Set in New York City
The story should be meaningfully connected to NYC — its neighborhoods, schools, streets, apartments, trains, parks, cultural spaces, family businesses, arts communities, or public life.
City Cinema · 2027 Production
Help Us Find
City Cinema's
Next Film
We're looking for the next great New York City story — a powerful, character-driven narrative that gives our students direct access to the real filmmaking process.
Selected projects may receive a minimum seed production budget of $250,000, access to City Cinema's award-winning producing team, and a professional crew committed to youth education.
First-round deadline: June 1, 2026
The Opportunity
Every two years, City Cinema produces a professional film.
City Cinema is building something rare: a year-round conservatory where NYC high school students don't just study filmmaking — they work on real productions alongside working professionals.
Our next target production year is 2027. We are now accepting screenplays and treatments for first-round review. We are looking for low-budget, character-driven stories set in New York City that center young people and communities too often pushed to the margins of film and television.
The right project should have artistic urgency, emotional truth, and a practical path to production — while also creating meaningful opportunities for our film and acting students to learn from the process.
Key Dates
1
June 1, 2026
First-round submission deadline
2
Summer 2026
Initial review and finalist conversations
3
Fall / Winter 2026
Development, fundraising, and production planning
4
2027
Target production year
Dates are subject to change depending on the selected project, fundraising timeline, production needs, and educational calendar.
What We're Looking For
Powerful stories rooted in New York City.
We are looking for stories that speak to teenagers, young adults, working-class families, immigrant communities, public school students, artists, outsiders, and dreamers — people trying to define themselves in a city that can be both unforgiving and full of possibility.
Centered on Younger Voices
We are especially interested in stories about teens, young adults, or intergenerational stories where young people play a central role.
Underrepresented Communities
Stories reflecting voices, families, and neighborhoods often overlooked by mainstream film and TV — connected to race, class, immigration, disability, language, housing, education, or identity.
Low-Budget Independent Model
Creatively ambitious but production-conscious. Strong characters, compelling locations, and emotional truth matter more than expensive set pieces, heavy VFX, or complicated period settings.
A Strong Teaching Opportunity
City Cinema productions are professional projects that also serve as living classrooms. The selected project must offer students real opportunities to observe, assist, and learn throughout every phase.
Artists Comfortable Teaching
The writer, director, and/or key creative team should be open to leading classes, workshops, or production discussions with students before, during, and after the shoot.
The City Cinema Production Model
Students don't watch from the sidelines.
Every two years, City Cinema produces a professional narrative feature film or pilot-length project that gives students a front-row seat to the filmmaking process.
Students learn from the project as it develops, assist during key phases, and study the creative and practical decisions that shape the final film.
Student Involvement May Include
Development & script analysis
Casting & audition prep
Location scouting
Production design
Camera & lighting
Sound
Assistant directing
Acting for camera
Script supervision
Editing
Music & sound post
Festival & distribution
Minimum Seed Budget
$250k
With a goal of growing the total budget through additional fundraising, grants, sponsorships, donations, and investment.
City Cinema brings access to an award-winning producing team and a professional creative crew — producers, cinematographers, sound mixers, editors, and working filmmakers committed to both artistic quality and youth education.
We are not looking to simply "option scripts." We are looking to build a meaningful production partnership around the right project.
Creative References
Films that inspire this initiative.
These are not templates — they suggest the kind of scale, emotional honesty, youth focus, and community-based storytelling that inspires City Cinema's work.
Raising Victor Vargas
Girls Town
Our Song
Do the Right Thing
Hurricane Streets
Pariah
Chop Shop
Crooklyn
Skate Kitchen
Moonlight
Who May Submit
We welcome a wide range of submissions.
We welcome submissions from screenwriters, writer/directors, producers, educators, alumni, emerging filmmakers, and working artists. You may submit:
A completed feature screenplay
A completed TV pilot script
A detailed feature film treatment
A detailed TV pilot treatment
A script with a director attached
A script without a director attached
Projects may be at an early stage or may have prior development history, but the submitter must clearly explain the current status and what rights they control.
Submit Your Project
Tell us about your film.
First-round deadline is June 1, 2026. Complete all required fields. We'll be in touch if your project advances.
