Almost a dozen writers from Africa, Middle East, Latin America, South Asia, Soautheast Asia, the Caribbean and Oceania will be selected as Palmtrees, a screenplay development incubator, partners with NEON for its inaugural cohort.
Writers from eligible regions are expected to apply with a treatment and the first 15 pages of a feature-length genre screenplay. Those selected by the incubator will develop their scripts through intensive one-on-one work with dedicated story analysts.
Writers are compensated for their participation throughout the programme, which culminates in a three-week in-person residency.
According to Funa Maduka, Founder/CEO of Palmtrees, the programme is open to writers at every stage. She added: “Palmtrees does not distinguish between first-time screenwriters and those with produced credits. Selection is based on the strength of the project and clarity of the writer’s voice. There is no advantage to having prior credits and no disadvantage to not having them. Applications open March 31, 2026 at palmtrees.dev. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2026.”
Funa Maduka spent six years leading international original films at Netflix, where she built the company’s first international film slate and shepherded the acquisition and development of dozens of titles across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, among them Alice Rohrwacher’s Happy as Lazzaro, Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, Houda Benyamina’s Divines, Jeremy Clapin’s I Lost My Body and Mati Diop’s Atlantics.
A filmmaker in her own right, Funa is credited with directing and producing the first Nigerian film to world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
“Tom and his team have built something rare. NEON has done more to expand the definition of world cinema in the last five years than any company in the business. They take real creative bets and that instinct is the basis for our collaboration,” she said.
Also speaking, Tom Quinn, Founder/CEO of NEON, stated: “Some of the most vital voices in cinema today are emerging from places that have been historically underrepresented on the global stage. NEON is thrilled to partner with Funa and her team at Palmtrees to help identify and support this next generation of filmmakers.”
The incubator grew out of a conviction that some of the most compelling stories in the world are coming from regions that have historically lacked the infrastructure to develop them at the rigour the global market demands.
“The most seasoned screenwriters still fight writer’s block at 3a.m. It is not a process that necessarily gets easier, but one that can remain exceptionally hard if you have never had attention. Sustained, serious, skilled attention. We built Palmtrees to provide it. There are extraordinary writers in these regions. What they lack is not talent,” Funa stressed.