Paths
What helped them get there
Before their films reached Cannes, Berlin, Venice or Sundance, these filmmakers went through labs, pitched at markets and won small grants. Here is what helped, so you can see where to start.
The doors they used most
A pattern worth copying: most started with a lab or a small development grant (often €10,000 or less), then a co-production market, then a post-production fund. Very few were financed by a single source.
Filmmakers
Payal Kapadia
India
All We Imagine as Light
2024Grand Prix, Cannes 2024. Mostly European public funding.
- FundSundance Institute Documentary Fund · for A Night of Knowing Nothing · 2021 source
- FundHubert Bals Fund (IFFR) source
- FundEurimages source
- FundFondation Gan pour le Cinéma source
- FundVisions Sud Est source
- FundFilm Fund Luxembourg (co-production) source
- FundIDFA Bertha Fund · for A Night of Knowing Nothing source
- FundCNC (France) · for A Night of Knowing Nothing source
- FundCiclic Centre-Val de Loire · for A Night of Knowing Nothing source
- LabNouvelle-Aquitaine Film Workout · for A Night of Knowing Nothing source
Shuchi Talati
India
Girls Will Be Girls
2024Two awards at Sundance 2024.
- MarketNFDC Film Bazaar Co-production Market · 2018 source
- LabBerlinale Talents Script Station · 2021 source
- MarketBerlinale Co-Production Market · 2022 source
- GrantBerlinale Talents Footprints grant · 2023 source
- FundCNC Aide aux cinémas du monde source
- FundSørfond source
- LabJerusalem Sam Spiegel Lab source
Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh
India
Writing With Fire
2021Two Sundance awards in 2021; Oscar-nominated.
- FundFondation AlterCiné · 2015 source
- FundIDFA Bertha Fund · 2017 source
- LabChicken & Egg Pictures (Egg)celerator Lab · 2018 source
- FellowshipSundance Institute and Bertha Foundation Fellowship · 2018 source
- FundSFFILM Documentary Film Fund · 2020 source
Ritesh Batra
India
The Lunchbox
2013The Lunchbox premiered in Critics' Week, Cannes 2013.
- LabSundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs · for The Story of Ram (earlier project) · 2009 source
- LabNFDC Film Bazaar Screenwriters' Lab (with Binger Filmlab) · 2011 source
- MarketIFFR CineMart · 2012 · Special jury mention source
- LabTorino Film Lab source
- MarketBerlinale Talents Project Market source
Sandhya Suri
India / UK
Santosh
2024Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2024; UK's Oscar entry.
- LabSundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs · 2016 source
- FundBFI Filmmaking Fund source
- FundCNC (France) source
- BroadcasterBBC Film and ZDF/ARTE source
Shaunak Sen
India
All That Breathes
2022Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Cannes L'Œil d'or 2022; Oscar-nominated.
- FundSundance Documentary Fund · 2019 source
- FundIDFA Bertha Fund · 2019 source
- FundCatapult Film Fund · 2020 source
- FundGucci Tribeca Documentary Fund · 2020 source
Chaitanya Tamhane
India
Court
2014Court won Venice's Lion of the Future; The Disciple competed at Venice 2020.
- MentorshipRolex Mentor and Protégé (with Alfonso Cuarón) · for The Disciple · 2016 source
- MarketNFDC Film Bazaar Co-production Market source
- FundHubert Bals Fund (IFFR) · €10,000 source
- LabBerlinale Talents source
Dominic Sangma
India
Rapture (Rimdogittanga)
2023Garo-language feature from Meghalaya; Locarno's Cineasti del Presente 2023.
- FundVisions Sud Est · for Rapture · 2019 source
- FundHubert Bals Fund (IFFR) · for Rapture source
- FundDoha Film Institute · for Rapture source
Subhadra Mahajan
India
Second Chance
2024Debut feature; Proxima competition at Karlovy Vary 2024.
- LabBerlinale Talents · 2025 source
- LabFestival des 3 Continents industry programme source
Vinothraj PS
India
Pebbles (Koozhangal)
2021A first feature that won the Tiger Award at IFFR 2021 and was India's Oscar entry.
- PrizeIFFR Tiger Award · for Pebbles · 2021 · €40,000 source
- ProducerRowdy Pictures (producers came on board after the cut) · for Pebbles source
Prateek Vats
India
Eeb Allay Ooo!
2019Won the Golden Gateway at MAMI 2019; Berlinale Panorama 2020.
- LabNFDC Film Bazaar Work-in-Progress Lab · 2018 · Facebook Award source
- LabBerlinale Talents source
Neeraj Ghaywan
India
Masaan
2015Masaan won two prizes in Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2015. Homebound followed in 2025.
- PrizeSundance Institute Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award · for Masaan (then titled Fly Away Solo) · 2014 source
- LabSundance Screenwriters Lab · 2014 source
Prantik Basu
India
Next feature (in development)
2025A documentary-rooted filmmaker backed by the Hubert Bals Fund three times.
- FundNetherlands Film Fund + Hubert Bals Fund co-production scheme · 2025 · €75,000 source
Ivan Ayr
India
Soni
2018Venice Orizzonti 2018, made as a 100% Indian production.
- LabNFDC Film Bazaar Work-in-Progress Lab · 2017 · Facebook Award and Prasad DI Award source
Gurvinder Singh
India
Anhey Ghorey Da Daan (Alms for a Blind Horse)
2011Venice Orizzonti 2011, produced by NFDC with Mani Kaul as creative producer.
- FundNFDC (producer) · for Anhey Ghorey Da Daan source
Gathered from public sources: festival and fund pages, trade press and interviews. Each line links to where we found it. These lists are not complete, and some support (private money, broadcasters) is rarely published. Spotted a gap or a mistake? Tell us and we'll fix it.