The six-week programme takes place from 14 July to 6 September in South Africa during a residency in Stanford in the Western Cape, where the participants will work with experienced mentors, story consultants Selina Ukwuoma and Thandeka Zwana as well as creative producer, Cait Pansegrouw.
The participants will be put to the test in September at Fame Week Africa - a major platform for the development and networking of the creative industries on the continent, which this year sees over 1,600 delegates attend.
The five scriptwriters are:
“The residency is such a sacred and enriching space to create,” explains Pansegrouw, co-founder and director of artistic operations at the Realness Institute.
“It’s rare to be surrounded and supported by fellow Africans as you continue to discover your voice as a filmmaker. It is a privilege for me to play a small role in the development of these artists and their stories.”
The aim of the programme is to mentor scriptwriters in a creative and nurturing environment, to enable them to advance their feature film projects.
By engaging with story consultants and creative producers, the screenwriters will work on the essence of their story concepts to develop them into compelling screenplays.
Alongside this, the cohort is also given guidance to effectively pitch their projects to industry partners for financing and production opportunities.
“It is always an honour to welcome exciting African voices to the residency and to provide the freedom and support the filmmakers need to take their projects to the next level. We look forward to continuing the residency's pursuit of excellence,” says Zwana.
“I’m excited to be back on the continent sharing in the lucid dreams of the next group of visionary filmmakers,” says Ukwuoma.
“They’re encouraged to be expansive — to stretch their creativity to its limits — before then honing the craft skills that enable them to present the fruits of that exploration to the industry in their pitch at Fame Week Africa at the end. The emphasis on craft meeting creativity is crucial,” adds Ukwuoma.
“We are really thrilled to host the Screenwriters' Residency at Fame Week Africa this year,” says Martin Hiller, portfolio director: Fame Week Africa.
“The convergence of significant stakeholders within the film and creative sectors at the event, offers an important opportunity for these scriptwriters to network, pitch and do “business”.
“Taking one’s story from the page into the development process is an important part of the filmmaking value chain, and this is ultimately what we set out to do – act as an enabler for the economic growth of the creative sector,” explains Hiller.
The development programme is presented by the Realness Institute, in partnership with the French Institute of South Africa and Institute Français, Locarno Filmmaker’s Academy, Cocoon Productions, The CNC, and Fame Week Africa.
