A cohort of African writers from the AuthenticA Series Lab are attending Series Mania Forum in Lille to pitch their unique stories.
“At the 2023 Series Mania, all four of the AuthenticA Series Lab writers’ stories were taken up by either broadcasters or leading production companies. We hope for the same result this year after an intense six months of mentorship and development through the Lab,” said Mehret Mandefro, director of Development & Partnerships at the Realness Institute.
Pitching this year are Kelly-Eve Koopman (South Africa) with urban fantasy Facing the Mountain, Moreetsi Gabang (Botswana) with crime drama Outreach, Tiah Beye (Senegal/Côte d’Ivoire) with comedy-drama Brouteure (The Yahoo Girl) and Wanjiru Kairu (Kenya) with political satire Serikali Saidia!
The AutheticA Series Lab, now in its third year, is a program that supports the professional development of creators of serial content; designed in collaboration and presented in partnership with the StoryBoard Collective with support of Series Mania Forum, the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS).
Creation Africa, an initiative led by France’s Department of Foreign Affairs to foster collaboration between France and Africa, has established a pavilion at the Forum where African delegations will have a dedicated space to host their meetings. The Creation Africa Pavilion, and the AuthenticA Series Lab will host an African Talents & Industry Breakfast on March 19, prior to the afternoon pitching session.
“I’m delighted to welcome Authentica Series Lab participants to Creative Bazaar and Series Mania Forum for the second year running,” said Francesco Capurro, director of Series Mania Forum. “Our collaboration with the Realness has proved invaluable in amplifying African voices on the international stage. This year marks an important milestone as Africa’s representation at the Forum reaches unprecedented levels, with a delegation attending for the first time under the Creation Africa Pavilion. We look forward to facilitating connections between African talent and international professionals at the Forum.”
Director of The StoryBoard Collective, Laure de Peretti de la Rocca commented, “The four scriptwriters have spent the last two months in residency at the StoryBoard House which allowed us to witness the quality of their work and their readiness to captivate the audience of Series Mania with the compelling narratives they have meticulously woven.”
Pictured (L-R): Kelly-Eve Koopman (South Africa), Moreetsi Gabang (Botswana), Tiah Beye (Senegal/ Côte d’Ivoire), Wanjiru Kairu (Kenya)”
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