Tribeca Festival and AT&T have opened applications for the 10th cycle of AT&T Untold Stories, a feature-film program offering one selected project a $1.2 million production award, hands-on support, and a planned premiere at the 2028 Tribeca Festival.
Applications are open through January 18, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Tribeca says there is no entry fee.
Featured photo: David Shankbone, showing the Tribeca Film Festival red carpet, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. The image is illustrative and predates the current program cycle.
Why it matters
The program combines a large production award with mentorship, development support, and a festival premiere path. That makes the application more demanding than a simple grant form: teams need a feature-length screenplay, a director, a separate producer, a viable budget, and prior directing work ready for review.
What the selected teams receive
Five finalist teams are expected to pitch their projects live to an industry committee at the 2027 Tribeca Festival. One winning project receives the $1.2 million production award. The four other finalist teams each receive a $15,000 development grant and mentorship.
The winning team is expected to make its best effort to finish the film for a potential world premiere at the 2028 Tribeca Festival. The official rules also require the winner to establish a single-purpose company and assume the production's legal, insurance, guild, and delivery responsibilities.
Who can apply
- Applicants must be at least 18 and live in the United States or Puerto Rico.
- Current students are not eligible.
- The project must have a director and a separate producer attached.
- A screenwriter or director should come from an underrepresented film-industry community, have a connection to one, or tell a story about one.
- The screenplay must be registered with the WGA or U.S. Copyright Office.
- The project must be structured to finish within the $1.2 million production budget.
Those points are only a summary. Applicants should use Tribeca's current rules and eligibility check before preparing or sending materials.
What the application requires
Tribeca lists a completed feature-length screenplay ready to shoot, bios and contact information for key applicants, a budget summary reflecting the $1.2 million award, and at least one uninterrupted sample of the director's earlier work. The prior-work sample must remain available throughout the review process.
The program accepts one submission per applicant, unless that person is working on another project in a different role. International-language projects may be eligible, but the submitted screenplay must be in English.
Review the official program page →
Primary sources
Update note
Published October 1, 2026, from Tribeca's live program page and rules. Deadlines, eligibility, and terms can change; applicants should verify the official materials before submitting.