The Realness Institute in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective, and the Canada Media Fund has announced the four African participants for the 2025 AuthenticA Series Lab for the fourth edition of the programme which gives screenwriters a unique opportunity to shape their original ideas into episodic storytelling across any genre.
The cohort includes award-winning Ghanaian storyteller Gamel Apalayine who works across film, TV, theatre, and music; award-winning Nigerian-British poet, filmmaker, and photographer Joladé Olusanya; acclaimed Kenyan scriptwriter and bestselling author Mona Ombogo; and award-winning Egyptian-Canadian filmmaker and human rights advocate Reem Morsi.
The aim of AuthenticA is to ensure that upon completion of the programme, participants will have professionally developed pitch decks, their pilot scripts, and a series “Bible” to support their proposals for funding and support – in line with international standards. All intellectual property rights in the material developed will remain with the respective writer.
The dynamic programme kicks off with an 8-day in-person residency in the Western Cape, South Africa (Coot Club, based in Stanford) from 3 to 10 September this year, followed by online sessions until mid-December. The second in-person residency takes place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 19 January to 19 March 2026. The final residency will take place in Lille, France, from 20 to 27 March 2026, where they will pitch their projects as part of the African Series Pitch at the Series Mania Forum in Lille, France, Europe’s largest co-production series market and festival that attracts talent scouts, sales agents, broadcasters, investors and distributors.
The AuthenticA Series Lab will be led by Emmy-nominated film/television producer and writer, and Interim Managing Director of the Realness Institute, Mehret Mandefro as Director of Producing and Showrunning; with Selina Ukwuoma, an award-winning freelance script consultant as Director of Writing Programmes.
“Giving African writers the time and space to get closer to their voice remains a critical intervention in a landscape that underinvests in the pre-writing and writing phase of development,” says Mandefro.
“Due to the hundreds of applications for our programmes, the Realness Institute is in a unique position to survey the breadth of stories storytellers from across the African continent have to tell,” says Ukwuoma. “We see a well of untapped potential, that brings vision rooted in the wisdom of the spaces from which they come and our job is to show them how they can take people on the journey with them.”
This pedagogical team is joined by two new members Mmabatho Kau as Story Expert and Thandeka Zwana as Creative Producer, both who have worked in the past as programme experts on other Realness programmes.
With over 20 years’ experience South African producer, broadcaster, development executive, and script consultant Mmabatho Kau, holds advanced degrees in media and has worked on projects ranging from Netflix comedies to political biopics and acclaimed festival films. She passionately supports writers to find “their voice”.
“I am humbled to be invited as a mentor on this prestigious programme that honours African storytelling. Together with the writers, I hope to build on the foundation set by our griot ancestors from the North, East, West and South of Africa,” says Kau.
Thandeka Zwana is a versatile story consultant, script doctor, and curator with experience across leading film organisations and festivals, dedicated to refining scripts, nurturing talent, and amplifying African storytelling globally through her current work with the Indigenous Film Distribution and the Festival de Cine Africano y de la Diáspora Africana.
“I am extremely excited to join the AuthenticA team for the first time this year,” says Zwana. “The 4 writers have truly engaging stories that cover a range as diverse as the countries they represent. This is bound to be a spectacular journey.”
“Through AuthenticA, we are proud to support African storytellers whose diverse voices and bold stories strengthen the global conversation and connect us with international audiences,” says David Rimer – Founder of The StoryBoard Collective.
“The Canada Media Fund is thrilled to return as a partner of the AuthenticA Series Lab for the second year,” says Jessica Lea Fleming, Director of Growth & Inclusion at the Canada Media Fund. “Our collaboration with Realness Institute continues to offer career-changing opportunities for participants while centering the unique stories and perspectives of African and African-diasporic community members.”
“Thanks to the Realness Institute’s expertise and the support of Storyboard Collective, the AuthenticA Series Lab has established itself as one of the most exciting incubators for African series. We are delighted to welcome such a promising group of participants and look forward to showcasing their talent at the pitch session during Series Mania Forum in Lille next March,” says Francesco Capurro, Series Mania Forum Director.
Submissions this year came from 168 applications, over 24 countries, covering over 30 genres of television series.
For more information visit the Realness Institute website at https://www.realness.institute/authentica-series-lab