The Gotham Labs work to ensure that talented emerging voices receive the support, resources, and industry exposure necessary to reach audiences and industry decision makers. Through a holistic approach, which includes intensive workshop, networking, and mentorship opportunities, we support fiction film, documentary film, and TV series creators from the early stages of development all the way to reaching audiences with completed projects.
In addition to in-depth lab programming throughout the year, Lab Fellows are invited to pitch their projects and participate in the annual Gotham Week Project Market in September. Each year at the Project Market, Lab Fellows have access to curated meetings with key industry professionals including sales and talent agents, distributors, festival programmers, and more who can move their projects and careers forward.
An Update on the 2023 Gotham Labs
To better serve the changing needs of our filmmaking community and meet the evolving demands of the independent film industry, we have decided to place The Gotham Labs on hiatus in 2023. We plan to utilize this time to reimagine the program and determine how we can continue to share our considerable resources in an equitable and inclusive way with our growing ecosystem of filmmakers and partner organizations.
We are proud that The Gotham Labs, including the Documentary Feature Lab, Fiction Feature Lab, and TV Series Lab, have collectively supported more than 375 films and series since 2005. We look forward to working with and listening to our partner organizations as we debut a reimagined approach in 2024.
For those who were interested in or planning to apply to The Gotham Labs, we encourage you to submit your projects to the Gotham Week Project Market. Applications for the U.S. Features in Development section of the Project Market will open in late January, and submissions for U.S. Features in Post, Spotlight on Documentaries, Narrative Series, and Audio Series & Originals will open in late March. Learn more about the Project Market.
You can also explore opportunities with other organizations at our Filmmaker Labs & Fellowships Directory. If you have opportunities that you would like to add to the directory, please contact [email protected] for more information.
Documentary Feature Lab
The Gotham’s Documentary Feature Lab is a year-long mentorship program for first-time documentary feature directors in post-production. The Lab remains steadfast to its founding objective: to support filmmakers as they prepare to finish and release their debut feature films. Through the Documentary Feature Lab, selected Fellows receive creative feedback on their work as well as strategic mentorship in regards to developing, and achieving, their goals within the rapidly evolving ecosystem of film distribution and exhibition.
Fiction Feature Lab
The Gotham’s Fiction Feature Lab is a year-long mentorship program for first-time fiction feature directors in post-production. The Lab remains steadfast to its founding objective: to support filmmakers as they prepare to finish and release their debut feature films. Through the Lab, selected Fellows receive creative feedback on their work as well as strategic mentorship in regards to developing, and achieving, their goals within the rapidly evolving ecosystem of film distribution and exhibition.
TV Series Lab
The Gotham’s TV Series Lab provides participants with the knowledge, resources and mentor support necessary for developing and pitching fiction series. During the week-long lab, selected Fellows gain knowledge and skills development related to preparing pitches, developing and securing financing, understanding the marketplace, creating marketing strategies and finding unique platforms for distribution. Individualized attention for each creator(s) ensures strategic brainstorming for a long-term strategy to sustain their ongoing careers.