WAVES Film Bazaar lab project ‘Yayavar’ secures Finland co-production deal

MUMBAI: A screenplay born in an Indian writers’ room is now packing its bags for the global stage. Yayavar – The Migrating Bird, a project developed through the WAVES Film Bazaar Screenwriters’ Lab 2025, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for an international co-production with partners from India and Finland.

The announcement was made by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), which organises WAVES Film Bazaar under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.

The project has entered into a collaboration between India’s iRoller Media & Entertainment and Finland-based Norse Key Productions to jointly develop, finance, produce and position the film for international audiences.

Under the agreement, iRoller Media & Entertainment will act as lead producer, overseeing financing, production planning and execution. Norse Key Productions will manage post-production activities in Finland while supporting the film’s international outreach and festival strategy.

The partnership marks a milestone for the WAVES Film Bazaar Screenwriters’ Lab, highlighting its role in helping promising Indian screenwriters move beyond script development and into global production and distribution opportunities.

In a statement, National Film Development Corporation, managing director, Prakash Magdum said, “The Screenwriters’ Lab was conceived to give original Indian voices the craft, the mentorship and the market access they need to travel. To see a project move from the writing room at the Lab to an international partnership is exactly the outcome the programme was designed for.”

Meanwhile, Yayavar – The Migrating Bird, writer, director and producer, Darshan Ashwin Trivedi said, “I am thankful to NFDC Screenwriters’ Lab. I am excited about the collaboration with iRoller, India and Norse Key, Finland.”

NFDC said the agreement reflects the growing international recognition of projects emerging from the Screenwriters’ Lab and demonstrates how the programme is helping Indian storytellers connect with global production and financing networks.

Instituted in 2007, the Screenwriters’ Lab has become one of NFDC’s flagship talent development initiatives. Each year, selected writers refine their feature screenplays through an intensive mentorship programme led by acclaimed Indian and international experts before pitching their projects at Film Bazaar.

Over the years, the lab has nurtured several acclaimed films, including The Lunchbox, Lipstick Under My Burkha, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Titli, A Death in the Gunj and Ullozhukku, many of which have gone on to earn international recognition.

NFDC also announced that entries for the WAVES Film Bazaar Screenwriters’ Lab 2026 will open shortly, with further details to be shared through the official WAVES Film Bazaar and NFDC platforms.

For Yayavar – The Migrating Bird, the new partnership represents the next step in its journey, demonstrating how a screenplay developed in India can find wings through international collaboration.