The US Embassy in Bangladesh is inviting applications for 2025 Global Media Makers LA Residency for the aspiring mid-career filmmakers and storytellers.
Global Media Makers LA Residency is a residency and cultural exchange initiative connecting international filmmakers with top US entertainment professionals.
Applications are now open and if you are a mid-career filmmaker, writer, director, or producer, this exchange programme offers a unique opportunity to expand your horizons, build networks, and take your creative skills to new heights in the land of Hollywood — Los Angeles, California!
The application deadline is on 30 June.
Supported by Film Independent and the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, this programme, launched in 2016, has built a global network of visual storytellers and provided mentorships, workshops, and master classes to over 155 media makers from 23 countries, including Bangladesh.
Over 500 US industry mentors have contributed to the programme, offering project support, filmmaker education, business training, professional networking, and creative connections.
In May/June 2025, the Global Media Makers (GMM) programme will host up to 20 Fellows for a residency including one virtual week and five weeks in Los Angeles. Fellows, chosen with projects addressing local issues, will engage in filmmaking tracks, attend master classes, and learn American filmmaking best practices. Remote mentorship will continue through the year.
So far, 27 GMM-supported projects have premiered at top international film festivals, including Shambala (Berlinale 2024), Goodbye Julia (Cannes 2023), Souad (Cannes 2020, Berlin and Tribeca 2021), and Costa Brava (Orizzonte Venice and TIFF 2021).
Online Application Link: GMM LA Residency Application – Google Form
Eligibility:
To be eligible, interested candidates must meet the following requirements:
Be a citizen or a permanent working resident of Bangladesh. Australian, Canadian, New Zealander, and U.S. citizens, residents or green card holders are not eligible for this programme.
Be mid-career filmmakers with at least one to three produced projects as a writer, producer or director (in film, television and/or serial web content). Please note that college graduates from the classes of 2023 to 2024 are not eligible to apply.
Submitted projects may be feature or episodic projects in fiction or documentary, or new media projects (ie. VR or immersive) and may be of any genre, including comedy and drama.
Submit an online application about a project currently in advanced development or production that addresses issues of importance in Bangladesh. Selected participants are required to focus on and develop the project with which they applied to the programme. Global Media Makers cannot support projects which have not been reviewed by the programme’s selection committee.
Fiction filmmakers must have a completed screenplay or teleplay and documentary filmmakers must have at least a 40-minute assembly edit.
Proficiency in English is required to participate in the programme. All materials must be submitted in English.