Cine Qua Non Lab: Script Revision Lab
Lab · 2027Prestige 60/100
Two residential weeks revising a finished feature in rural Mexico. Board included, 3,750 US dollars to attend.
Deadlines & fees
Closed for this cycle
The 2026 call is closed; the lab itself runs 5 to 19 August 2026 in Mexico with an online module in October. The next call opens in January 2027, though no exact dates, times or timezone have been published.
Dates and fees checked against the official site 10 Aug 2026.
It costs $3,750 if you get in
That is charged after selection and is separate from any entry fee above. Charged per participant. Cine Qua Non states the full cost of a place is 6,000 US dollars and that it subsidises a significant portion, so 3,750 is the amount a selected writer actually pays; the 6,000 figure is never a payable price. Whether any tax is added is not addressed. Due on acceptance, with roughly 10 days from notification to confirm and pay. Cancelling more than 20 days before the start refunds 50 per cent; later cancellation refunds nothing. The fee covers professional script guidance through workshop sessions and one-to-one meetings, plus accommodation and all meals for the two-week residency. Travel to and from Mexico is the participant's own cost, as is the required medical insurance. Apart from the Brazilian partnership grant, Cine Qua Non states plainly that it is unable to offer additional fee reductions or waivers, and no instalment plan is published.
Key facts
- Formats
- Feature
- Eligibility
- Open worldwide
- Required materials
- Online application · Current CV or resume including education, work experience and film credits · Synopsis including the ending, up to 3 pages in 12-point Courier · The full completed script · A copy of official registration, ownership or copyright documentation · All materials in English; no additional materials accepted
Open to professional writers or writer-directors from anywhere in the world developing a narrative feature, at all career stages from emerging to established. Only completed narrative feature scripts ready for revision are accepted. The lab is held in English and all applicants must have a good knowledge of English, with all materials submitted in English. Co-written scripts are eligible but only one person per project is accepted. Proof of ownership or copyright is required, as is proof of medical insurance covering the residency period. No director or producer attachment is required or mentioned. Projects already supported by other programmes are eligible, and a previously rejected project may be resubmitted without limit. Note the credit obligations, which are heavier than most: acknowledgement and logo in any published rendition of the script, on the project website and in funding applications, mention in interviews and articles, opening and closing credits carrying the logo and the line "Developed with the support of Cine Qua Non", plus an on-screen script consultant credit for the lab facilitator.
Prizes
No cash award, prize or stipend. The only money moving in the writer's favour is a partnership grant covering the full participation fee for one Brazilian filmmaker, awarded through Projeto Paradiso, with all Brazilian applicants automatically considered; that was stated for the 2026 edition and should be re-checked for the next.
Judging
Selection is by a jury panel of film professionals who are not named; shortlisted applicants may be invited to a video interview. All applicants are notified of the outcome by email, but individual feedback is not provided due to the volume of submissions. The published mentor roster tagged to this lab includes Christina Lazaridi, Ana Sanz-Magallon, Brendan N. Ward, Sabrina Dhawan, Helena Medina, Simone Ling, Pavel Jech, Jessie Keyt, Christian Routh and Angeli Macfarlane. Cohort size is not published.
The PreList verdict
Two weeks in a small town in the Sierra Madre with a finished script, a facilitator, a handful of other writers and nothing else to do. Cine Qua Non has run this since 2010, and the shape of it is unusually honest: they publish the full unsubsidised cost of a place, tell you exactly how much they are covering, and state upfront that they have no institutional funding behind them. Accommodation and every meal for the fortnight are inside the fee, which is rarer than it sounds.
The honest part: it costs 3,750 US dollars per participant, plus your flights to Mexico and mandatory medical insurance. That figure is the subsidised price and the one you pay; you may see 6,000 quoted, which is the full cost they publish for transparency rather than anything you are charged. There is no cash award, no stipend and, apart from one grant covering a single Brazilian participant through Projeto Paradiso, they state plainly that no further reductions or waivers exist. Cancel inside 20 days of the start and you lose the lot.
Two things worth knowing before you commit. First, they describe themselves as a nonprofit and the governance disclosure supports it, with a named board, a named mentor roster and a documented history, but no legal registration, jurisdiction or charitable number is published anywhere, so it is a self-description rather than a verified status. Second, the credit obligations are heavier than any comparable lab: logo and acknowledgement in the script, on your website and in funding applications, opening and closing credits, and an on-screen script consultant credit for your facilitator. Read that before you apply, not after. The next call opens in January 2027.
Dylian Salvatore, Founder of The PreList · Updated 21 Sept 2026
Frequently asked questions
Is it 3,750 or 6,000 dollars?
You pay 3,750 US dollars. Cine Qua Non publishes 6,000 as the full unsubsidised cost of a place and states that it covers the difference, so 6,000 is never a price you are charged. Whether any tax is added is not addressed on their page.
What is included?
Script guidance through workshop sessions and one-to-one meetings, plus accommodation and all meals for the two-week residency. Travel to and from Mexico is yours, as is the medical insurance you are required to hold.
Are there scholarships?
One: a grant covering the full participation fee for a single Brazilian filmmaker through Projeto Paradiso, with all Brazilian applicants automatically considered. That was stated for the 2026 edition. Otherwise Cine Qua Non states it is unable to offer additional fee reductions or waivers.
What credits do I have to give?
More than most labs ask. Acknowledgement and logo in any published rendition of the script, on the project website and in funding applications, mention in interviews and articles, opening and closing credits with the logo and the line Developed with the support of Cine Qua Non, and an on-screen script consultant credit for the lab facilitator.
Is your script right for Cine Qua Non Lab: Script Revision Lab?
Find out free, before you spend anything. Upload your screenplay and The PreList checks whether its format can enter this lab, whether you meet the country rules and any regional limits, and scores the script. Pro adds a written read on how well it fits.
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