1497 Features Lab |
2025
The 1497 Features Lab is designed to change South Asian representation in the American entertainment market.
Placement
Genre
Format
Representation Status
Semifinalists
11:11
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 95 Pages
When 16-year-old Pakistani-American Noori’s wish at 11:11 to be her crush’s type goes awry, she’s magically transformed into a white, blonde, blue-eyed girl — and must undo the wish before losing herself completely.
Mahnoor Euceph
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 98 Pages
An Indian filmmaker moves to Los Angeles in her thirties chasing a soulmate predicted by an astrologer, but a love triangle makes her question if the stars decide her destiny or if she does.
Vibha Kulkarni is an Indian director and writer based in Los Angeles for whom storytelling is a tool for self-discovery. She explored different storytelling media for a decade, ranging from Fine Art, Performance Art, Independent Theater, Indian Classical Dance, Acting, Poetry, Interactive Technology, and New Media before she fell in love with filmma...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 162 Pages
As a dysfunctional Chinese-Indian family gathers in Calcutta to celebrate Chinese New Year, a spirited grandchild's proposal to reopen the once-famous family restaurant ignites nostalgia for a bygone era, casting a shadow over the reunion and prompting important questions on identity and belonging.
No bio available.
A Place In Between
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 96 Pages
After her father suddenly dies, Sonia (26), a mixed-race only-child and workaholic, travels to India for the first time alone to settle his affairs, including inheriting the family house. Not knowing the language or culture, Sonia develops an unexpected community in Kolkata that helps her navigate her grief and next steps.
Alisha Bhowmik is a multi-racial, multi-hyphenate artist from Arkansas currently based in Brooklyn, NY. She’s a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a B.F.A. in Acting in conjunction with the Atlantic Acting School. She produced the feature film Blow Up My Life, which won Best Film at Harlem International Film Festival ‘23, had a limited AM...
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All Day One Night
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 97 Pages
On the eve of his prison release, a young father kills in self-defense and must cover it up, while across town his wife endures a violent home invasion—each fighting to preserve their one shot at reuniting as a family.
No bio available.
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 162 Pages
A washed-up Indo-Caribbean rockstar’s journey to scatter his mother’s ashes in India takes a surreal turn when she begins haunting his pilgrimage, unraveling her secret queer life and forcing him to confront their fractured past. This feel-good road movie (with teeth) explores love, legacy, and the ghosts we carry as children of a diaspora.
Sacramento, California
Growing up in a secluded Saudi Arabian farming community, Shawn's passion for fantastical worlds bloomed amidst the quiet, fueled by countless hours spent devouring films and TV.
His career began after meeting Shaunaugh Connaire (Channel 4 UK), who mentored him through Unreported World's access program. He then joined BBC Drama's editing program...
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Amerigirl
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 97 Pages
This logline was hidden by the writer.
AMERIGIRL SHORT FILM (2021):
https://www.nobudge.com/videos/amerigirl
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 103 Pages
In Fall 2001 Queens, as anthrax paranoia grips a city reeling from tragedy, Aman, a five star high school basketball recruit, becomes the target of suspicion and manipulation — forcing his older brother Avi to make an unthinkable choice to protect his future.
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 106 Pages
When a young woman is invited to a mysterious retreat where they promise to eliminate all emotional baggage, she is delighted with how well it works until she realises; they aren't gone but just waiting to be unleashed.
GB
After witnessing the death of his billionaire parents at the hands of a criminal, reevanelli was raised by his foster parents on a farm where he learned to harness his superpowers.
By day, a crusading lawyer, by night, asleep, he swore to fight crime until his doctor signed him off for a bad knee and back pain.
Now he commits crime with his la...
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BUMP
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 95 Pages
A young woman, emotionally detached after years of surrogate work, takes one final contract — only to discover her pregnancy is part of a biotech mogul’s godlike vision, where science meets cult and control replaces consent.
No bio available.
Call Me Ginger
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 88 Pages
A rebellious teenage girl, torn between cultures, strives to gain acceptance from her distant grandmother—a wealthy, aloof socialite—while grappling with her own identity, friendships, and family dynamics in a new country.
Los Angeles, CA
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 91 Pages
From humble Indian roots to American literary icon, the inspiring true story of Dhan Gopal Mukerji. In the roaring 1920s, he crossed oceans to chase his dream of uniting East and West - but as he rises to national acclaim, the pressures of fame and cultural displacement lead him down a tragic path, revealing the high cost of living between two world...
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Los Angeles, CA
Runjeev Ignatius studied screenwriting at NYU's Tisch, performing script coverage for production companies including Miramax Films. He moved to LA working in VFX for artists including Nicolas Cage and Sia. Runjeev writes in several genres including historical fiction and sci-fi. In 2022, Runjeev was recognized as one of the top ten South Asian scre...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 78 Pages
Moonlighting as a freelance driver for Mumbai's inebriated, affluent folks, a man falls for one of his clients. Forced to choose between his love and his life, he realises that in the world's largest democracy, only alcoholism is truly democratic.
Colombo, LK
“Darling, stop bothering me with your stories when I have so much to do. Go find someone else.” It hurt when mom said that to me, but the obedient child that I was, I took her advice and started looking for a global, captive audience to tell my stories to.
And that’s what I have been doing all my life—initially in advertising as a global creativ...
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Counter Offence
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 96 Pages
An Iranian man accused of assaulting his wife is found dead in a YMCA hotel room and a white police officer is the prime suspect. When the social worker of the abused wife comes to the officer’s defence, a pandora’s box opens putting the entire investigation into question.
No bio available.
Dead Right. Dead Wrong.
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 125 Pages
Following an abrupt workplace meltdown in Bangalore, a mild-mannered financial consultant returns home to Delhi on a timeout and becomes obsessed with exposing her former school bully-turned-upcoming golden tech-bro after discovering his connection to a long-forgotten school friend’s mysterious death.
A slow-burn revenge thriller disguised as a com...
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New Delhi, Delhi, IN
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Fantasy
· 99 Pages
A lonely, undocumented Nepali man stuck in the US, longing to go home to his beloved wife, kid and family, discovers a mysterious portal that teleports him to his hometown. He reunites with family and friends, only to find people on both sides want to cross over.
Los Angeles, California
Rajendra Thakurathi is a Nepali writer-director based in Los Angeles. He got his early storytelling roots from Pixar, BuzzFeed, and The New York Times. His first feature film, Six Feet, was executive produced by Adam Somer (Monkeyman, Ghostbusters: Afterlife). His latest mockumentary short, Impulses, was released through Omeleto.
He has a knack ...
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FLIGHT 182
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 104 Pages
After Air India Flight 182 mysteriously explodes over the Atlantic Ocean, a grieving widow seeks answers about her husband’s death—setting her on a dangerous journey against the Canadian government to expose a buried terrorist plot.
Los Angeles, CA
No bio available.
Goodbye Boopie
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 88 Pages
An Indian funeral goes awry.
Sachin Mehta
No bio available.
How To Have Sex On Antidepressants
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 106 Pages
A queer Indian-American from an unsympathetic immigrant family is ashamed of her depression diagnosis. However, when a life-long crush returns, she will be forced to choose between her first real chance at love or coming out a second time in life: as depressed.
Mrittika ‘Mou’ Sarin is a queer Indian screenwriter, who has co-written on an episode of CHICAGO MED and written CRIMINAL JUSTICE (official Indian remake of HBO's THE NIGHT OF). She has been recognized by Athena Film Festival, Tribeca Film Institute and the Sloan program. Before getting her MFA in screenwriting from UCLA, she produced the official I...
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INDIAN SUMMER
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 91 Pages
After their friend Ozi, an African expat, dies in a racially charged incident in Delhi, local journalist Anu and Indian-American traveler Sameer journey across India to scatter his ashes and find an unexpected connection.
No bio available.
INTRODUCTION TO CHEMISTRY
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 115 Pages
In a bid to redefine their social status, three Indian American high school chemistry prodigies launch a covert matchmaking service to spark romantic reactions among their classmates. However, they find themselves entangled in a web of chaotic teenage hearts as they learn that love may be the most unpredictable element of all.
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 116 Pages
A film based on a true story about love, immigration, motherhood, loss, and hope set in India and Canada.
No bio available.
MAN MEET
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 99 Pages
When three emotionally struggling men travel to Nepal to scatter the ashes of their supposedly dead friend, they find themselves hunted by a jungle tribe, stalked by a snow leopard, on a magical psychedelic honey trip, and forced into the ultimate test of survival—and manhood.
Playa Vista, CA
Sid Patwa is an Indian-American screenwriter and director specializing in minority-driven comedy often with a musical influence. He works closely with Will Smith and Westbrook Studios and is currently developing a feature film with Will and Westbrook attached.
All of his scripts have placed in major competitions including Nicholl, and his two sh...
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Maya in the Woods
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 80 Pages
No logline available.
No bio available.
Meet in Costa Mesa
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 100 Pages
Set in 2003, the movie follows the Monroa family as they navigate life in America. The patriarch, VIJAY, starts selling bindis and jewelry at the swapmeet, and enlists his wife, ANITA, and daughter, DIVYA, to help. With the backdrop of this business, Vijay battles feelings of inadequacy, Anita finds herself missing India, and Divya explores her sexu...
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No bio available.
Missouri City
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 96 Pages
A Punjabi Muslim security guard, desperate to save his ailing father from deportation, devises a scheme to rob a family member’s pawn shop in order to obtain bail funds. But when he enlists a volatile war veteran to carry out the heist, his scheme collapses into a life-altering nightmare.
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 100 Pages
When a grief-stricken mother performs a forbidden voodoo ritual to resurrect her dead baby, she binds her baby’s spirit to herself, but as the spirit grows possessive and violent, she must choose between clinging to her lost baby or embracing a chance at new love.
Kolkata, West Bengal, IN
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 98 Pages
A down-on-her luck yoga instructor tries to take down the culturally-appropriating studio that ran her out of business. But when her revenge plot garners a level of fame, she chases her dream through problematic means, getting the attention of a local politician… and a supernatural force.
Genre: black-comedy horror
Brooklyn, NY
Prashant Nashi is an Indian-American drama-comedy playwright and screenwriter with a physical-disability originally from Michigan. A child of immigrants, he likes to Trojan Horse hope in stories about outsiders navigating their sadness and loneliness to ultimately find a sliver of light. Prashant is currently participating in the AMC + Amazon sponso...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Horror
· 91 Pages
After a grieving couple has their fourth miscarriage, they give up trying to conceive and adopt a cute shelter dog instead, only to discover that the newest member of their family is actually possessed by a demon.
Los Angeles, CA
Persians haven't been relevant since they were mutants in Zack Snyder's 300… until now. Amir Mo is a Persian/Iranian-American writer whose debut feature, received over 1800% ROI and features comedy vets from Saturday Night Live, Borat, & MADtv. He was recently named a Semifinalist in the NBC TV Writers Program where one executive called his pilot "b...
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OTHER GIRLS
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 106 Pages
A lonely South Asian-American teenager living in Northern California retreats into online fantasy as she navigates body shame, cultural alienation, and first desire—only to become entangled in a dangerous relationship.
Palo Alto, CA
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 105 Pages
A Pakistani-American drug dealer clashes with new cousins, an unhinged ex-girlfriend, and his divorced parents as he attempts to save his sister’s wedding.
New York, NY
Don Ahmad is an award-winning writer/director based in New York City. He started making films after globe-trotting as a kid, now having lived in five different countries and three states. A blend of Arab and Californian influences piqued his interest in photography and poetry, which catalyzed into a deeper love for directing and screenwriting. He re...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 99 Pages
The Peach Pit is an LA-based, Indi-Mex fusion restaurant. Val and Anjali's twice widowed mother, Lakshmi, is the owner. Anjali wants to franchise, Val wants to sell, Lakshmi, refuses more change. PEACHY is about the fusion of business with family - a traumedy, about cooking with love.
New York, NY
JASMINE SHARMA (she/her) is a South Asian-American performer/writer/activist. Full lengths include PIGEONHOLE (in development, Center Theatre Group commission, South Asians On Broadway), PEACHY: a sorta chekhovian traumedy (IAMA Theatre Company, Yale University, NPC Finalist), THE JAZMINES: a rage play - and for legal reasons, a parody (NPC Finalist...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 99 Pages
At a summer camp for Muslim tweens, Tanveer doesn't expect to find a crush - especially not one who's her bunkmate.
Los Angeles, CA
Samah is a Muslim comedy screenwriter, playwright, and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She graduated from Northwestern University's MFA program in Writing for the Screen and Stage. Her feature QURAN CAMP is on the WScripted/MUBI Cannes Screenplay List, and her short film THERAPIST SPEED DATING premiered on Amazon Prime Video.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 105 Pages
Told using the nine movements of a bharatnatyam dance, in fragments, a poet and a dancer reconnect after years apart at the wake of their guru. As old feelings resurface, so do long-buried traumas, and Sanjay and Gita must find a way to each other through the scorched earth of the past. This is a romantic drama using romance laughter fury compassion...
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No bio available.
Riha
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 112 Pages
When reformed ex-convict BELA discovers that her infant son (believed dead 17 years ago) was sold to a trafficker while she was imprisoned, her world is upended. Determined to find him, she embarks on a journey through the murkiest corridors of human commodification, while confronting the limits of her morality.
Shaan Vyas
No bio available.
SELFLESS 1000 MILES
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 108 Pages
Advaith, a young boy in his mid-20s from Delhi, India, embarks on a deeply moving journey across the barren landscapes of the USA to discover what lies beyond the horizon when his poignant childhood memories of waiting and yearning resurface.
Ankleshwar, Gujarat, IN
Shardul Maurya is an independent filmmaker based out of Mumbai, India. His passion for storytelling led him to study filmmaking specialising in direction and screenplay writing. After working on various formats as an Assistant Director, he wrote, directed and produced his first micro-budget indie feature-length film “Salvation at Sunrise”. The film ...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 100 Pages
A grieving widower’s world is upended when his late wife falls from a mysterious portal in the sky, alive, but with no memory of him or their life together. As he helps her rediscover her memories, he’s forced to confront his own grief and the fragile hope of a second chance at love.
Oakland, CA
Asad Durrani is a writer/director/actor and a SFFILM FilmHouse Resident. He was a finalist in The Black List Feature Lab and ranked in the top 7% in the Academy Nicholl Fellowship. He was a semifinalist for The Black List Artist Development Fellowship/Stowe Story Labs, Pillars Artist Fellowship, 1497 Features Lab, and Austin Film Festival.
After mo...
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Something I Can Never Have
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 99 Pages
This logline was hidden by the writer.
No bio available.
Stolen Shadows
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 120 Pages
When his daughter is abducted on a family trip to India, a doting African American father spirals into insanity and delves into a dangerous world to save his daughter, only to realize that he's been chasing stolen shadows.
Augusta, GA
A confused mortal, who has failed at everything that life has thrown at him, and finds solace in writing gut-wrenching stories.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 100 Pages
A Pakistani-American teen longs to lose her virginity, only to realize she’s subconsciously ingrained the rules of her Muslim upbringing, making it physically impossible for her to have sex. So she and her best friend set out to get her laid before their senior year comes to an end.
No bio available.
Thamizh Beat
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 109 Pages
No logline available.
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Sci-fi
· 101 Pages
Trapped inside his subconscious after a botched mind-hacking procedure, a timid immigrant engineer must wrestle back control from his ruthless alter-ego before his life and mind unravel.
Vista, CA
A Writer, Director, Producer, and Visual Effects (VFX) Supervisor, Kalyan Sura is a virtuoso storyteller who creates live-action and animation content featuring South Asians and other minorities.
After a decade at the highest levels of the VFX industry, working on independent films and blockbusters like ‘HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2’ and ‘POKÉMON: ...
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The Indian
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 114 Pages
A lost past. A haunted present. A private investigator is on the hunt for a missing person, only to be led back into the fractured highway of his forgotten past.
No bio available.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Thriller
· 120 Pages
When Jesus Christ is murdered by poisoning during the Last Supper, the Twelve Apostles - trapped by a torrential downpour - turn on one another with wild accusations and theories to identify the killer... until it falls on an unlikely detective to put all the pieces together.
Los Angeles, California
Nishanth has always wanted to be a nepo baby. Unfortunately, he isn't one.
He is a plucky young filmmaker from India, now based in LA, with a degree in Film Production & Philosophy from Loyola Marymount University. His work has received acclaim - from his short film airing on PBS to his co-written whodunnit feature winning the Grand Prize in the ...
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The Long Jazeera
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 83 Pages
After the matriarch of a Pakistani American family receives a terminal cancer prognosis, the prodigal eldest son returns home during a hurricane, bringing unresolved tensions within the family to the surface.
Brooklyn, NY
Saleem Nasir Gondal (he/him) is a filmmaker based in New York. His work explores the power of language and movement to portray the intimate lives of underrepresented communities onscreen. His work is supported by Focus Features, The Black List, The National Board of Review, The Gotham, Pillars Fund, and MPAC Hollywood Bureau and more.
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 93 Pages
When his charismatic older cousin SARITA (34) comes to stay with the family for mysterious reasons, aspiring fiction writer NIKHIL (17) makes a shocking discovery about her that only fuels their growing connection — and intertwines their fates for years to come.
- Verified WGA Member
Los Angeles, California
Sachin Dharwadker is a screenwriter and director from Madison, WI currently based in Los Angeles. He is an alumnus of Sundance Ignite, the Sundance Episodic Lab, the New York Stage & Film Filmmakers’ Workshop, and the Sundance Talent Forum. He is currently developing a drama series with Starz and CBS Television Studios.
As a filmmaker, Sachin foc...
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Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 87 Pages
A young farmer battling memory loss leaves his drought-stricken land and embarks on a journey to buy an air conditioner for his pregnant wife. Fearing that his condition will prevent him from remembering his unborn child, he records voice messages, preserving fragments of his life before they fade in a world that refuses to slow down for those left ...
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Austin, Texas
Sachin is a DGA Student Award-winning filmmaker whose work has been screened at prestigious film festivals such as Hot Docs, Raindance, EnergaCAMERIMAGE, and Krakow. He strives to tell stories that demand an urgent conversation and seeks to engage with people, places, and communities that are slowly disappearing. He aims to affirm their existence th...
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TINY BIRDS WITH BROKEN BRAINS
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Drama
· 95 Pages
After her sister’s disappearance shatters their family, Namjot grows up wrestling with abandonment and identity. Spanning decades, Tiny Birds with Broken Brains follows Namjot from a wide-eyed immigrant child to a guarded adult, as a chance encounter forces her to confront the wounds she buried long ago.
No bio available.
Title: Final Draft
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 131 Pages
When a famed fantasy author suddenly dies before completing his beloved book series, a trio of estranged superfan friends attempt to resurrect his spirit and their friendship to get closure on how the story ends.
No bio available.
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two str8 bros
Private
Semifinalist
Feature
· Comedy
· 96 Pages
Two straight cisgendered dude bros are transported to a queer future and must figure out what "a man" means to get back to their time.
No bio available.
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