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VMPL
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], October 26: MICA, in collaboration with filmmaker Aranya Sahay, writer-director of the award-winning feature Humans in the Loop, announces the MICA x Aranya Sahay Creative Fellowship, an initiative to support filmmakers from marginalized communities and help bring underrepresentedstories to the screen. The fellowship will select up to five filmmakers through an open call. Projects at the development,production or post-production stage are eligible to apply. Each selected filmmaker will receive an upfront project grant, participate in a week-long fellowship on MICAs Ahmedabad campus, andgain access to MICAs post-production facilities to continue working on their films. Beyond financial assistance, the fellowship aims to create sustained access to the wider filmmakingecosystem. Young filmmakers, especially those from marginalized backgrounds often facestructural barriers to funding, industry networks and production resources. By bringing togetherfinancial support, professional exchange and access to infrastructure, the initiative seeks to helpfilmmakers develop and complete their projects while creating pathways for their work to reachwider audiences. During the week-long residency, fellows will engage with leading professionals from Indian andinternational cinema, alongside MICA faculty and students. The invited guests confirmed so farInclude:- Kabir Khan, filmmaker and producer - Nikkhil Advani, filmmaker and producer - Prasad Shetty, distributor and producer - Anu Rangachar, Delegate for South Asia, Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) - Deepti DCunha, International Programming Consultant for South Asia, Red SeaInternational Film Festival, and former Artistic Director of MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Further participants will be announced in due course. Reflecting on the fellowship, MICA's Director and CEO Jaya Deoras Deshmukh said, We areentering the Age of Imagination, where the power to shape the future lies in the stories we tell alsoin whose stories get to be told. India is a country of extraordinary diversity, yet many of its mostcompelling stories remain unheard because the people who carry them often lack access toresources, networks and opportunities. 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 nurturevoices that challenge the familiar, bring fresh perspectives to the screen and expand ourunderstanding of India and its people. Because the future of storytelling cannot be imagined by afew, it must be created by many. "Throughout my filmmaking journey, Ive seen how the stories that make it to the big screen oftenemerge from a narrow range of social backgrounds, leaving a large section of Indias populationunderrepresented, both in the stories being told and in the people who get to tell them. Thisfellowship 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 anddistribution. It is an honour to be able to build this initiative with MICA", said Aranya Sahay. Professor and acclaimed filmmaker, Dr Darshan Ashwin Trivedi added, "Indias true strength lies inits vibrant diversity, and this fellowship empowers subaltern filmmakers to tell their stories. As theworld looks to India to lead the global orange economy, our goal is to nurture groundbreaking localideas that resonate on an international stage. I am thrilled to embark on this ambitious journeywith MICA, the only B-School campus to have a full-fledged studio." The fellowship reflects a shared commitment to widening access to filmmaking resources andprofessional networks, while creating space for stories and perspectives that remainunderrepresented in cinema. Applications open: 11th October 2026 Expected start of fellowship: 25 November 2026 (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by VMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.)
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