to support the winning project through all aspects of its development and production, including:

  • Development, Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production, and Festival Submission mentoring by Stowe alum and mentor Liz Cardenas (bio below), who will serve as lead mentor and as a producer on the project. Liz will also manage the grant with the filmmakers.

  • Festival submission support, advice, and post-festival run distribution on groundbreaking short film distribution platform WeShort

  • Consult with Seed&Spark on crowdfunding, pitching, and distribution

  • Discounted ARRI camera package

  • A meeting with Joe Jeffreys, Acquisitions Manager for HanWay Films for the finalists and winner

  • Festival benefits, including Pittsburgh Shorts and Script Competition (2026 submission fee waiver for finalists and free entry for Pittsburgh Shorts and Script Film Competition for the produced film resulting from the winning script), and Seattle International Film Festival (submission fee waiver for the winning project in the 2026 or 2027 festival)

  • Invitation to join the Portrait community, a networking platform connecting filmmakers, department heads, funders, distributors, and more

  • A complimentary Film Fatales membership for qualifying filmmakers

Application and Selection Process

In the first stage of the process, applicants need only submit a properly formatted narrative short film script of roughly 10 pages or less for consideration. We are agnostic on genre.

Initial script reviews will be conducted by the team at the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards. Top applicants will be asked to submit additional information about the project, including a statement of intent, any attachments or developed materials, other works, and applicant bio. PLEASE NOTE: prior production work or experience is not required (but is welcome) to be selected. As with all of our programs, we look for people demonstrating the capacity to do the work and to work collaboratively, regardless of film or TV experience.

The Stowe Team will select the finalists for consideration.

The Jury (listed below) will select the project to be awarded the $50,000 grant.

Liz Cardenas will serve as lead mentor and as a producer on the project to administer the grant and to be available to provide mentoring.

The Competition will evaluate industry standard formatted short film scripts of approximately ten (10) pages, and in all instances regardless of page count the script must be designed to produce an approximately ten minute short film.

If the applicant does not have a team assembled to make the film, the Stowe team will inquire during the application process about applicant’s intent to build the team to make the film.

International applicants are welcome (scripts must be submitted in English).

The winning project will be:

  • A well-presented and written short film script with

  • Ideally, a total run time of approximately 10 minutes or less and

  • Few characters and locations, and

  • Similarly, given the expense involved, we are ideally looking for scripts avoiding serious stunt, animation, or effects needed. Such stories are welcome if the applicant has a plan to make the film given this concern.

Applicants (and teams) must demonstrate a collaborative nature and capacity to do the work.

Any questions please inquire at info@stowestorylabs.org

Lead Mentor and Producer, Liz Cardenas

The winning screenwriter (or team) will have the opportunity to collaborate with Stowe alum and mentor, Writer/Director/Creative Producer Liz Cardenas. She is a 2022 Independent Spirit Award winner for Duplass Brothers Productions’ 7 Days (Tribeca ‘21 | Cinedigm), written and directed by Roshan Sethi (The Resident, Call Jane) starring Karan Soni and Geraldine Viswanathan, and a 2019 Spirit Award Nominee for NEVER GOIN’ BACK (Sundance ‘18 | A24), directed by Augustine Frizzell (Euphoria, The Last Letter From Your Lover) starring Maia Mitchell, Camila Morrone and Kyle Mooney. She was also nominated for the Producer Award for the 2023 Indie Spirits.

Liz will serve as lead mentor and as a producer for the winning short film, and in that capacity will administer the $50,000 grant and will be available to mentor on all elements of pre-production, production, post-production, and festival submissions. In 2024, Writer/Director/Creative Producer Liz Cardenas served as grant administrator and Executive Producer for The Boy with the Dinosaur Head.

Jurors

  • Ciara Appelbe

    Creative Director of O’Sullivan Productions

    Read Bio

  • Ali Doyle

    Head of Development, Newgrange Pictures

    Read Bio

  • Melody Cooper

    Screenwriter and NYX Horror Collective Co-Founder

    Read Bio

  • Shari Lynette Carpenter

    Screenwriter/Director

    Read Bio
  • Madison Egan

    Madison Egan

    Shorts Programmer, Tribeca Film Festival

    Read Bio

  • Darrien Michele Gipson

    Producer, Executive Director of SAGindie

    Read Bio

  • Joe Jeffreys

    Acquisitions Manager, Hanway Films

    Read Bio

  • Irene Soriano

    Film Curator & Festival Programmer, Sundance Film Festival

    Read Bio

  • David Rocchio

    Founder & Director of Stowe Story Labs

    Read Bio

  • David Pope

    Co-Founder of Stowe Story Labs

    Read Bio

  • Katerina Eichenberger

    Deputy Director of Stowe Story Labs

    Read Bio

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • No, your film can be longer or shorter than ten minutes. Our intent is to support a film that can be made for a budget of $50,000, and therefore we are seeking contained stories with limited numbers of characters, sets, special effects, or other barriers to being made for $50,000. The film may be shorter or longer than 10 minutes, but it must be able to be made for the budget being proposed (or, if it will cost more, you will need to show you have financing in place to supplement the $50,000).

  • Yes. See above.

  • All applicants must submit a properly formatted script of no more than 15 pages.

  • You certainly can apply with a longer script, but note we are looking for well-presented stories told in scripts of 15 pages or less.

  • Our intent with this grant is to support a film that can be made for a budget of $50,000, and therefore we are seeking contained stories with limited numbers of characters, sets, special effects, or other barriers to being made for $50,000. The film may certainly be animated (or contain heavy animations or vfx or stunts or other potentially expensive elements to produce), but if asked in the second round of reviews about the budget, you will need to satisfy us that the film will be able to be made for the budget being proposed (or, if it will cost more, you will need to show you have financing in place to supplement the $50,000).

  • Yes.

  • This Short Film Grant Program is designed to support a screenwriter, with or without a team, in the making of a wonderful short film, and with that in mind we are looking for projects at script stage. The $50,000 is to finance all elements of production and the start of a festival and other distribution plans. Given this, part of the $50,000 can and should be put toward post.

  • This Short Film Grant Program is designed to support a screenwriter, with or without a team, in the making of a wonderful short film, and with that in mind we are looking for projects at script stage.

  • Our intent is to choose a project early 2026, and begin working with the artist immediately after selection. With that in mind, we hope the project can be produced in 2026.

  • Yes, international filmmakers are eligible and the selected winner does not need to film the project in the U.S. The script must be submitted in English.

  • Board Members, Staff, Readers, and Jurors for this Competition are not eligible to apply for or receive Stowe Story Labs $50,000 Short Film Production Grant. This includes team members at Stowe Story Labs, the PAGE International Screenplay Competition, or Listed Partner Organizations.

  • No, the grant is for narrative short films.