- Open call invites projects at development, production and post-production stages
- Selected filmmakers to undergo a week-long fellowship at MICA’s Ahmedabad campus
- Kabir Khan, Nikkhil Advani and leading film-festival professionals among confirmed participants
- Initiative aims to bridge gaps in funding, industry networks and production infrastructure
- Applications opened on October 11; fellowship expected to begin on November 25, 2026
NE EDUTAINMENT BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, OCT 17
In a move to widen access to India’s filmmaking ecosystem, MICA and filmmaker Aranya Sahay have launched a creative fellowship that will support up to five filmmakers from marginalised communities with project grants, professional mentorship and post-production facilities, seeking to bring underrepresented stories to wider audiences.
The MICA x Aranya Sahay Creative Fellowship will accept projects at the development, production or post-production stage through an open call. Besides financial assistance, selected filmmakers will gain access to industry professionals, MICA’s academic community and its post-production infrastructure, helping them advance their projects and navigate the filmmaking process.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of persistent barriers faced by emerging filmmakers, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds, in securing funding, establishing industry connections and accessing the resources needed to complete films and reach audiences.
By combining financial support with professional engagement and institutional infrastructure, the fellowship seeks to create a more inclusive pathway into cinema for storytellers whose perspectives have often remained underrepresented.
Industry expertise meets emerging storytellers
The selected fellows will participate in a week-long residency at MICA’s Ahmedabad campus, interacting with professionals from Indian and international cinema, alongside MICA faculty members and students.
Those confirmed to participate include filmmaker and producer Kabir Khan; filmmaker and producer Nikkhil Advani; distributor and producer Prasad Shetty; Anu Rangachar, Delegate for South Asia at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale); and Deepti D’Cunha, International Programming Consultant for South Asia at the Red Sea International Film Festival and former Artistic Director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.
Further participants are expected to be announced in due course.
The engagement is intended to give fellows opportunities to exchange ideas with established industry practitioners, understand the wider filmmaking landscape and build professional relationships that could help their projects progress beyond the fellowship.
‘Creativity must be accompanied by the opportunity to create’
MICA Director and CEO Jaya Deoras Deshmukh said the initiative reflects the institution’s belief that access to creative opportunities must extend beyond the ability to imagine and tell stories.
“We are entering the Age of Imagination, where the power to shape the future lies in the stories we tell also in whose stories get to be told. India is a country of extraordinary diversity, yet many of its most compelling stories remain unheard because the people who carry them often lack access to resources, networks and opportunities,” she said.
“At MICA, we believe creativity must be accompanied by the opportunity to create. This Fellowship is a step towards making that possible. We want to nurture voices that challenge the familiar, bring fresh perspectives to the screen and expand our understanding of India and its people. Because the future of storytelling cannot be imagined by a few, it must be created by many.”
Sahay, writer-director of the award-winning feature Humans in the Loop, said the fellowship seeks to address the structural disadvantages that determine whose stories reach the screen and who gets the opportunity to tell them.
“Throughout my filmmaking journey, I’ve seen how the stories that make it to the big screen often emerge from a narrow range of social backgrounds, leaving a large section of India’s population underrepresented, both in the stories being told and in the people who get to tell them,” he said.
“This fellowship is our attempt to change that by addressing some of the key barriers young filmmakers, particularly those from marginalized communities, face in accessing funding, resources and distribution. It is an honour to be able to build this initiative with MICA.”
Local stories, global reach
Professor and filmmaker Dr Darshan Ashwin Trivedi said the fellowship would empower filmmakers from historically underrepresented communities to bring their perspectives into the mainstream.
“India’s true strength lies in its vibrant diversity, and this fellowship empowers subaltern filmmakers to tell their stories. As the world looks to India to lead the global orange economy, our goal is to nurture groundbreaking local ideas that resonate on an international stage,” he said.
“I am thrilled to embark on this ambitious journey with MICA, the only B-School campus to have a full-fledged studio.”
The fellowship brings together institutional resources, industry experience and financial assistance in an effort to expand the range of voices represented in cinema. Its broader objective is to help filmmakers not only develop and complete their projects but also build connections with the professional ecosystem required to take their work to audiences.
Applications and fellowship timeline
Applications opened on October 11, 2026. The fellowship is expected to begin on November 25, 2026. Up to five filmmakers will be selected through the open call.