Tony Koros, Aden Abebe, Talemwa Pius, Mlilo Mpondo

Source: AuthenticA Series Lab

Tony Koros, Aden Abebe, Talemwa Pius, Mlilo Mpondo

Four screenwriters from Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa will participate in the third edition of the AuthenticA Series Lab, a development programme from South Africa-based Realness Institute that and supports writers to advance their series ideas into pilot scripts. 

It is designed by Elias Ribeiro, executive director of Realness, in collaboration with script consultant Selina Ukwuoma. Ukwuoma will spearhead the creative mentorship of the programme, along with creative producer Mehret Mandefro.

The Canada Media Fund has partnered with the programme to sponsor the Canadian-Ethiopian writer Aden Abebe, a multi-disciplinary artist, photographer and filmmaker, whose work focuses on the intersection of art and social justice. Her project is a comedy titled 333.

She is joined by Los Angeles-based Kenyan filmmaker Tony Koros who will attend with a comedy drama called Money Town. Koros’ previous credits include a short film called Tithes & Offerings that was selected for the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in 2019. 

Also taking part is Ugandan screenwriter and filmmaker Talemwa Pius, whose short film work includes Engaito. Pius’ project is a western titled Mad Bounty And The Midnight Gun.

The fourth participant is Mlilo Mpondo, a South African author and journalist, who is developing a comedy drama called Women From the 13th Floor. 

AuthenticA Series Lab is run in partnership with Series Mania and Swiss philanthropic organisation the StoryBoard Collective. Over 160 applications were submitted for the 2024-5 edition.

“Providing a safe space for African screenwriters to find their voice and write the stories that only they can tell is a critical infrastructure investment in the global media ecosystem,” said Mandefro.

The programme runs across six months, beginning with an in-person residency in South Africa across September. Following this, the writers will participate in online sessions and then an additional in-person residency in Switzerland in January next year, culminating in a pitch session at Series Mania Forum in France on March 25, 2025.

“As the leading event in Europe for TV series professionals, Series Mania Forum serves as an ideal platform to amplify African talents and their unique voices, offering them visibility on an international stage while fostering diversity in the global television landscape,” said Laurence Herszberg, Series Mania general director.

 

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