Screenwriters

Realness African Screenwriters Residency Incubator Program 2022

February 23, 2022
Maria R. Stein

Realness African Screenwriters Residency Incubator Program 2022

The Residence of African Realness Screenwriters is an incubator for African screenwriters that provides residents with the hands-on support needed to refine their projects from a creative perspective, as well as pitch their projects to industry partners for potential funding and production. The residency acts as a year-round support system for alumni, helping them take their screenplays from page to screen, and fostering a new wave of authentic African cinema in the process.

Over the years, the program, which was founded in 2015, has received over 650 submissions from 23 countries in Africa, and mentors have worked with over 30 film projects with 2 films produced as a result. This movies A mad god by Hiwot Adamasu (Ethiopia) and This is not a funeral – this is a resurrection, by Lemoghang Jeremiah Mosese (Lesotho) both have an international sales agent and have screened at major international festivals around the world, with ‘Burial’ scooping 32 prestigious awards. This was Lesotho’s first submission for the Oscars in 2021.

Program

This year, the program will run from August 3 to November 13, 2022.

The six screenwriters selected will attend the Locarno Film Festival and their academy’s creative incubation program”Base camp”, which will take place from August 3 to 13, 2022.

This will be followed by 6 weeks of calm and nurturing Nirox and Farm 58 in The Cradle of Humankind, South Africa, where they will be mentored by story consultants Selina Ukwuoma and Mmabatho Kau and creative producer Cait Pansegrouw.

Residents have an additional six weeks to polish their work from home, while maintaining contact with mentors.

The scriptwriters will then attend the International African Film Festivalin Lagos, from 7 to 13 November 2022.

We will submit all final deliveries to our international partners for review. All participants are eligible for grants to participate in other labs and workshops, such as the Locarno Filmmakers Academy, the Torino Film Lab Meeting Event, the EAVE Producer’s Workshop, La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde in Cannes and the Rotterdam Lab of the Rotterdam International Film Festival.

Eligibility

We are looking for filmmakers with distinct voices and perspectives, who are dedicated to their craft and have an unwavering passion for filmmaking.

You are eligible to apply for residency if:

  • You have a valid African passport.

  • 60 to 100% of your screenplay is shot on the African continent.

  • Your screenplay is fiction. We are not accepting non-fiction works at this time.

  • Adaptations are eligible, but you must include proof that the rights to the source material have been acquired with your application.

Funding

Most travel and accommodation costs are covered by the Realness Institute and its program partners.

Selected screenwriters will be required to cover the cost of their visas and travel insurance for Switzerland, South Africa and Nigeria; and the cost of flights to Switzerland. We will help with fundraising and offer letters to selected participants to approach funders for their flights.

Apps

Applicants must submit the following:

  • A proposed feature project log line (2 lines)

  • A synopsis of the proposed feature film project (1 page).

  • A treatment of the proposed feature film project (6 pages).

  • A draft script, if available. (Please note that we favor strong treatments rather than a rushed first draft)

  • A note of intent from the author (1 page).

  • A short biography (300 words max.).

  • Two examples of previous work, uploaded to Vimeo or Youtube. If selected, residents will be required to donate a copy of their previous work to the Nirox Cinematheque.

  • A note from the producer (if a producer is attached) (1 page).

  • A producer’s biography and production company profile (if a producer is attached).

  • Visual reference material (mood board, character reference, cast tapes (if available), cue images and/or sizzle reel for the project).

  • 1 photo/portrait (.jpg or .png)

  • An application fee of 30 euros is required to apply. Application fees are payable via Paypal: paypal.me/realnessinstitute

All documents submitted must be in English, but scripts written in French will also be accepted on a limited basis (with all supporting documents in English).

Selection will be based solely on artistic merit. The Realness Institute will have no legal claims on the work once the residency is complete.

To apply

The deadline for applications is March 7, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. Central Africa Time.