The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is proud to present IFFLA Industry Days, a forum designed to strategically connect investors and established executives from Hollywood with rising and prominent filmmakers from South Asia and its diasporas. IFFLA is the leading South Asian film festival based in Los Angeles for the last 24 years. The festival showcases a diverse range of films, discovering new voices and promoting the work of talented filmmakers.

IFFLA Industry Days creates a high-impact ecosystem for both established and emerging South Asian filmmakers in the US and beyond, by providing industry-focused mentorship, educational resources, and networking opportunities. After the tremendous success of the first-ever Industry Days in June 2024 — followed by the strong reception of Industry Days 2025 — the program continues to gain steam and meaningful recognition within Los Angeles industry circles, solidifying IFFLA as a vital platform for South Asian storytellers.

Industry Days will spotlight exciting South Asian voices, while attendees will have educational opportunities to hear first-hand expert advice from industry professionals and engage in conversations around notable South Asian film and TV projects.

LAUNCH PAD: A PITCH COMPETITION
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The key event of IFFLA Industry Days is a dynamic pitch competition session in which 5 finalists--selected from this call for entries– will pitch their film or TV project to a panel of producers, writers and filmmakers, in front of a live audience attending the event. Participants will get immediate, constructive feedback on their projects and pitching skills, and will be eligible for a *$10,000 development grant* awarded to one of the finalists. All finalists will also receive in-depth mentorship from Hollywood industry professionals to enhance their pitch and get their project ready to meet with investors, producers and agents during IFFLA Industry Days.

Submissions are open to all creators of South Asian descent, *based in North America i.e. USA, Canada or Mexico*. Applicants submit materials for a full length feature or a television project idea (no proposals for shorts or other media such as podcasts at this time). A complete list of rules and terms is provided in the last section.

WHAT FINALISTS GAIN FROM THE PITCH COMPETITION
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* A chance to compete for a $10,000 development grant

* Immediate feedback from an esteemed jury of experienced producers, writers and filmmakers, in front of a live audience

*A month of in-depth mentorship and educational programs with Hollywood industry experts to help finalists develop their project into a market-ready pitch, in preparation for curated meetings with financiers, producers, and agents during the IFFLA Industry Days forum.

* Publicity and overall awareness and visibility, since the finalists selected for the pitch competition will be mentioned on IFFLA's social media, press releases, website, and more

* The opportunity to form community with fellow South Asian creatives in Los Angeles and beyond, network with industry professionals, receive and give mentorship, and connect with the diverse new Los Angeles audiences

* Audience feedback from those attendees who choose to fill out a survey after the pitch competition session

IFFLA – FILM FESTIVAL
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If you’re looking for the submissions page for IFFLA's annual film festival, taking place April 23-26, 2026, please visit: www.filmfreeway.com/IFFLA

Awards & Prizes

The winner of the Pitch Competition, announced during IFFLA Industry Days, will receive a $10,000 development grant.

Rules & Terms

1. Applicants must be of South Asian descent AND be based in North America, but they do not have to be a US or Canadian citizen. IFFLA defines South Asia as comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as well as their diasporas.

2. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age.

3. At least one of the applicants (writer, director, producer) must be of South Asian descent and each project MUST have a writer as part of the team applying for the competition. If selected, a maximum of two team members will pitch, at least one of whom must be of South Asian descent and at least one must be the writer.

4. Applicants must submit their own original ideas, not adaptations or sequels, unless: (a) their ideas are based in the public domain, (b) they already have the rights to someone’s work or ideas and can provide documentation to that effect, or (c) they are adapting their own prior work based on an original idea.

5. Pitches for features and TV are the only types of submissions being considered. Proposals for shorts, podcasts, video games, or other hybrid media are not accepted at this time. Features and TV submissions encompass narrative, documentary, animation, or hybrids. Television encompasses half hour or hour long series, limited series, and anthological series. Your film or TV work can be in any genre.

6. While applicants must be of South Asian descent, the project idea being pitched does not have to be about South Asia, its diasporas or the South Asian experience. The goal of this event is to launch the ideas and projects of South Asian creators and producers, while connecting them to industry executives and facilitating intersections with the larger South Asian film and TV community in Los Angeles.

7. Only complete submissions will be considered by the selection committee. This includes responses to ALL prompts in the Custom Submission Form, and the submission of the first ten pages of the script you are pitching. In case you do not have a ready script, you can submit a treatment no longer than 10 pages.

8. Student submissions require proof of student status. To qualify for a student discount, a project must be registered as a student project on FilmFreeway and the applicant must be, or have been, enrolled in an accredited school at the time of the development of the project/screenplay. At the time of submission, a picture of the applicant's student ID must be emailed to Anna Li, IFFLA’s Programming Coordinator, at ali@indianfilmfestival.org.

9. You retain all rights to your work. IFFLA and its partners will not have any ownership of your work. If your project is selected for the pitch competition, IFFLA and its partners will not share it beyond the scope of IFFLA Industry Days (i.e. panel review, marketing and promotion), which includes sharing your idea in front of a live audience. If your project is not selected, your submission will not be shared with anybody outside of the selection committee.

10. All disputes, matters of interpretation, controversies and other issues arising under, or relating to the above submissions rules, terms and conditions shall be determined and resolved according to the laws of the State of California.
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  • Vankshita Mishra

    This was such a warm, welcoming and educational festival experience. The support and mentors provided for the pitch finalists were invaluable. The programming at the festival is wonderful and eclectic, and the experience of pitching to industry people as well as the general public is very useful for emerging filmmakers. Would highly recommend attending or submitting to IFFLA.

    May 2025
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