The Storylines Lab is designed for narrative feature film projects at an early stage of development, from early concept to treatment stage. The lab is held virtually through online sessions and has a duration of two weeks.

The lab gives independent filmmakers from around the world the opportunity to work intensively on the creative development of their projects in an environment structured to foster professional collaboration and high-quality project development.

The lab is facilitated by a professional in the field with long-standing experience. In addition to the guidance provided by the facilitator through workshop sessions and one-on-one meetings, the lab offers the participants the opportunity to workshop their projects with other international filmmakers, be part of a community of like-minded artists, and access the Cine Qua Non film professional network.

By the end of the lab, participants will have created a portfolio of:

• Short treatment/Main story points
• Character profiles
• Synopsis

The Storylines Lab is held in English. All applicants must have a good knowledge of English.

The 2026 Storylines Lab will be held virtually through online sessions and will have a duration of 15 consecutive days, with a 2-day follow-up session.

The lab sessions will take place between April 1 and June 5, 2026. The follow-up session will be held in June/July 2026.

Professional writers or writer/directors developing a narrative feature film are eligible to apply. Only one person per project will be accepted to the lab. This lab is also open to Cine Qua Non alums who are interested in workshopping a new project, as well as to seasoned professionals.

The call for applicants is closed. The next call opens in October 2026.

The application fee is 40 USD.

The fee for attending the lab is 1,500 USD. This fee is due upon acceptance to the lab. In case of cancellation more than 15 days prior to the starting date of the lab, there is a 50% refund of the attendance fee. There is no refund in case of cancellation less than 15 days prior to the starting date.

Participants must give official recognition to Cine Qua Non in the future production of their work, by including an acknowledgement and the Cine Qua Non logo in any published rendition of the script, in the project’s website or when applying for additional development labs and funding for the same project, as well as mentioning Cine Qua Non’s support in any interview or article about their project. In addition, once completed, films that have been supported by Cine Qua Non must indicate that support both in the opening and closing credits, by displaying the Cine Qua Non logo and the caption “Developed with the support of Cine Qua Non”. Participants are also required to give recognition to the lab mentor with an on-screen credit of script consultant.

All applications are read and evaluated by a jury panel comprised of film professionals. Applicants short-listed for consideration in the final round of evaluations may be interviewed by video conference.

For further information, please address inquiries to admissions@cqnl.org.