​The 1497 Features Lab consists of a Retreat, Pitch Day, and additional professional development opportunities designed to elevate and develop screenplays by writers of South Asian descent, while providing career support. We want to empower writers in the South Asian diaspora to write whatever stories they feel compelled to tell, unbounded by genre, cultural content, geographic location, or any other stereotypical expectation. Then we want to challenge the gatekeepers in the American film and television industry to bring those stories to light.

We believe in a holistic approach to foster writers' creative and career journeys. As a result, the three selected Mentees move through a multi-tiered process during the 1497 Features Lab:

Mentees' scripts undergo a rigorous development cycle before and during the Lab Retreat, consisting of feedback from multiple perspectives and guidance from a Script Consultant who focuses on the emotional and psychological journey of the screenplay.

Mentees are each assigned a Mentor pod (comprised of an established filmmaker, producer, industry rep, and 1497 Features Lab Alum) with whom they meet 1:1 during the Lab Retreat to  continue interrogating their scripts and receive advice/insight to launch or further their careers. 

INDUSTRY CONNECTION

During the Lab Retreat, Mentees attend master classes and fireside chats on various professional development topics. Following the Lab, Mentees join Lab Alums to participate in a daylong Pitch Day to pitch their films to a slate of producers, financiers, and other industry professionals.