Spring 2025 Program: Tales of Identity and Imagination

In each of the past labs, the M Film Lab focused on a different group of underrepresented screenwriters. This time, we are doing things a little differently: this lab is open to all writers, regardless of background or ethnicity. All we ask is that you keep with the spirit of the lab and write a 12-15 min short film screenplay of any genre, so long as it contributes to the conversation of what it means to be a member of a minority group in our society.

Here are some ideas to get you inspired. Choose one of them or write something completely original:

Option #1: "A Day in Their Shoes" – A Personal Journey

Theme: Explore a single day in the life of a character from a minority background, highlighting their struggles, joys, and resilience.

Guidelines:

The story must take place within one day (or 24 hours) to maintain focus.
The protagonist should belong to a racial, ethnic, or religious minority and experience a pivotal moment that shifts their perspective.
The script should emphasize small but powerful moments—a look, a word, or an event that leaves an emotional impact.
The resolution can be hopeful, bittersweet, or open-ended, but it should leave the audience with something to reflect on.

Examples of Possible Stories:

A young Muslim woman wearing a hijab in a new workplace experiences subtle but painful microaggressions throughout the day.
A Black delivery driver faces an unexpected act of kindness in a neighborhood where he was once racially profiled.
A Latino teenager preparing for a school performance must balance his love for American pop culture with his parents’ traditional values.

Option #2: "Breaking the Silence" – An Untold Family Story

Theme: Family secrets or hidden histories that reveal the deep roots of racial, ethnic, or religious identity.

Guidelines:

The story should focus on a conversation, revelation, or discovery that changes the protagonist’s understanding of their identity.
The script should include two or more generations (e.g., a grandparent and a grandchild, a parent and a child, or an elder and a community member).
The conflict may center around an unspoken family history, a past trauma, or a hidden act of resistance or sacrifice.
Dialogue and emotional depth should drive the story, rather than external action.

Examples of Possible Stories:

A young Jewish-American woman discovers that her grandfather was a member of an extremist Israeli settler group responsible for a massacre in Hebron, Palestine in 1994.
A Black teenager learns the real reason his grandmother refuses to drive through a certain town.
A first-generation Asian-American college student confronts his parents about why they never taught him their native language.

Option #3: "Where Are You Really From?" – Navigating American Identity

Theme: The complexities of identity, belonging, and acceptance in a country that often asks minorities to prove their "Americanness."

Guidelines:

The protagonist should be caught between two (or more) cultural identities and struggle with how others perceive them.
The story should explore a moment of confrontation—whether internal (self-doubt) or external (a direct challenge from society).
Writers should balance humor, drama, and authenticity to make the character’s experience relatable.
The ending should offer some resolution, whether it’s acceptance, defiance, or a new understanding.

Examples of Possible Stories:

A Mexican-American teenager born in the U.S. is constantly asked why he doesn’t speak fluent Spanish—until he meets someone facing the opposite struggle.
A Sikh man on a first date tries to explain why he doesn’t drink, leading to an awkward but heartfelt conversation about faith and assumptions.
A Korean-American adoptee faces an existential crisis when his DNA ancestry test results come back "inconclusive."

Option #4: “The Legacy of Oppression”

Theme: This theme explores the lingering legacy of centuries of colonialism, racial supremacy, and economic exploitation. It asks the question: can you live without the spoils of oppression?

Examples of Possible Stories:

"White for a Day" - Frustrated with the daily struggles faced by marginalized communities living in the West, our protagonist wakes up and decides to "become" white for a day.
"The Cost of Consumption" – A protagonist wakes up one day with a terrifying new ability—whenever they touch a product in a store, they are forced to witness the suffering behind its creation on marginalized communities around the world.
"The Good Refugee" Not all refugees are treated the same. When waves of displaced people flee war and persecution, some are welcomed with open arms—offered jobs, homes, and a new beginning.
"The Day Privilege Died" - A white protagonist wakes up and steps into a world where white privilege no longer exists—not diminished, not debated, but completely erased.

Option #5: Open Topic / Genre

Write your own, original narrative script, 12-15 minutes in length, in any genre you like. Just be sure to remain true to the spirit of the lab, and draw inspiration from the suggested topics, stories, and themes outlined above. And don’t forget to review the lab guidelines and technical requirements to give your script the best chance of being selected for the lab.

M Film Lab’s Spring 2025 program

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