Women in Film India (WIF India), in collaboration with impACT Lab at the Marché du Film, opened invitations to emerging Indian female producers for a scholarship, allowing participation in a film market at the Cannes Film Festival. Announced in a way that coincided with women's day, the scholarships are up for grabs for two selected candidates.

The initiative comes a year after Women in Film India's first presence at the film festival, when it introduced the Cannes Producers’ Fellowship as well as its inaugural delegation of female producers from India to the Cannes Producers Network. Through the initiative, the organisation looks to deepen its commitment towards female producers by making pathways for them to not just develop stories that are socially driven but also form connections with the global co-production ecosystem.

Those who get selected can partake in both a program which includes digital workshops this April and May and in-person sessions at the Cannes Film Festival in May. The program will end with the women participating in the Cannes Producers Network, providing access to networking events, industry breakfasts, and workshops alongside international decision makers.

Women in Film India requires the applicants to have produced two or more short films, as well as presently be in the process of making their maiden feature film. The applicants are also required to produce to the organisation a pitch deck that includes a producer's note, director's note, synopsis, budget, links to view previous work, and treatment.

Marché du Film's Head of Industry Programs, Alexandra Zakharchenko stated, "Collaborating with WIF India at impACT Lab for the first time represents an important step in ensuring the presence of emerging women producers from India within our programme. Through their participation in impACT Lab, we hope they will strengthen their international networks and gain greater visibility on the global stage, helping to boost their careers at an international level. Beyond this opportunity, impACT Lab also aims to bring together a new generation of like-minded producers who are committed to developing films in a more sustainable way—both in their production practices and in the stories they bring to the screen—while navigating an increasingly complex and challenging global landscape."

WIF India founder Guneet Monga Kapoor stated, "At Women in Film India, every day is Women’s Day. This cohort is our way of staying committed to the promise we made when we launched at Cannes last year, to create real access for women producers from India to global platforms. International festivals have been transformative spaces in my own journey as a producer, and this scholarship is about ensuring that more women get the chance to bring their stories, their voices and their projects into those rooms."

Women in Film India's programming and development head, Rabia Chopra stated, "The impACT Lab at the Marché du Film brings together mentorship, access and global industry exposure in a way that few platforms do. For many women producers in India, meaningful engagement with the international co-production ecosystem can be limited. We’re grateful to the Marché du Film team in Cannes for this opportunity to help create visibility, open doors and connect impact-driven stories from Indian women producers with collaborators on a global stage."

The applications are only open until March 17, Tuesday.