Mayibuye Doc Lab, a project of the recently established KwaZulu-Natal-based Ehozini Retreat, supported by the National Film and Video Foundation’s Presidential Economic Stimulus Programme, has announced its call for submissions for its inaugural programme for entry and intermediate documentary filmmakers taking place during June and July 2025.
This project-based documentary development initiative aims to contribute to nurturing and elevating creative documentary filmmaking in South Africa through comprehensive mentorship, workshops, and networking opportunities.
“The Mayibuye Doc Lab is a hands-on programme to support South African creative documentaries in development”, says Tiny Mungwe, well-known documentary filmmaker, administrator and impact producer, who is Programme Director at the newly established retreat. “We are not only going to provide productive mentorship, workshops and professional development for filmmakers, but Ehozini also offers a safe and nurturing space for filmmakers to be able to focus on their creative process in one of the most beautiful rural settings in KZN.”
The Lab will select eight projects, providing workshops for attached directors, producers and impact producers. The workshops will include extensive training in story development, production financing, co-production strategies, impact producing, distribution, and pitching techniques. Participants will benefit from one-on-one mentorship with industry experts and valuable networking opportunities with both local and international film professionals.
“This programme’s primary objective is to strengthen South Africa’s creative documentary landscape by offering in-depth development support, enhancing the skills of directors and producers” explains Mitchell Harper, Project Manager at Ehozini.’We aim to create employment opportunities within the local film industry, and to connect local filmmakers with global networks and resources that we have access to through the extensive work we have done in the industry.”
Mayibuye Doc Lab workshops will take place from June to July 2025, combining online sessions with physical residencies at Ehozini Retreat The programme is structured around four key components:
Story Development and Visual Approach Workshop: Focused on narrative structure, dramaturgy, and visual storytelling techniques for directors.
Production, Financing, and Co-production Workshop: Equipping producers with strategies for production planning, funding acquisition, and international collaboration.
Impact and Distribution Workshop: Exploring pathways to maximize a documentary’s social impact and reach through strategic distribution.
Pitching-readiness Workshop: Developing participants’ abilities to effectively present their projects to potential partners, funders, and platforms.
The programme will also facilitate participation in international film markets and documentary platforms for selected projects, creating pathways to global financing and co-production opportunities.
The residency is open to documentary filmmakers from across South Africa, with projects in the development stage, and who can commit to attending all workshops and residency programmes.
Submissions are now open and close on May 13, 2025 at midnight, and can be made on the following link: https://form.jotform.com/ehoziniretreat/mayibuye-doc-lab-application
For application details and submission requirements, visit www.ehozini.org.za or contact [email protected] .