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Call for projects · New York 2026

Opens Thu 15 Oct · in

15 Oct — 10 Nov 2026

Apply with a project

Up to 20 projects get three masterclasses, 1:1 mentoring and invitations to the screenings, 17–20 November in New York.

Who
Ages 18–35Solo or team
Where you live
Based in the USNew York or anywhere in the US
How many
Up to 20 projectsThree already picked in Bucharest
Deadline
Closes Tue 10 Nov23:59 ET (time to be confirmed) · opens Thu 15 Oct
How it works
Rolling selectionWe read applications as they arrive
What you get
Masterclasses + 1:1 meetingsAt ICR New York, 10:00–16:00, Tue 17 – Thu 19 Nov

01 Who can apply

A project, at any stage

Film, tech or business, or a project that mixes them. The programme runs in English.

You can apply if

  • You are 18–35
  • You are based in the US
  • You have a project in film, technology, entrepreneurship or interdisciplinary creative practice
  • You apply solo or as a team

What you get

  • Three masterclasses at ICR New York (10:00–11:30, Tue 17 – Thu 19 Nov)
  • Curated 1:1 meetings with the mentors (12:00–16:00; Thursday until 15:30, then The Next Step), pre-matched to the project
  • Invitations to the private screenings at Scandinavia House
  • Not included: the private dinners (invitation only)

02 How it works

How it works

  1. 01Apply

    Fill in the form and add your deck as a PDF.

  2. 02We read it

    The festival team reads applications as they arrive, not after the deadline.

  3. 03You hear back

    Selected projects hear as soon as they’re picked. The last decisions follow the 10 November close.

Closes Tue 10 Nov 2026, 23:59 ET (time to be confirmed)

03 What to send

A short pitch, one deck

Besides your details, a project title and a category, you send two things: a short written pitch and one PDF deck. The festival team reads both, and so do the mentors you meet if your project is selected.

AWhat you can apply with

One project per application. Pick the closest category, or Interdisciplinary if the project mixes fields.

  • Film

    • A short, feature, documentary or series in development
    • A film in production, or a finished one heading for festivals
    • A short that tests the idea for a longer film

  • Technology

    • An app prototype built at school or on weekends
    • An AI tool with its first users
    • Robotics or research you want to turn into a product

  • Business

    • A startup idea with first customer conversations
    • A small business, brand or creative studio you run
    • A company you run from the US, moving into a new market

  • Interdisciplinary

    • A film made with AI, VR or game tech
    • Art, fashion, music or design with a tech or business side
    • Any project whose next step needs more than one field

StageOptional. Idea: a concept, nothing built or shot yet. Prototype: a first version, like a demo or a test shoot. Early traction: first users, sales or screenings. Growing: up and running, with regular users or sales.

BYour written pitch

This goes in the “Describe your project” field. We suggest 3–6 sentences, in this order. The field holds up to 5,000 characters.

  1. What it is: the format and the idea, in one sentence. For a film, the logline.
  2. Who it’s for: your audience, users or customers.
  3. Where it stands: what exists today, with numbers and dates where you have them.
  4. Who’s behind it: who does what, and their past work.
  5. What you need next: one or two specific questions for a mentor, in financing, business strategy, film, technology, legal and tax, or international positioning.

Links go here, not in the title: a trailer, demo, website or portfolio. Check that each one opens for someone who isn’t signed in to your accounts. For a password-protected video, put the password next to the link.

An example, invented · Film · Prototype

Open Till 4 is a 12-minute drama about two sisters who keep their family’s Queens laundromat open all night. It’s for short-film audiences and anyone who grew up in a family business. The script is on its third draft, with a director of photography, a location and a March shoot lined up. I write and direct; my producer has made two student shorts. Our questions: how to finance the shoot, and which festivals to aim for first. Test footage: [link] (password: …)

CYour deck

The deck you’d show an investor or a producer. Use the one you have, or build one from the outline below, which is only a suggestion.

  • Required: one PDF, up to 20 MB, in English.
  • It’s the only file the form takes: video and other material go in the description, as links.
  • Suggested: around 10–15 slides, fewer at idea stage, numbered so a mentor can point to one.
  • Suggested: a file name like project-title_your-name.pdf.
  1. CoverTitle, a one-line summary, your name, city and state, email.
  2. What it isThe idea in two sentences, with one strong image.
  3. Who it’s forAudience, users or customers, and how many.
  4. Why it mattersThe problem it solves or the story it tells, and why now.
  5. Where it standsWhat exists today, and any proof: users, sales, screenings, partners.
  6. TeamWho does what, past work, and roles still open.
  7. Plan and budgetThe next 6–12 months: what it costs, what’s paid for, what’s still open.
  8. What you needThe one or two questions you’d bring to the 1:1 meetings.

Then, for your field

Film7 points
  • Logline (the story in one sentence), a one-paragraph synopsis, and the format: length, genre, the language it’s shot in
  • Director’s statement: why this story, why you
  • Look and tone: stills, references or a lookbook
  • Status and rights: script draft, who’s on board, key dates, and your rights if it’s based on a book or a real story
  • On the budget slide: the budget range, the financing in place and what’s still open
  • Audience plan: festivals, platforms, communities
  • A few script pages or a short treatment, if you want to share them, at the end of the deck
Technology6 points
  • The product: how it works, with screenshots, what’s built and what’s planned, and a demo link if you have one
  • What’s hard about it: the technology, data or research behind it
  • Numbers so far: users, trials, a waiting list, how many come back
  • Who else solves this, and how yours differs
  • Business model: who pays, and how much
  • Open questions on data, privacy or who owns the technology
Business6 points
  • What you sell, and at what price
  • Customers so far, how you reach new ones, and what it costs to get one
  • Market: roughly how many customers like your first ones exist, and where
  • Who else does this, and why people would pick you
  • Numbers: sales, costs, margins, pre-orders, even small ones
  • Structure: whether there’s a company, where it’s registered, who owns it, and open legal or tax questions
Interdisciplinary6 points
  • Which fields it combines, and what each one brings
  • What people see, hear or use: images, sketches, a floor plan or a demo link
  • How it’s made: process, tools, collaborators
  • Where it lives: a venue, a platform, a festival, a store or a classroom
  • How it’s paid for now, and how it could earn: commissions, sales, partners
  • Which of the 1:1 areas your questions touch, for example film and technology
  • A plain deck from Google Slides, Keynote or Canva is enough. Show the work itself where you can, and use real numbers.
  • It’s read without you there: one point per slide, with a headline that states it.
  • Say what is missing: a gap gives a mentor something to work on.
  • Leave out anything you can’t share with us and the mentors.
  • Over 20 MB? Compress the images when you export, and move video to links.

DBefore you submit

  • You’re 18–35 and based in the US.
  • Title: the project’s name, with no links, web addresses or @ (write Lumen.ai as Lumen AI).
  • Description: the five points above.
  • Every link opens for someone who isn’t signed in, and a protected video has its password next to it.
  • Deck: one PDF, in English, up to 20 MB.
  • The information is accurate, and you may share everything in the deck with us.
  • You’ve read the terms and the privacy policy.
  • An email you check: the decision comes there.

EWhat helps us read it

These aren’t extra requirements. They make an application easier to read and, if it’s selected, easier to match with mentors.

Clear
What it is, from your first sentence.
Specific
Numbers, dates, names and links in place of adjectives.
Honest about the stage
What exists and what doesn’t yet. Early is fine.
A real question
“Which funds back a documentary at the editing stage?” gives a mentor more than “Any advice?”

FQuestions

Do I need a company, or something already built?

No. You can apply without a company, and at the idea stage.

I’m not in New York. Can I apply?

Yes, if you’re based in the US. The masterclasses and the 1:1 meetings take place at ICR New York, 200 East 38th Street, Tue 17 – Thu 19 November.

We’re a team. Who fills in the form?

One of you, with your own details. The person who sends the form confirms they are 18–35 and based in the US, and the decision comes to their email. Name the others, and who does what, in the description and the deck.

Is there an example that isn’t a film?

One more, also invented. Technology · Prototype: “A web app that turns a film script into a shooting schedule and a first budget, for independent producers who plan in spreadsheets today. We have run it on the scripts of 12 short films, and 140 producers are on a waiting list. We’re an assistant director in Austin and a software engineer in New York. Next: pricing and the first paying customers. Our question: sell to independent producers first, or to production companies? Demo: [link]”

Can I add a video, a script or a second file?

The form takes one PDF only. Put links to trailers or demos in the description; script pages can go at the end of the deck.

Can I send more than one project?

Each application covers one project, with its own deck. After sending one, you can start another; from the same email, wait ten minutes between them.

I spotted a mistake after sending. What now?

Don’t send the form again: it won’t replace your application. Reply to your confirmation email, or write to office@festivalofthinking.com from the address you applied with, and name the project.

Who sees what I send?

The festival team and, if your project is selected, the mentors you meet. Decks are stored privately. Your project stays yours.

How are the 1:1 meetings matched?

The meetings are pre-matched to each selected project. Naming the area of your questions helps with the match. All mentors are proposed and subject to final confirmation.

Should I wait for the deadline?

No need. Applications are read as they arrive, and selected projects hear as soon as they’re picked. The call closes on Tuesday 10 November, 23:59 ET (time to be confirmed), and the last decisions follow the close.

Anything else? Write to office@festivalofthinking.com.

04 The application

Ten fields, one PDF

Your details come first, then the project, then the deck: one PDF, up to 20 MB, in English. Links go in the description. What to send

Preview The form checks every field and confirms on the page. Nothing is sent yet.

Questions about the call or the form? Email the festival team.

office@festivalofthinking.com

About you1 of 3
Your project2 of 3
How to write it
Your deck3 of 3
What to put in the deck

The festival is photographed and filmed for our records and our reports to partners. If you leave this unchecked, we won’t use images in which you can be recognised to promote the festival. You can change your mind at any time: office@festivalofthinking.com.

We read applications as they arrive. Up to 20 projects are selected.

Application received

Thanks. Your application is in.

We read applications as they arrive, and the decision comes by email to . Nothing else to do for now.

Register to attend →

Not applying with a project? Register for the masterclasses, talks and screenings Mornings Masterclasses at ICR New York, Tue–Thu; a panel on Friday Evenings · 17:00–20:00 Talks at One Vanderbilt or a private screening at Scandinavia House Register by The day before each session, 23:59 ET Register to attend