The African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank), through its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme, in partnership with The African International Film Festival (AFRIFF) – one of Africa’s largest and most vibrant film festivals – has announced its ‘Script to Screen’ intervention.
CANEX and AFRIFF made the announcement in a joint statement issued on Thursday, June 13, and emailed to The Herald.
According to the statement, the Script to Screen project is a year-long incubator, capacity development and content creation acceleration programme, focused on African filmmakers/producers and writers who are interested in improving their ability to create and deliver quality screen content.
In the course of the programme, participants will be immersed in a ‘Writers Lab’ anchored by accomplished writers who have attained global recognition in the film industry.
The programme will include development residencies, workshops on financial management, business skills, entertainment law and IP and distribution strategies.
Participants will also get an opportunity to pitch their projects to international studios and streamers during the programme.
“This film industry development initiative reflects one of CANEX’s core pillars aimed at building upstream capacity within the audiovisual value chain, with a view to enhancing the exportability of African film content.
“The Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) have become a powerful transformative force in the world today, being among the most rapidly growing sectors in the global economy, in terms of income generation, job creation and export earnings.
“In this regard, Afreximbank acknowledges the prominent role that some CCI sectors, including the film industry, can play in economic transformation and youth engagement on the continent,” the statement read in part.
The organisers said that the Script to Screen Film Accelerator Programme aims to achieve seven specific objectives, including: Train 30 youth in the development of exportable film content; Facilitate the development of indigenous intellectual property; Provide a platform for the associated intellectual property (IP) to be showcased to streamers (e.g Amazon, Netflix etc); and Enhance the competitiveness of African filmmakers by providing exposure to cutting edge technology and other tools that will enable them grow production quality.
Others are: Foster the development of Africa’s film development through networking and partnerships; Provide up and coming African filmmakers with increased visibility and recognition; and Provide participants with mentoring and related support services.
AFRIFF Founder and Festival Director, Ms. Chioma Ude, in expressing her gratitude to partners stated, “Over the years, CANEX has been a critical development partner and collaborator of AFRIFF and continues to be a major pilar of support. The possibilities that this collaboration enables, continue to build the much-needed structure and capacity in the African creative industry, as well as amplify the collective values shared by AFRIFF and CANEX in promoting greater creative business opportunities on the continent.”
The organisers said that Afreximbank through CANEX, recognises positive developments and notable strides achieved by AFRIFF in its contributions to the growth of the film industry in Africa, as a launch pad for creative talents to connect to opportunities and realise the endless possibilities as their contemporaries around the world.
To find out more about eligibility criteria, how to apply, and the programme details, please go to the CANEX or AFRIFF social media platforms and the AFRIFF website, https://www.afriff.com/. Entries and queries can be sent to [email protected].