SUBMISSIONS OPEN

SUBMISSIONS OPEN

The Salon is proud to partner with The Black List on the first ever Desi List, highlighting the best unproduced scripts written by South Asian writers.

Read about the 2024 selections in Deadline and visit blcklst.com to learn more and request a script. Follow us on Instagram @thedesilist for updates.

THE 2024 DESI LIST

FILM

A SILENT WAVE Dini Parayitam & Jerika Marchan

In Post-Roe Texas, married and unexpectedly pregnant Indian-American, Amal, falls in love with Charulata, a new bride from India, undoing their carefully constructed lives.

THE CHARM OFFENSIVE Erin Williams and Sean K. Jain

Handsome yet awkward tech millionaire Charlie Winshaw hopes to rehabilitate his image by becoming the newest Prince Charming on a Bachelor-esque dating show. But instead of falling for one of the women, he sparks an affair with male producer Dev Deshpande—and their forbidden flirtations risk turning their worlds upside down. Based on the novel by Erin Cochrun

THE MARIGOLD PARADOX Monisha Dadlani

A couple’s elaborate wedding weekend is jeopardized when their future selves travel back in time to stop the matrimony.

MOTHER MEHREEN Anna Khan

A Muslim teenager’s lies to cover up her secret abortion from her small Mississippi town spiral out of control when she accidentally claims immaculate conception, and is soon heralded as the mother of the next messiah.

NIGHT OF POWER Yasir Masood

On the eve of the first day of Ramadan while facing the largest heat-wave that Texas has ever seen, 3 young Muslims embark on a reluctant crime spree that pits themselves against the Houston underworld.

SKIN Urvashi Pathania

A dark-skinned Indian American woman is tempted by a dangerous skin bleaching tank – and the white woman who invented it.

TELEVISION

CEYLON: MOTHER AND LAND Thanmye Lagudu

After their mother forcibly enlists them as child soldiers, two Sri Lankan Tamil brothers must negotiate their place in a violent civil war. Simultaneously, a tenacious Indian American journalist navigates the perilous frontlines where she uncovers atrocities hiding in plain sight.

DEAD SERIOUS Luveza Mubashar

When their mother’s failed suicide attempt lands them back at home, an avoidant Pakistani millennial and her overbearing older sister must try to manage their unhinged mother while struggling with how to get along, get out of their own ways, and free themselves of a shit ton of baggage.

EMPATHICO Sejal Pachisia

When a megalomaniacal CEO invents a technology that allows humans to experience physical empathy, the disgraced co-inventor teams up with a journalist to take down the woman who took everything from her.

GHOST MOM Kiran Hefa

An entertainment journalist’s grief is cut short when her recently deceased mother mysteriously resurrects.

RETURN TO MECCA Saj Pothiawala

A former tennis prodigy and a border-crossing smuggler assemble a group of undocumented ringers to take on the establishment world of Southern California juniors tennis.

RUBY Keerthi Harishankar

When a hookup with a man in an open marriage gets her pregnant in abortion-unfriendly Ohio, rootless and unemployed ROOHI decides to raise the child with the couple.

SELECTION COMMITTEE

ALOK. Aneesh Chaganty. Bash Naran. Bilal Baig. Chitra Sampath. Christine D'Souza Gelb. Danny Pudi. Guneet Monga Kapoor. Hina X. Khan. Janina Gavankar. Kabir Akhtar. Kal Penn. Karan Soni. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. Mallika Dhaliwal. Maureen Bharoocha. Meera Menon. Mindy Kaling. Munis Rashid. Nik Dodani. Nikesh Shukla. Nikitha Menon. Nimitt Mankad. Prashanth Venkatarmanujam. Priya Satiani. Raj Raghavan. Rameez Khan. Reena Singh. Rishi Rajani. Ritesh Mehta. Riz Ahmed. Rohi Mirza Pandya. Roshan Sethi. Sameer Gardezi. Sanjay M. Sharma. Shayok Misha Chowdhury. Shivaani Sharma. Shruti Ganguly. Sim Hothi. Simran Baidwan. Smriti Mundhra. Tanuj Chopra. Vera Santamaria. Vinny Chhibber.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Writers, filmmakers, and creators were invited to submit a feature film or original pilot script for consideration by uploading it to The Black List website and opting in for consideration. To ensure that the diversity of our community is reflected in the list, we recruited a large and eclectic group of writers, directors, actors, producers, executives, agents, and managers to review and evaluate the submissions. The Selection Committee is a mix of community juggernauts, industry veterans, and early-to-mid-career artists and executives. Each script will be evaluated on originality, character development, dialogue, pacing, structure, theme, market potential, and quality of representation.

REQUIREMENTS:

  • Writers should identify as South Asian. The UN defines South Asia as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

  • While writers can be from any country of origin, they must currently reside in the U.S. Citizens, residents, visiting students, and undocumented individuals who reside in the U.S. are welcome to apply.

  • Writing teams are eligible as long as one member of the team identifies as South Asian.

  • Scripts can be multilingual as long as they are written primarily in English.

  • Feature films, half-hour TV pilots, and one-hour TV pilots will be considered.

  • All genres are eligible and will be considered.

  • All scripts must have at least one South Asian character in a prominent, lead role.

For more information, please read the FAQ on blcklst.com or email support@blcklst.com.

WHY “DESI”?

Originating from the Sanskrit "Deśa," meaning country or homeland, "Desi" was traditionally linked to the pre-colonial Indian subcontinent, made up of countless cultures, languages, religions, and peoples. In recent years, particularly in the diaspora, "Desi" has grown in its embrace, reflecting the histories, languages, and cultural practices across the nations of what we now call South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Our use of "Desi" seeks to celebrate our rich collective heritage, fostering a sense of unity and belonging among all South Asians. It is a nod to our evolving identity, recognizing the interconnectedness of our stories and the strength in our diversity.

We acknowledge that no single term can fully encapsulate the vastness and diversity of our massive community, and that the term "Desi" can be divisive, particularly outside of the Gen Z cohort of the diaspora. We hope that by embracing this term, we can assist in the transformation of "Desi" into a word that is even more inclusive than its origins suggest, inviting every voice within our community to redefine and reclaim it in a way that honors our collective and individual identities. Importantly, we also hope that this term can help distinguish our community from the larger Asian tapestry.

We hope The Desi List serves as a banner under which we can all find a measure of common ground and shared identity. We know that at times we may fall short at being truly inclusive and representative of the whole community, but we are dedicated to continuous improvement and evolution.