Four African screenwriters have been selected from over 160 applications for the 2024/25 AuthenticA Series Lab presented by the South African-based Realness Institute in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective, (Switzerland) and with support of the Series Mania Forum (France) and the Canada Media Fund.
Submissions this year came from 27 countries, covering 23 genres of television series, with the four selected screenwriters being Talemwa Pius (Uganda), Aden Abebe (Canada/Ethiopia), Tony Koros (Kenya) and Mlilo Mpondo (South Africa).
In a hotly contested space for the development of screenplays, the AuthenticA Series Lab, will support these four writers to advance their series ideas into pilot scripts, and create “pitch Bibles” to take these confidently to highly competitive international content markets.
Laure de Peretti de la Rocca, Director of The StoryBoard Collective, the Swiss philanthropic organisation dedicated to supporting the development and impact outreach of authentic and transformative stories says, “TV series have the capacity to transcend geographies and cultures, creating connections that bridge diverse audiences. This year marks the third edition of AuthenticA, and we look forward to exploring the authentic stories of these four talented writers.”
The AuthenticA Series Lab is designed by Programme Director Elias Ribeiro, in collaboration with Story Expert Selina Ukwuoma. The Lab takes place over 6 months, beginning with an in-person residency at the exquisite Coot Club in Stanford (Western Cape) from 8 to 17 September 2024. Following this, the writers will participate in online sessions and then an additional in-person residency in Switzerland (Geneva) from 20 January next year, and culminating in a pitch session at Series Mania Forum in Lille (France) on 25 March 2025 which sees more than 4,200 TV professionals from more than 70 countries and from 5 continents coming together for networking, discovery, and insights.
“Series Mania is proud to once again partner with Realness Institute and The StoryBoard Collective for the third consecutive year on the AuthenticA Series Lab,” says Laurence Herszberg, Series Mania General Director. “As the leading event in Europe for TV series professionals, Series Mania Forum serves as an ideal platform to amplify African talents and their unique voices, offering them visibility on an international stage while fostering diversity in the global television landscape.”
Story Expert Selina Ukwuoma and Creative Producer Mehret Mandefro will spearhead the creative mentorship of the programme. Experienced film professionals from the industry will engage with the cohort as guest speakers, providing diverse perspectives and sharing their professional experiences.
“Providing a safe space for African screenwriters to find their voice and write the stories that only they can tell, is a critical infrastructure investment in the global media ecosystem,” says Creative Producer Mehret Mandefro.
This year, the Canada Media Fund has partnered with the programme to sponsor the Canadian/Ethiopian writer Aden Abebe. “We are proud to celebrate the selection of multi-disciplinary artist Aden Abebe for this year’s cohort of the AuthenticA Series Lab,” says Jessica Lea Fleming, Director of Growth & Inclusion at the CMF. “The CMF is committed to enhancing access to professional development opportunities for content creators like Aden and playing a role in bringing their stories to life.”
Aden Abebe (Canada/Ethiopia) is a multi-disciplinary artist, community leader and mentor whose passions lie at the intersection of art and social justice. A trained Photographer, turned Writer – Director – Producer – Executive Producer, Aden’s work has been presented in art exhibitions, film screenings and streaming television. Abebe’s series project is a comedy titled “333”.
The other three participants are:
Talemwa Pius (Uganda) is a screenwriter, film director, film editor, film producer, and production designer who has written and directed multiple short films including the award-winning Engaito. Pius’s project is a western titled “Mad Bounty and The Midnight Gun”.
Tony Koros (Kenya) is a Los Angeles based Kenyan filmmaker, and recipient of many prestigious fellowships and grants. His latest short film, “Tithes & Offerings” premiered in competition at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2019 and was distributed by CANAL+. The title of Koros’ series project, a dramedy, is “Money Town”.
Mlilo Mpondo (South Africa) is a writer who has been published extensively by national and international platforms (Daily Maverick; ELLE Magazine; MarieClaire; UK Guardian). Her debut novel is titled Things My Mother Left Me (Black Bird Books). She is the recipient of the UJ Debut Fiction Prize 2023 and has been longlisted for the 2023 Sunday Times Literary Award. “Women from the 13th Floor ” is the title of Mpondo’s series project in the dramedy genre.
For more information about AuthenticA Series Lab and other Realness Institute industry
development programmes go to: https://www.realness.institute/authentica-series-lab