How does it work?
Submit information about your screen idea, through our online form. Click on the Apply link at the top right of the page.
Our jury will evaluate all the entries we receive and shortlist 5 finalists. The finalists get a chance to pitch their screen idea to a jury, get feedback and make connections for potential screenplay opportunities. The ScreenLit finals pitch event will be held at the Bangalore Literature Festival on 6-7 Dec 2025.
What to submit?
A plot summary in 2-3 pages. While your eventual story could be in Hindi or other Indian languages, we ask that the plot summary that you submit be in English for the benefit of the wider jury.
What is the selection procedure?
Submissions will be accepted only via the online submission form. 5 finalists will be selected. Finalists will be required to confirm their ability to attend the ScreenLit pitch event at the Bangalore Literature Festival.
ScreenLit Pitch Format
The format for the final pitches could be in any format that suits the idea best – storytelling, short video or a slide deck, as long as it is within THREE minutes. The pitch will be followed by a short Q&A from the jury. Pitching will be in front of a live audience.
Timelines
The deadline for submissions is 11pm IST on Sunday, 16th November 2025.
The 5 finalists will be notified on or before 10pm on 23rd November 2025 via individual emails.
Terms & Conditions
- Only original scripts that have not been previously adapted to any form of screenplay can be submitted to ScreenLit. The pitch platform accepts only unpublished work.
- An individual is allowed to submit a maximum of 2 entries only.
- An entry submitted for LitMart cannot be submitted for ScreenLit.
- The Bangalore Literature Festival is only a facilitator via ScreenLit to connect aspiring screenwriters with producers, directors and agents. We do not guarantee or commit to any deals or commercial contracts from the event.
- ScreenLit is a platform for feedback and not a competition. The feedback of the jury is theirs alone and the Festival does not have any influence on the same.
Jury
Akhil P. Dharmajan
Bio
Akhil P. Dharmajan is a Malayalam novelist and scriptwriter who rose to prominence through self-publishing his work on social media. Born in Alappuzha, Kerala, he started his career as an automobile mechanic before pursuing diplomas in mechanical engineering and filmmaking. His first novel, Ouija Board, was serialised on his Facebook page and then self-published with funds from his readers. His breakthrough came with the youth bestseller Ram c/o Anandhi, a novel set in Chennai exploring themes of love, identity, and social acceptance, including a prominent transgender character. This novel earned him the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2025, and more than 4 lac copies have been sold to date.
Akhil is also an established scriptwriter, having written the screenplay for the critically and commercially successful film 2018 – Everyone is a Hero, which was India’s official entry to the Oscars in 2023. His direct, cinematic, and relatable storytelling style has made him a leading voice in contemporary Malayalam popular fiction.
Anand Neelakantan
Bio
Celebrated for retelling epics from the vanquished’s perspective in bestsellers like Asura, Ajaya, and Vanara, Anand Neelakantan is one of India’s top authors. An acclaimed screenwriter for hit TV series and the official author of the Bāhubali prequel trilogy, his provocative narratives challenge established ideas of heroes and villains.
Archana Vasudev
Bio
Archana Vasudev is a storyteller, scriptwriter and media professional with a Ph.D in Communication and Journalism (Film Studies) from the University of Madras. She has extensive experience in artist communications across Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam projects. Her script for the Malayalam film ‘Her’ won the Special Jury Award at the Kerala Film Critics Association Awards, 2024. Archana is also the founder of Talkative, a communications company.
Rohit Vedprakash
Bio
Rohit Vedprakash is a creative producer with a career spanning over 20 years across film, streaming series, and advertising. Having worked at premier studios like Walt Disney India, UTV, and Fox Star Studios, his feature film credits include Maqbool, Mangal Pandey, Slumdog Millionaire, Fitoor, and Lootcase among others. Rohit also worked at Netflix India and was involved in setting up 13 Netflix Originals, including Season 2 of the acclaimed series, Delhi Crime, along with a host of popular ones such as Mismatched (Seasons 1 and 2), Khakee, The Fame Game, Killer Soup and Kohrra.
Ranjani Krishnakumar
Bio
Ranjani Krishnakumar is a writer and entrepreneur, now, living in Chennai. She is the founder of emdash, a marketing and content consulting company. On the side, she also writes about films and television for various publications. Her essays have appeared in Indian Express, Fountain Ink, Firstpost, Huffington Post, Scroll, Pop Matters and Film Companion, among others.
She writes at www.tharkuri.in. She tweets at @_tharkuri.