Four African Writers Head to France for Series Mania Forum

Cape Town SA:  23 March 2026: Four exceptional African screenwriters will showcase their original television series projects to international industry leaders at the Series Mania Forum in Lille, France, later this month, following six months of intensive development through the Realness Institute’s AuthenticA Series Lab.

The AuthenticA Series Lab is an episodic screenwriting programme run in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective, and with support from the Canada Media Fund and industry partners Series Mania Forum, the major international gathering for the development, financing and distribution of scripted television series.

Now in its fourth edition, AuthenticA Series Lab supports and mentors African writers to develop globally competitive television series enabling them to pitch and connect with international partners, financiers and producers.

The writers from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria will present their projects at the AuthenticA African Series Pitch on Tuesday, 24 March 2026 (14:30–15:00) during the Series Mania Forum. 

The four participating writers are:

Reem Morsi (Egypt/Canada) who will pitch Humanitarians!, a Dark Comedy at the Forum. Reem is an award-winning writer and director, and multi-genre filmmaker, with a background in professional scuba diving, and human rights advocacy. Her feature Banned has just begun its festival tour, and she has directed the film Queen Tut and episodes of Virgins!, including the season finale. Her series FISH won the Canadian National Genre Competition by WIFTV and is currently in development, along with two other scripted projects. 

Gamel Apalayine (Ghana) who will pitch his Mystery Drama The Gospel According to Charlotte Nelson is a storyteller working across film, television, theatre, and music. He was Head Writer for 560 episodes of Ghana’s hit series DEDE and two seasons of ENO, Showmax’s first original drama series. He is developing a dynamic slate of film, TV, and theatre projects through his creative company, Whistling Rocks. 

Mona Ombogo (Kenya) is an award-winning scriptwriter and best-selling author, who received the 2024 Women in Film Award for Best Script Writer and the Best Writing in a Series award at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards for Netflix’s Volume. She has served as head writer for Salem and Shanga, and contributed to Showmax’s Single Kiasi. She will pitch a Romantic Thriller series called Kanaan at the Forum.

Joladé Olusanya (Nigeria/UK) who is a poet, filmmaker, and photographer, who tells intimate stories blending lyrical writing with cinematic visuals, will pitch his project KID: The Hogan Bassey Story, a Sports Epic. Joladé has been commissioned by the BBC and Barbican, and exhibited internationally. Through his company, By The Kin, he is developing short films and an original TV series while building community-led projects. 

"At Series Mania Forum, we’re excited to showcase these four extraordinary talents from Africa on a global stage, where their rich and diverse stories can captivate the international industry,” says Francesco Capurro, Director, Series Mania Forum. “We’re proud to champion their voices and look forward to the impact they will make worldwide"

“Providing African writers a safe space to develop the stories they want to tell with the resources they need to tell them, is still a rare intervention.  These four writers are proof of what becomes possible when that space actually exists,” says Mehret Mandefro, Creative Producer, Managing Director, Realness Institute: 

“Each year the AuthenticA writers are encouraged to tell the stories they have kept quietly hidden — the audacious, difficult, complex ones. With the support the lab provides, the writers consistently push the boundaries,” says Selina Ukwuoma, Script Consultant and Director of Writing Programmes, Realness Institute. “They find a way to tell these groundbreaking stories and in so doing they redefine the narrative about Africa.”

Laure de Peretti de la Rocca, Executive Director, The StoryBoard Collective says, "The AuthenticA Series Lab is not only a long-term creative development program, but also provides writers with the market literacy and industry access needed to protect their voices. We support storytellers whose perspectives deserve far greater visibility on screen and create pathways to international partners ready to bring those stories to life.”

Through its robust and hands-on mentorship and development programme the AuthenticA Series Lab equips African series writers with the skills to bring their stories to life, while the Series Mania Forum opens doors to global audiences.

For more information on the AuthenticA Series Lab: https://www.realness.institute/authentica-series-lab

Deadline for Applications to Realness/Netflix Traineeship extended to 21 January 2022.

Due to a surge of interest from filmmakers from Africa and the Diaspora, the Realness Institute, in partnership with Netflix, has announced an extension for submissions for the 2022 Episodic Lab and Development Executive Traineeship (DET) programmes. Applicants will now have until 21 January 2022 to apply.

The Episodic Lab is aimed at developing story concepts by screenwriters from South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria; while the DET offers African producers an opportunity to hone their story development skills. These programmes are designed for television and film professionals at an intermediate level.

Both programmes are intimately supervised and mentored by highly skilled and experienced Story Experts and Creative Producers, whilst also drawing expertise and advice from the Netflix team.

The 2022 Episodic Lab and DET take place online from 1 May to 31 July 2022. Each of the twelve selected participants (six per programme) will receive a monthly stipend of USD 2 000 for this period to cover living expenses, which will allow them to focus on the development of their story concept.

Exciting news for these programmes is that Thandeka Zwana, a DET participant from the inaugural 2021 edition, has joined the mentoring team as a Story Consultant. Working in the film industry on the continent since 2004, Thandeka has experience along the whole film-making value chain as a producer, line producer, script editor, and as development and production executive for numerous films and organisations.

Thandeka Zwana says “The programme was basically a course in brain gymnastics! It gave us the opportunity to open our minds to new ways of thinking and approaching development. From psychology to the history of storytelling, we were given tools to enhance the process and make development a lot more fun for both the executives and the writers that we work with. As African storytellers, we have a great responsibility to tell our stories in the best way possible and this course – the mentors and the guest speakers – did so much in helping us understand this responsibility and use it to make our craft better. It is a huge honour to be included in the team for 2022 and I look forward to cultivating stronger writers and stories.”

“We are thrilled to have received so many new proposals, with many requests from filmmakers to extend the deadline due to the proximity to the festive season and so many holidays,” says Elias Ribeiro, Executive Director of the Realness Institute. “So we encourage all interested to get their proposals in soon. We are also honoured to have Thandeka Zwana joining the mentoring team, who comes with a wealth of experience in development, production and distribution. We look forward to working with her to support the projects and writers to excel with their work.”

Realness Institute is a non-profit organisation that aims to empower Africans to tell their stories from their own point of view.

For information on eligibility and the application process please visit the following:

Episodic Lab: https://www.realness.institute/episodic-lab
Development Executive Traineeship: https://www.realness.institute/det

Further enquiries about the programme and application process can be directed to email submissions@realness.institute

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Realness Institute Celebrates Sundance Win and Extends Call For 2020 Applications

Media Release

Realness Institute Celebrates Sundance Win and Extends Call For 2020 Applications

The first film produced from the Realness African Screenwriters’ Residency This is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection, directed by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese's (Realness 2017) and produced by Urucu Media's Cait Pansegrouw and Elias Ribeiro competed in the 2020 Sundance Film Festival's World Dramatic Competition section to critical review, and  was awarded the Special Jury Prize for Visionary Filmmaking at a ceremony last night in Park City, Utah, USA.

“Delicate and strong, this director told a little story of resistance and made it universal,” said the World Dramatic Competition Jury’s citation. “The composition of images, the visual phrase and the story of this film moved us. One of the most beautiful films of our Sundance 2020.”

“Realness Institute has been designed as a platform that caters to the full spectrum of the production line in a way that can push the African film industry forward. Core to the program’s development is the view that African cinema is a central market in the new sphere of the global cultural economy,” says Elias Ribeiro, co-founder of Realness.

The Realness Screenwriter’s Residency is dedicated to providing African film projects with the support and resources needed at the critical development stage of a film. The programme ensures that talent is given the space to mature their work, such that they develop films that can compete in the international film finance market, travel and appeal to international audiences.

Realness offers a natural environment that allows filmmakers to stretch their creativity and drive their craft under mentorship from industry experts. The residency takes the form of a six-week stay at the Nirox Foundation situated in the scenic Cradle of Humankind in South Africa.

This programme caters for filmmakers with distinct voices and perspectives, who are devoted to their craft and have a steadfast passion for cinema. Filmmakers with feature fiction film treatments and/ or scripts that are at least 60% filmed on the African Continent.

Creative Producer Indaba is a year-long professional development programme, providing emerging producers with the necessary tools and leadership skills to pursue their craft, as well as capacity to operate sustainable businesses at a strategic level.

Creative Producer Indaba is aimed at producers (with and without projects) from Africa; producers from North America and Europe with an interest in co-producing with Africa,

Film Professionals from other disciplines such as distribution, international sales, funding bodies, institutions, broadcasters and development executives with a stake in the African marketplace.

The deadline for the 2020 Residency and Indaba has been extended to February 15

For more information go to realness.institute

To apply submit a completed application to submissions@realness.institute

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