Four African Screenwriters Selected for the AuthenticA Series Lab taking place in Ethiopia, France and Switzerland)

The Realness Institute, in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective and supported by the Canada Media Fund and the Series Mania Forum, has announced the four African participants for the 2026 AuthenticA Series Lab, the fifth edition of the programme which gives screenwriters a unique opportunity to shape their original concepts into episodic storytelling across any genre.

The cohort includes Lagos-based writer, director and cinematographer Lateefah Mayaki; award-winning Ghanaian-Canadian writer and filmmaker Lindsey Addawoo; acclaimed South African writer/director Phumi Morare; and multi-hyphenate Cameroonian-born writer, filmmaker and cultural entrepreneur Sahndra Fon Dufe.

AuthenticA is designed to give participants what they need to take their projects to market: a professionally developed pitch deck and completed pilot script, each built to international industry standards. Writers retain full intellectual property rights over all material they develop through the programme.

The programme opened with an 8-day in-person residency in Ethiopia from 17–25 September 2026, followed by online sessions running until 14 January 2027. A second in-person residency follows in Geneva, Switzerland, from 19 January to 21 March 2027. The final residency takes place in Lille, France, from 22–26 March 2027, where the fellows will pitch their projects as part of the African Series Pitch at Series Mania Forum — Europe's largest co-production series market and festival, attracting talent scouts, sales agents, broadcasters, investors and distributors.

Throughout the six-month journey, the fellows will be mentored by Mehret Mandefro as Director of Producing and Showrunning and Selina Ukwuoma as Director of Writing Programmes.

“Going into the fifth year of this lab, offering writers the time, mentorship and industry access to turn an original idea into a market-ready series seems even more important in light of what is going on in the world,” says Mehret Mandefro. “We need to write a new world and that begins with supporting fresh voices that have something to say.”

“We continue to build on the work of the last four years showcasing the multiplicity of original African voices. This year’s unprecedented all-female group of storytellers gives us a glimpse into four more fascinating worlds we have not yet encountered on screen. I’m so looking forward to delving into these rich and rewarding stories with them,” says Selina Ukwuoma

“Through AuthenticA, we are proud to support African storytellers whose diverse voices and bold stories strengthen the global conversation and bring truly international content to the fore,” says David Rimer - Founder of The StoryBoard Collective.

Submissions this year came from 144 applications, over 27 countries, covering over 20 genres of television series.

For more information visit the Realness Institute website at: www.realnessinstitute.com

AuthenticA Series Lab Returns for Fifth Year, Inviting Applications from African Screenwriters

The AuthenticA Series Lab, a screenwriters programme from South Africa-based non-profit Realness Institute, is now open for applications for its 5th edition. This six-month programme is delivered in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective, a Swiss non-profit organisation dedicated to holding space for storytellers from underrepresented communities. Series Mania returns as the programme festival partner, where the writers will pitch their projects to industry decision-makers as part of the African Series Pitch in Lille, France, in March 2027. The Canada Media Fund also returns for a third year as a funding partner, supporting the participation of one African Canadian writer in the programme. 

The programme has supported 15 African writers since its inception, with some writers currently in active co-production conversations with companies across the UK, France, Canada and the US. Now entering its milestone fifth year, the AuthenticA Series Lab comes at a time when the industry is particularly volatile and unstable, making this offering even more necessary. 

The programme welcomes submissions of original series projects in any genre, from writers living in Africa or the African diaspora, provided the story concept is set in Africa. Four writers will be selected for the programme, which is conducted through a mixture of online and in-person sessions, taking place from September 2026 to April 2027. Selected writers will be mentored by Selina Ukwuoma, Story Consultant and Director of Writing Programmes, and Mehret Mandefro, Creative Producer and Managing Director of the Realness Institute. 

Selina Ukwuoma says, “The lab offers writers a rare opportunity to take creative risks. It gives them the confidence to trust their most audacious ideas and shape them into series with real craft, rigour and clarity.”

“Giving writers the time and space to bring their boldest ideas at a time when the industry is so unstable is the best way we know how to meet this moment,” says Mehret Mandefro. 

Experienced industry experts are invited to engage with the cohort as guest speakers, sharing their insights and professional journeys through case studies, offering a range of industry perspectives and practical guidance. Past guest speakers have included Anthony Q. Farrell (Writer/Director/Producer, Canfro Productions), Layla Swart (Producer/Co-Founder, Yellowbone Entertainment), Aoife Lennon-Ritchie (Managing Director of Torchwood Literary & Scouting), Sameer Gardezi (Founder, Break the Room Media) and Pauline Fischer (Founder & CEO, PMF Media Group, Inc.). 

For our fifth year our programme opens with in-person sessions in Ethiopia, a first, and then moving through online sessions, which culminates in a two-month residency in Geneva, Switzerland, before the cohort pitches at Series Mania in Lille, France. The outcome of the programme is that each participant will deliver a pitch deck and a pilot script. The rights to the material developed through the programme will remain with each writer. 

“This programme reflects what we believe in: backing bold storytelling from voices the industry hasn't made enough room for," says Laure de Peretti de la Rocca, Director of The StoryBoard Collective. "Partnering for this lab, and hosting the AuthenticA writers in Geneva at the StoryBoard House, is how we put that belief into action.”

Francesco Capurro, Series Mania Forum Director says “AuthenticA’s pitching sessions have become one of the Forum’s most anticipated highlights. International industry professionals continue to show a strong appetite for distinctive voices emerging from African content, and this is due to the outstanding preparation and mentoring work carried out by the teams at the Realness Institute and StoryBoard Collective. I am already looking forward to discovering the 2027 cohort.”

As part of its ongoing commitment to investing in Canadian African diaspora storytellers, the Canada Media Fund will sponsor the participation of one African-Canadian writer in the programme. 

“The Canada Media Fund is proud to continue its partnership with the AuthenticA Series Lab and support the participation of an African-Canadian writer for a third consecutive year," said Jessica Lea Fleming, Director of Industry Development, CMF. "Programs like AuthenticA create meaningful opportunities for creators to develop bold, unique stories while building the international relationships that are increasingly essential in today's screen industry. We are pleased to support an initiative that strengthens creative and business connections between Canada and Africa, while helping elevate diverse voices whose stories will resonate with audiences at home and around the world.”

The call for applications is open from Monday, 06 July 2026, closing on Saturday, 1 August 2026. 

For more information on eligibility and how to apply, visit https://realnessinstitute.com/2026/07/04/authentica-african-series-lab-call-is-open/ or email submissions@realness.institute