Tribeca Festival Opens Submissions for Untold Stories Filmmaker Program With $1.2 Million Prize (EXCLUSIVE)

Tribeca Festival and AT&T have opened submissions for the 10th anniversary of AT&T Untold Stories, the filmmaker development program that awards one emerging director $1.2 million to produce a feature film.

The production prize, which increased from $1 million to $1.2 million in 2026, is billed by Tribeca and AT&T as the largest unrestricted film production award of its kind in the world. Submissions for the upcoming edition are open through Jan. 18.

Each year, five filmmaking teams are selected to pitch their projects live at the Tribeca Festival, with one winner receiving full production funding, year-round mentorship and support from Tribeca Studios. The winning film is also guaranteed a premiere at the following year’s festival.

The next recipient will be selected at the 2027 Tribeca Festival and will receive $1.2 million toward production ahead of a guaranteed premiere at the 2028 edition.

“Tribeca is incredibly proud of our decade-long collaboration with AT&T and the success of the filmmakers who have come through Untold Stories,” said Bryce Norbitz, VP of Tribeca Studios and artist development. “We’ve watched pioneering storytellers take bold new ideas from concept to screen, garner the support of major distributors, and reach the audiences their stories deserve.”

Norbitz added that the program’s continued growth is “a testament to the power of investing in emerging voices, especially at a time when independent filmmaking has never been tougher.”

Launched in 2017, Untold Stories has awarded more than $9.2 million in funding, supported more than 45 projects and produced eight feature films. Recent winners include David Fortune’s “Color Book,” Lilian T. Mehrel’s “Honeyjoon” and Liz Sargent’s “Take Me Home,” all of which secured theatrical releases in 2026. Other past recipients include Faraday Okoro’s “Nigerian Prince,” Sasie Sealy’s “Lucky Grandma,” Kate Tsang’s “Marvelous and the Black Hole,” Nardeep Khurmi’s “Land of Gold,” So Young Shelly Yo’s “Smoking Tigers” and Sid Gopinath’s 2026 winner “Minnesota Goodbye.”

Filmmakers can submit projects through Jan. 18 at Tribeca’s Untold Stories website.