Frequently Asked Questions

An in-person, process-driven lab for emerging nonfiction storytellers


4 weeks | 2 hours per week | Limited seats

  • This lab is designed for:

    • Emerging and mid-career filmmakers

    • Writers transitioning into documentary storytelling

    • Journalists exploring cinematic nonfiction

    • Artists working with memory, archive, or lived experience

    • Anyone ready to shape an idea into a structured documentary concept

  • You may arrive with:

    • A fully formed documentary concept

    • A loose theme you’re drawn to

    • A personal story you’re unsure how to frame

    • A question you can’t stop thinking about

  • By the end of the lab, you will have:

    • A clear documentary premise

    • A refined logline

    • A 2–3 page written treatment

    • A defined narrative structure

    • Clarity on voice and point of view

    • A deeper understanding of ethics and responsibility

    • Constructive feedback from peers and mentor

  • This is a story-first development lab.

    We focus on:

    • Concept development

    • Narrative structure

    • Character and transformation

    • Stakes and tension

    • Voice and authorship

    • Ethics and consent

  • The framework applies to:

    • Personal documentaries

    • First-person narratives

    • Observational films

    • Character-driven stories

    • Social issue documentaries

    • Hybrid nonfiction projects

  • Each two-hour in-person session includes:

    • Focused teaching segments

    • Close reading of documentary examples

    • Guided writing exercises

    • Peer dialogue and critique

    • Dedicated development time

  • Absolutely. You’ll receive mentor feedback as well as guided peer responses in a respectful, accountable space.

  • Yes. Participants should expect:

    • Weekly writing assignment progressive development of their treatment

  • The clarity developed in this lab directly supports:

    • Grant applications

    • Documentary labs and fellowships

    • Pitch forums

    • Producer conversations

  • At this time we are limiting the cohort size to 12 participants.

  • $350

    Your investment includes:

    • 8 hours of in-person instruction

    • Guided writing exercises

    • Structured peer feedback

    • Mentor critique

    • A final development sharing

  • Yes.

  • Sharing your project is highly recommended, though optional.

Sign Up

  • Burqa Boxers (Feature Documentary)

    Winner, Best Project, Grant Open Doors, Locarno Film Festival

    Winner “Author of the Year” International. Documentary Festival, Hangzhou, China, 2017.

    EBS International documentary Festival, Korea

    New Orleans Film Festival, October

    Vail Film Festival, USA

    Jio MAMI International Film Festival Mumbai

    Traces De Vie International Film Festival, Claremond Ferrand, France,

    Artemis, Women in Action Film Festival, USA

    For Films Sake Film Festival, Australia, USA

    Invitation, Film Bazaar Co-Production Market, Goa, India

    The Conqueror (Script)

    Berlinale Talent Project Market.

    L’oreal Woman of Worth Vision Award at Tribeca All Access

    The Ant and The Monkey (Short Fiction)

    Nomination, Princess Grace Awards

    Giffoni Film Festival, Italy

    Mendocino Film Festival

    San Francisco South Asian International Film Festival

    San Diego International Children’s Film Festival

    Mahindra IAAC International Film Festival

    Panchali

    14th Madrid International Experimental Cinema Week

    Regional finalist in the Student Academy Awards

    John Gutmann Award for Innovation in Cinema

    Nominated for the Eastman Kodak Scholarship for Excellence in Cinema (2004).

    Casa De Espana, Lima, Peru

    San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival

    Women of Color Film Festival

    Tired Of Dancing

    Cinequest International Film Festival

    Women of Color Film Festival

    San Francisco South Asian Film Festival

  • The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/may/02/gender-fight-night-boxing-film-makers-go-three-rounds-for-industry-equality

    The Hindu: https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/of-grit-and-grace/article7893312.ece

    The Indian Express: https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/the-right-hook-2/

    Global Indian: https://www.globalindian.com/story/art-culture/indian-filmmaker-alka-raghuram/

    Indian Independent Films: https://indiaindependentfilms.com/2016/10/23/mami-2016-alka-raghurams-burqa-boxers/

    Variety: https://variety.com/2022/film/news/mithila-palkar-jaaved-jaaferi-siam-ahmed-in-the-ring-1235271543/

    Screendaily: https://www.screendaily.com/-locarnos-open-doors-top-award-shared-by-two-indian-projects/5030715.article

    Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/locarno-open-doors-unveils-indian-184490/

    F.I.G.H.T.C.L.U.B: https://moifightclub.com/tag/alka-raghuram/

    KALW: https://www.kalw.org/podcast/sandip-roys-dispatches-from-kolkata/2024-02-21/kathaks-return-journey

    India Currents: https://indiacurrents.com/chitresh-das-dance-takes-invoking-the-river-on-3-city-tour-of-india/Chitresh Das Institute: https://www.chitreshdasinstitute.org/blog/2022/10/16/alka-raghuram-interview-w-artists-of-invoking-the-river

    Sinema: https://www.sinema.sg/2011/08/11/locarno-open-doors-alka-raghurams-burqa-boxers/

    India Currents: https://indiacurrents.com/bay-area-based-filmmaker-alka-raghuram-documents-muslim-women-boxers-fight-for-liberation/

    Pandolin: http://pandolin.com/i-wanted-to-investigate-how-learning-to-box-transforms-one-as-a-person/

  • Burqa Boxers (Feature Documentary)

    Winner, Best Project, Grant Open Doors, Locarno Film Festival

    Winner “Author of the Year” International. Documentary Festival, Hangzhou, China, 2017.

    EBS International documentary Festival, Korea

    New Orleans Film Festival, October

    Vail Film Festival, USA

    Jio MAMI International Film Festival Mumbai

    Traces De Vie International Film Festival, Claremond Ferrand, France,

    Artemis, Women in Action Film Festival, USA

    For Films Sake Film Festival, Australia, USA

    Invitation, Film Bazaar Co-Production Market, Goa, India

    The Conqueror (Script)

    Berlinale Talent Project Market.

    L’oreal Woman of Worth Vision Award at Tribeca All Access

    The Ant and The Monkey (Short Fiction)

    Nomination, Princess Grace Awards

    Giffoni Film Festival, Italy

    Mendocino Film Festival

    San Francisco South Asian International Film Festival

    San Diego International Children’s Film Festival

    Mahindra IAAC International Film Festival

    Panchali

    14th Madrid International Experimental Cinema Week

    Regional finalist in the Student Academy Awards

    John Gutmann Award for Innovation in Cinema

    Nominated for the Eastman Kodak Scholarship for Excellence in Cinema (2004).

    Casa De Espana, Lima, Peru

    San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival

    Women of Color Film Festival

    Tired Of Dancing

    Cinequest International Film Festival

    Women of Color Film Festival

    San Francisco South Asian Film Festival