A 5-week residency in Bombay where we turn creators into makers.
Technology is the medium. Culture is the outcome.
A residency for anyone who can think of the idea and make it real. Open to creators and makers across discipline: filmmakers, coders, designers, animators, writers, builders, engineers, artists. Skill gaps closed by pre-residency modules, so everyone starts on a level field.
The creative lens. Storytelling, cultural instinct, taste, industry access.
The maker's lens. Technical mentorship, fabrication, hands-on engineering.
Pre-study before. Showcase after. In between, five phases.
Self-paced modules. CAD, electronics, physical computing, AI, prototyping.
Culture as material. What is worth building? Briefs set, teams formed.
From observation to concept. Fieldwork, worldbuilding, mentor reviews.
Build sprint. Rapid prototyping, user testing, fail early, iterate.
Prototypes become experiences. Interaction flows, narrative, materials.
Fabrication week at Makers Asylum. Travel, stay, meals on us.
Public exhibition. Brands, designers, technologists, media, students.
Built in a team of 3 or 4. Shown publicly. The kind of work people seek out.
The showcase puts them in a room with brands, studios, press.
First look at briefs, collaborations, paid projects. Long after the residency.
The people they'll keep calling for the rest of their career.
Pre-residency modules. Five weeks at Kulfi Studio. Travel, stay, and meals in Goa. Mentorship, materials, showcase.
Stay and day-to-day costs in Bombay. Residents need to be based in or able to arrange a stay in Bombay through September. The residency runs at Kulfi Studio.
Cohort of 12 announced by the second week of August.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications open | July 6 |
| Applications close | August 5 |
| Interviews (20 minutes, shortlisted applicants) | Shortly after August 5 |
| Results announced | By August 15 |
| Pre-prep (self-paced, remote) | August 18 to August 31 |
| Mumbai residency (Kulfi studio) | September 1 to September 30 |
| Goa week (Makers Asylum) | October 1 to October 7 |
| Kulfi Demo Day | Late October |
A program for young Indian creators and makers working at the edge of creative technology. Cohort 1 brings together about 12 people, roughly half through institutional nominations and half through open call.
Creators and makers working across film, animation, code, sound, photography, illustration, AR/VR, physical computing, game design, AI, writing, performance, or anything adjacent. You can apply directly through the open call, or come in through an institutional nomination. Either way, everyone goes through the same application. Please note that this residency is open only to applicants up to the age of 24.
Three parts, in order:
1. A two-week pre-prep period, done remotely at your own pace (August 18 to August 31)
2. The Mumbai residency at the Kulfi studio, the full month of September (September 1 to September 30)
3. The Goa week with Makers Asylum, the first week of October (October 1 to October 7), working in a team of three
Projects made during the Goa week are showcased at Kulfi Play It Forward Showcase towards the end of October.
The application window is open from July 6 to August 5.
Results are announced by August 15.
Yes. After the application window closes, shortlisted applicants are invited to a 20-minute interview before final selection.
Application closes August 5. Interviews follow shortly after. Results are announced by August 15. Pre-prep runs August 18 to August 31. The Mumbai residency runs the full month of September, September 1 to September 30. The Goa week runs the first week of October, October 1 to October 7.
Mumbai: September 1 to September 30, the full calendar month. Goa: October 1 to October 7, the first week of October.
The Goa week (October 1 to October 7), including travel and stay, is fully funded. The Mumbai month (September 1 to September 30) is not funded at all: no travel, no stay, no living costs. Please keep this in mind while applying.
It's a resourcing constraint for Cohort 1. We'd rather be upfront about it before you apply than have it come as a surprise later.
You need to either already be based in Mumbai, or be able to cover your own accommodation and living expenses there for the full month of September.
Then this cohort likely isn't workable for you right now, and that's completely fair. We'd still encourage you to stay connected with Kulfi for future opportunities that may be structured differently.
No, applying is free.
No. No stipend is provided at any point in the residency. The Goa week covers travel and stay only, with no additional stipend. The Mumbai month remains entirely unfunded: no travel, no stay, no living costs, and no stipend.
Through the online application form, covering some basics about you, a 90-second video, links to other work, and a few short written prompts.
Yes. Submitting a complete application is mandatory. Incomplete applications will not be considered, so please make sure every required section is filled in before you submit.
Whether the form supports saving and resuming depends on the platform it's built on. If you're unsure, it's safest to have all your material (video link, portfolio links, written answers) ready before you start.
Once submitted, treat it as final. If something changes or you've made an error, email playitforward@kulficollective.com as soon as possible.
Applications close at the end of the window on August 5. Late applications won't be accepted for Cohort 1, but you're welcome to stay in touch for future cohorts.
Yes. Nominated applicants still need to complete and submit the full application themselves.
It's the heart of the application. In 90 seconds, make something that shows us how you see. Not a portfolio reel, not an introduction to yourself. A single made thing, whatever form that takes for you.
90 seconds.
As a link (unlisted YouTube or Vimeo, Drive, or Instagram all work), as long as it's accessible to us.
Yes, at least one link to other work: a portfolio site, Instagram, a specific project, or anything else that shows what you do. A file upload option is also available if you'd rather send a PDF or deck, though the links alone are enough.
Short reflections on how you work as a maker and storyteller, a piece of culture you admire, and why this residency and this moment matter to you.
Every application, video first, goes through an initial screening. From there, a shortlist is invited to a 20-minute interview, and the final cohort of 12 is chosen from that group.
Craft, storytelling and voice, taste, originality, and genuine fit with what the residency is trying to do.
By August 15.
You'll be invited to stay connected through Kulfi's wider creator community, so you're in the loop for future opportunities and showcases.
Two weeks immediately before the Mumbai residency begins, from August 18 to August 31, during which we share material for you to go through at your own pace.
Self-paced. You'll have the material and the discretion to work through it on your own schedule ahead of arriving in Mumbai on September 1.
No. It's designed to be done remotely, wherever you are, from August 18 to August 31.
September 1 to September 30, the full calendar month.
A mix of hands-on workshops, speaking sessions with industry professionals and experts, time with in-house Kulfi mentors, and visits to studios.
A mix of in-house Kulfi mentors and external industry professionals. Specific names and sessions are shared closer to the residency.
Yes. They're meant to be a source of inspiration you carry into the weeklong session with Makers Asylum in October, where you'll respond to a problem statement.
October 1 to October 7, the first week of October.
You'll work in a team of three, alongside Makers Asylum, to respond to a problem statement and build a project over the course of the week.
Teams of three are put together for the Goa week. You don't need to arrive with a team already formed.
The problem statement will be shared in advance in September, allowing participants to think through their approach conceptually before developing and building it in Goa. While it will be formally introduced during the Goa week, the visits and sessions during the Mumbai residency are designed to provide the context, references, and material you can draw from while responding to it.
Yes, fully. Travel and stay for October 1 to October 7 are covered. No additional stipend is provided.
The showcase where projects built during the Goa week are presented, held on or around October 7, at the end of the Goa week.
Details on what's expected for the showcase will be shared with your cohort during the residency.
Yes. The program runs as a continuous arc: pre-prep from August 15/18 to August 31, the Mumbai residency from September 1 to September 30, and the Goa week from October 1 to October 7 (can go up to October 10th). Full participation across all three parts is expected.
Let us know when you apply, or write to playitforward@kulficollective.com and we'll do what we can to make it work.
Email playitforward@kulficollective.com and we'll get back to you.
