4 African screenwriters will pitch tales spanning genres on the fifteenth version of Collection Mania in Lille, France.

Pitching this 12 months are Kelly-Eve Koopman (South Africa) with city fantasy “Going through the Mountain”; Moreetsi Gabang (Botswana) with crime drama “Outreach”; Tiah Beye (Senegal/Côte d’Ivoire) with comedy-drama “Brouteure” (“The Yahoo Woman”); and Wanjiru Kairu (Kenya) with political satire “Serikali Saidia!”

The reveals are beneath the aegis of the AuthenticA Collection Lab, a coaching program for African episodic screenwriters from Realness Institute. The lab, now in its third 12 months, helps the skilled improvement of creators of serial content material, designed in collaboration and introduced in partnership with the StoryBoard Collective with assist of Collection Mania Discussion board, the French Ministry of Europe and International Affairs and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS).

The tasks introduced in 2023 tasted success. “On the 2023 Collection Mania, all 4 of the AuthenticA Collection Lab writers’ tales have been taken up by both broadcasters or main manufacturing corporations. We hope for a similar end result this 12 months after an intense six months of mentorship and improvement via the lab,” mentioned Mehret Mandefro, director of improvement and partnerships on the Realness Institute.

A delegation of 12 South African producers and stakeholders will take part formally for the primary time at Collection Mania this 12 months, sponsored partially by the Nationwide Movie and Video Basis and IFAS. Realness fostering stronger bonds with France is especially important, provided that the cinematographic and audiovisual co-production settlement between South Africa and France got here into power in 2023.

“This distinctive settlement is a worthwhile software for the business, and nurtures extra worthwhile partnerships and tasks, like AuthenticA, that actively fosters co-productions, uniting French and South African creators, sharing narratives, and driving financial progress and sustainability for each industries,” mentioned David Martinon, ambassador of France to South Africa, Lesotho and Malawi.

In the meantime, Creation Africa, an initiative led by France’s division of international affairs to foster collaboration between France and Africa, has a pavilion at Collection Mania’s business occasion Discussion board, the place African delegations can have a devoted house to host their conferences. The pavilion and the AuthenticA Collection Lab will host an African abilities and business breakfast March 19, which can also be the day the 4 writers will pitch their sequence.

Realness AuthenticA alumnus Chantal Clark may also be in attendance as she has been chosen for a scholarship to its Writers’ Campus, a Collection Mania Institute initiative supported by the Realness Institute.

Francesco Capurro, director of Collection Mania Discussion board, mentioned: “Our collaboration with the Realness has proved invaluable in amplifying African voices on the worldwide stage. This 12 months marks an vital milestone as Africa’s illustration on the Discussion board reaches unprecedented ranges, with a delegation attending for the primary time beneath the Creation Africa Pavilion. We sit up for facilitating connections between African expertise and worldwide professionals on the Discussion board.”

Director of The StoryBoard Collective, Laure de Peretti de la Rocca, added: “The 4 scriptwriters have spent the final two months in residency on the StoryBoard Home which allowed us to witness the standard of their work and their readiness to captivate the viewers of Collection Mania with the compelling narratives they’ve meticulously woven.”

Pictured (L-R): Kelly-Eve Koopman (South Africa), Moreetsi Gabang (Botswana), Tiah Beye (Senegal/ Côte d’Ivoire), Wanjiru Kairu (Kenya)