LAB: DISPLACED WOMEN PITCH — 4 Month Short Film Development Programme & London Showcase
Are you a refugee or immigrant woman working on a short project (fiction or documentary) about displacement? This is for you!
Location: Online, with a live pitch event in London
Regular Deadline: 17 October - £10
Final Deadline: 6 November - £20
https://www.labfilms.co.uk/payment
What's on offer
4-Stage Mentorship: Intensive group sessions and 1-on-1 guidance across Screenwriting, Directing, Producing, and Publicity/Impact Producing.
Funding & Grant Sessions: Dedicated workshops with key organizations (including BFI Network and Doc Society).
Commissioners Q&A: Direct meetings and Q&A sessions with commissioning editors.
Studio & Facility Visits: Guided access to studio and post-production facilities.
Pitch Workshop by My SMASH Media: Tailored pitch preparation workshop to refine your deck and narrative.
Live Showcase in London: The opportunity to present your project live at an exclusive industry pitching showcase in London.
In-Kind Support: Chances to win valuable in-kind support prizes for your project.
What they are looking for
Format & Stage: Short live-action fiction or documentary projects in development, with a draft script or treatment ready.
Core Themes: Meaningful engagement with displacement, climate displacement, migration, identity, belonging, home, or rebuilding lives.
Creative Freedom: Stories can be personal or broader; all storytelling styles (including satire) are welcome.
Who can apply
Eligibility: UK-based women filmmakers whose lives have been shaped by migration or displacement (including refugees, asylum seekers, conflict, climate, or labour relocation).
Experience: Applicants must have prior filmmaking experience (including work in countries of origin).
Role: Open to lead creatives (directors/writers/producers), including behind-the-camera/post-production pros now leading their own projects.
What you need to include in your SMASH Pitch
Your SMASH Snapshot must include at minimum:
Logline
Format; Genre; Setting; Runtime
Brief Biog highlighting your filmmaking experience and a short statement explaining how the applicant's experience relates to migration or displacement.
Brief Biog of other key creatives attached.
Synopsis with all major plot points — set up; inciting incident; rising conflict; mid story twist; crisis; climax and resolution.
Creative vision
Budget (if available)
Mood board is encouraged.
A script or documentary treatment.
Any projects submitted without this information will not be accepted.
How to Apply
Create your FREE SMASH Pitch at app.mysmash.media.
Build your Snapshot with the required elements above.
Hit 'Share Project' and select Lab: Displaced Women Pitch from the Call Out page.
Submit and pay submission fee - £10 (£20 for Late deadline) https://www.labfilms.co.uk/payment
Protect your IP
At SMASH, protecting your creative work is at the heart of everything we do. Every project uploaded to the platform is automatically timestamped and securely stored, giving you a verifiable digital record of ownership. Your pitch is only shared when you choose, and with the people you choose — ensuring your ideas remain yours, always. We call it Pitch Protection, and it's how we make sure creators can share their work with confidence, knowing their IP is safe and traceable.
Key Dates
Regular Deadline: 17 October (£10)
Final Deadline: 6 November (£20)
Programme Runs: November 2026 – April 2027
Live Pitch Showcase: April 2027 (London)
Important Notes
It's FREE to create a SMASH Pitch (the submission fee applies only when submitting your project to this callout).
Selected participants must attend the live pitch event.
Industry experts may not commission your project directly but will provide feedback, connections, and guidance.
The programme runs online over four months, and selected filmmakers should be prepared to take part in mentorship sessions and lead on presenting their project.
Questions? Contact: cupid@mysmash.media
For eligibility or programme related question contact: info@labfilms.co.uk
About Lab Films
Lab Films is a story-driven platform by Lab Films Global, focused on narratives shaped by displacement. At a time when migration is politicised, simplified, and often dehumanised, we focus on who gets to tell the story — and how it is experienced. We work with filmmakers, artists, and creators who have lived displacement — supporting them to develop and share their perspectives across film, exhibitions, live events, and immersive formats. From pitch programmes to public activations, we create spaces where these stories are not only told, but encountered. Because the way these narratives are shaped doesn’t just influence culture — it shapes how societies see, accept, or reject the people within them. www.labfilms.co.uk
About My SMASH Media
SMASH is the pitch builder and pitch protector for creators. It helps you build a professional, shareable pitch deck that can be discovered by industry decision-makers. SMASH is free for creators. Upgrade to SMASHPro for SMASHCupid support & advanced tools to make your pitch perfect.