Lights, Camera, Twenty: The Indus Twenty, a 20-Day Film Challenge

The Indus Twenty, a 20-Day Film Challenge

Celebrating 20 Years of Community and Creativity

Lights, Camera, Twenty!

This fall, Indus Creations marks two decades of stories, stage craft, and feature films and we’re inviting creators everywhere to celebrate with us.

To kick off  the celebrations we are introducing Indus Twenty — a 20-day short film making contest  running from Saturday, October 18,2025  to Wednesday, November 6, 2025. This is not a weekend scramble! It’s a narrative deep-dive with creative constraints and career-making potential. It is yours to own whether you’re a first-time filmmaker or an industry pro, this challenge will stretch your storytelling muscles and amplify your cinematic voice.

Indus Twenty is more than just a contest. It is a celebration of our history and a launchpad for the next generation of storytellers.

The Challenge

Each team will receive a unique creative prompt pack randomly picked by the team,  that includes:

  • A genre (list of genres will be announced on Sep 15, 2025 and a random one assigned to each team)
  • A character (will be common for all teams)
  • A prop (will be common for all teams, which must feature meaningfully in the story — not as background easter eggs 🙂)
  • A line of dialogue (will be common for all teams, which must feature meaningfully in the story )
  • And  a creative wildcard — a constraint like “Something yellow must appear in the 8th minute” or “Your Line of Dialogue  must appear visually 30 seconds before your film ends.” Optional environmental constraints — such as including a water body, bridge, or street corner — may also be assigned.
  • A global theme for all movies like – education/kids/medical etc.

Using this pack, make a short film in 20 days – starting from scratch to a masterpiece!

This isn’t a challenge to follow the checklist. The constraints are an invitation to, interpret, immerse and innovate.

Timeline

Deadline to Register: October 10, 2025

While teams are free to manage their own production schedules, we recommend the following timeline to help guide the intense creative process:

  • Week 1 (Oct 18 – Oct 24): Pre-Production & Production Kick-off. This week is a sprint to get camera-ready. Finalize the script, cast actors, scout locations, and immediately begin principal photography. A fast start is crucial.
  • Week 2 (Oct 25 – Oct 31): Principal Photography. This is the core week for shooting. Teams should aim to wrap all filming by the end of this week to leave adequate time for post-production.
  • Week 3 (Nov 1 – Nov 6): Post-Production & Submission. The final week is for the magic of post-production. Edit your footage, design the sound, color grade your film, and add the finishing touches. The completed film must be submitted by the deadline.

How to Apply

To participate in the Indus Twenty 20-Day Film Challenge, interested teams must

  1. Complete the online registration form
  2. Submit a non-refundable application fee of $50 USD.

All proceeds from the application fees and sponsorship directly support the non-profit associated with this event for this year SEEEDS. Do check them out!

If you are a student or need financial assistance for application fee, please reach out to info@induscreations.com.

Rules and Guidelines

  • All writing, shooting, and editing must occur within the 20-day window.
  • All footage must be original. Stock footage may be used only when layered meaningfully over your footage. (e.g., you can use news clips on a TV where you’ve shot the TV. You cannot use stock footage of a flower blooming to show passage of time).
  • Films must be 10–15 minutes – no less than 10 minutes and no more than 15 minutes, plus up to 60 seconds of credits.
  • No language or location restrictions. All films must include subtitles burnt into the footage.
  • AI tools are allowed, but must be disclosed and used transparently. All AI generated content should be created within the 20 day window.
  • Copyright: All content (video, audio, script, etc.) must be owned or licensed by the team.

Technical requirements:

  • Resolution: Minimum 1080p (preferred) 2K or 4K submissions will be accepted
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9 or 2.39:1 (we will letter box all submissions into a 16:9 frame as necessary for screening)
  • Audio Levels: Broadcast safe (-6 dB max peaks), Stereo
  • More details will be provided to applicants

Submission

  • All films must be submitted digitally by 11:59 PM on Thursday, November 6th, 2025.
  • Instructions for submission will be provided to each of the team leaders after the event kickoff.
  • Teams must provide signed release forms before the submission closing window.
  • The Teams will own the rights for their movies. Indus Creations will have the rights to showcase the submitted content via screening in theaters  as part of the competition and on all of Indus’s platforms (including but not limited to Youtube, Instagram, Facebook). Indus Creations also reserves the right to use parts of the content to create promotional content that will be posted on Indus’s social media platforms and websites.

Judging Criteria

Films will be judged by a prestigious panel of leading producers, directors, and actors from the film industry based on the following criteria:

  • Artistic Merit (45%): Story, creativity, and entertainment value.
  • Technical Merit (30%): Cinematography, sound design, and editing.
  • Adherence to the Assignment (25%): Effective incorporation of all required elements.

Awards will be given for Best Film, Best Director, Best Editing and more categories.

Screening, Awards, and Opportunities

Every team that successfully completes and submits a film will see their work screened on the big screen at our new community The Indus 20 film festival on November 15! The top films will be featured at the exclusive Indus Twenty Awards Gala, where winners will gain access to unparalleled career-building opportunities in addition to category awards (Best Film, Best Director, etc.):

  • OTT Web Series: The overall winning team will be given the incredible opportunity to develop and create a web series for a leading OTT platform (more details coming up shortly).
  • Pitch to Producers: Winners will get the exclusive chance to pitch their stories and future projects to leading industry producers for feedback and sponsorship. 
  • Join the Core Team: Select participants will be in consideration to join the Indus Creations Core Team to lead its upcoming feature film and theater productions.

Come, join the celebration!

Become a part of our 20-year legacy. Register your team for the Indus Twenty challenge and be a part of this unforgettable cinematic adventure from October 18th to November 6th. We can’t wait to see what you create!