Climate Comedy Lab is a new commissioning programme supporting Doncaster-based writers to create climate conscious microshorts that are personal, local – and funny. Filmmakers will be given the chance to create risk-taking work that is playful, experimental and absurd. The weirder the better! We’re looking for films that deliver maximum impact with minimal runtimes: 90 second sketches with an original comic voice and an accessible, environmental message that are perfectly suited to sharing on online platforms.

Five writers/writer-directors will be selected to take part in a ten-week development programme where they’ll receive mentoring from top industry professionals, meet local collaborators and develop their initial ideas into completed scripts. After being partnered with a director and producer, they’ll receive a £1,000 commission from our partners at Doncaster Creates to produce a locally crewed and shot microshort.*

The Climate Comedy Lab development programme runs from January – February 2021. Applications to take part are open now and close on Tuesday, 5 January 2021. Read on for more information on how to apply. If you’d like to find out more about Climate Comedy Lab, we’re running online information sessions on Wednesday, 9 December – book your spot.

Climate Comedy Lab is open to creatives based in the Doncaster region. Writers and writer-directors from any filmmaking background, including fiction and documentary, are eligible to apply.

We also welcome applications from individuals with a track record in other creative disciplines such as theatre, stand up comedy, spoken word and digital media.

All applicants must be 18 or over and not in full time education. Applicants should be able to commit to attending development sessions and completing writing tasks – see our draft Lab schedule for further details.

Applications can be submitted by completing the online form linked below. You’ll be asked to share some information about yourself, a synopsis your comedy microshort idea and an example of your previous work.

If you'd like to prepare offline before completing the online form, we've put together a downloadable list of the questions asked for reference.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Tuesday, 5 January 2021. Successful candidates will be notified by Friday, 8 January and the development programme will begin on Tuesday, 12 January.