African Screenwriters Set for International Spotlight at Series Mania Forum in France
Four talented African screenwriters are preparing to showcase their original television series projects to a global audience of industry leaders at the prestigious Series Mania Forum in Lille, France, later this month. This opportunity follows their successful completion of an intensive six-month development programme through the Realness Institute's AuthenticA Series Lab.
AuthenticA Series Lab: Nurturing African Television Talent
The AuthenticA Series Lab represents a significant episodic screenwriting initiative operated in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective. This programme receives crucial support from the Canada Media Fund alongside industry collaborators including the Series Mania Forum itself, which serves as a major international platform dedicated to the development, financing, and distribution of scripted television content.
Now entering its fourth edition, the AuthenticA Series Lab provides comprehensive support and mentorship to African writers, empowering them to develop television series with global competitive appeal. The programme specifically prepares participants to effectively pitch their projects and establish valuable connections with international partners, financiers, and producers.
The Four Writers and Their Projects
The selected writers hail from Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria, and they will present their creative visions during the AuthenticA African Series Pitch event at the upcoming forum. The participating writers and their projects include:
- Reem Morsi (Egypt/Canada): An award-winning writer, director, and multi-genre filmmaker with backgrounds in professional scuba diving and human rights advocacy. She will pitch Humanitarians!, a dark comedy series.
- Gamel Apalayine (Ghana): A versatile storyteller working across film, television, theatre, and music. He will present his mystery drama titled The Gospel According to Charlotte Nelson.
- Mona Ombogo (Kenya): An award-winning scriptwriter and best-selling author who received the 2024 Best Writing in a Series award at the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards for Netflix's Volume. She will pitch a romantic thriller series called Kanaan.
- Joladé Olusanya (Nigeria/UK): A poet, filmmaker, and photographer known for intimate stories that blend lyrical writing with cinematic visuals. He will present KID: The Hogan Bassey Story, a sports epic project.
Industry Perspectives on African Storytelling
Francesco Capurro, Director of the Series Mania Forum, expressed enthusiasm about showcasing these African talents: "At Series Mania Forum, we are excited to showcase these four extraordinary talents from Africa on a global stage, where their rich and diverse stories can captivate the international industry."
Selina Ukwuoma, script consultant and director of writing programmes at the Realness Institute, highlighted the programme's impact: "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. They find a way to tell these groundbreaking stories and in so doing they redefine the narrative about Africa."
Additional International Film Festival Updates
In related entertainment industry news, preparations are underway for the 77th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), scheduled for February 10–21, 2027. The festival will commence one day earlier than previous years, with the Official Awards Ceremony set for February 19, 2027. This adjusted schedule introduces the inaugural Audience Days ("Berlinale Publikumstage") on February 20 and 21, 2027.
Festival Director Tricia Tuttle commented on the changes: "Berlinale's not-so-secret weapon is our wonderful audience; this change allows us to better serve them, while also responding to increasing demand from attendees at our highly successful European Film Market."
The recently concluded 76th Berlinale achieved record audience admissions with 343,200 tickets sold and attracted approximately 19,500 industry professionals from 135 countries, demonstrating the festival's growing global significance.
Meanwhile, the Festival de Cannes has welcomed six new filmmakers to its prestigious residency programme in Paris for the 51st session. The residency supports young directors in developing screenplays for their first or second feature films through a four-and-a-half-month programme. This initiative has historically revealed numerous acclaimed filmmakers who now regularly appear at major international festivals worldwide.
