The winner of the competition to get up to INR 5 lakhs for the rights of the story and a credit for the film

Manish Mundra’s Drishyam Films has initiated a pan-India ‘QUEST FOR STORIES’ that is open to aspiring Indian film writers above 18 years of age from the heartland of India.

The competition begins on March 20 and will continue till April 20, which is the last date for submissions.

Stories of all genres are welcomed, especially from young upcoming writers from smaller towns who do not have a platform for their voices.

The only requirement is to fill the entry form and then submit the 5 page long synopsis of the story, which has to be fresh and original. The synopsis cannot be longer than 5 pages and can only be submitted in either Hindi or English.

Drishyam Films will option the rights of the winning story to develop it into a feature film project. A dedicated fund has been set aside for developing up to five final stories into full screenplays. The winner will get up to INR 5 lakhs for the rights of the story and a credit for the film, if and when it goes into production.

This bold initiative from Drishyam Films is Mundra’s brainchild and comes soon after establishing an in-house content development team headed by creative producer Natasha Chopra, formerly with Junglee Pictures, UTV Motion Pictures and Balaji Telefilms.

Mundra, the founder and promoter of the company, says “At Drishyam Films, the vision has always been clear: content is king. In the last few years, we have worked with acclaimed writers and directors who have pioneered new and exciting narratives from the grassroots of India. Continuing that tradition, we are now looking for fresh stories and ideas from the heartland of the country, that will transcend boundaries and be universal in their appeal. Once we find that elusive concept, we’ll develop it in-house into a full script with the help of experienced mentors.”

DRISHYAM_QuestForStories

Having made a name for finding diverse and original voices from the country, the studio behind award-winning films such as Masaan, Ankhon Dekhi and Newton has always aimed to tell stories that are local in flavour but global in scope. As a complete outsider to the industry a mere four years ago, Mundra understands the uphill task that many aspiring writers face in breaking into the industry. Towards this end, he had established the Drishyam–Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab in 2015.

After two successful editions, which mentored many significant scripts such as Nandita Das’ Manto and Atanu Mukerjee’s Rukh, the collaboration has been discontinued from this year.

Both Drishyam Films’ and Sundance Institute, however, remain committed to supporting emerging filmmakers through their own individual initiatives.

You can read more about the competition here on their website. The stories can be emailed along with the signed entry form and undertaking to questforstories@drishyamfilms.com. Please note that only .doc, .docx and .pdf files will be accepted.

Aspiring writers can also find further information and updates regarding the Sundance Screenwriters Lab on the Sundance Institute’s website.