AT&T Presents: Untold Stories
A $1.2 million film production prize awarded annually at the Tribeca Festival to a diverse filmmaking team pitching an original feature scripted project, with a guaranteed premiere at the following year's festival.
Overview
AT&T Presents: Untold Stories is described as the largest film production prize in the world, awarding $1.2 million to a single diverse filmmaking team at the Tribeca Festival each year. The program is a partnership between AT&T and the Tribeca Festival, and it operates through a live pitching competition in which five finalist teams present their original feature scripted projects to a Greenlight Committee of industry professionals who select the winner on the day.
Beyond the prize money, the winning project receives comprehensive mentorship and a guaranteed premiere at the following year's Tribeca Festival -- a combination that makes this one of the highest-value individual awards in independent film.
How It Works
Five finalist teams are selected through an application process and invited to pitch their projects live at the Tribeca Festival in New York City. Each team presents their feature scripted film project to the Greenlight Committee, which evaluates the pitch and decides the winner in real time. The winning team receives the full $1.2 million award along with mentorship support from Tribeca and AT&T to bring their project to completion and premiere.
The four non-winning finalist teams do not receive a production prize, making this a high-stakes competition rather than a broad grant program. The selection of five finalists from the full applicant pool means the competition's primary filtering happens before the festival event.
Eligibility
The program is designed for diverse filmmaking teams with original feature scripted projects. Applicants must have a compelling original story and a team that reflects the diversity of perspectives AT&T and Tribeca are committed to amplifying. Both emerging and more experienced filmmakers are eligible to apply, though the program leans toward voices that have not yet had a mainstream industry platform.
Projects must be original feature-length scripted films -- the program does not fund documentaries or short films. Annual submission windows close ahead of each Tribeca Festival. Check the Tribeca website for current submission dates.
What Sets This Apart
The scale of the award and the guaranteed premiere are extraordinary by independent film standards. Most grants contribute a fraction of a film's budget; this award can fund a modestly budgeted independent feature in its entirety. The guaranteed Tribeca premiere additionally provides a launch platform that most independently financed films work years to secure.
Who Should Apply
Diverse filmmaking teams with a strong original feature narrative film concept who are ready to pitch in a competitive live forum. The program rewards both the quality of the project and the team's ability to communicate their vision compellingly to an industry audience.
See Also
For preparing a film pitch, the Shot List Generator helps develop the visual language of a project before pitching. For building a production plan if selected, see the Production Schedule Calculator.
