Africa's next big storytellers: 4 screenwriters selected for AuthenticA Series Lab

Four African screenwriters, (r to l:) Tony Koros, Aden Abebe, Milo Mpondo, and Talemwa Pius have been selected for the 2024/25 AuthenticA Series Lab (Image supplied)

Presented by the South African-based Realness Institute in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective, (Switzerland) and with support of the Series Mania Forum (France) and the Canada Media Fund, the Authentic A Series Lab will support these four writers to advance their series ideas into pilot scripts and create “pitch Bibles” to take these confidently to highly competitive international content markets.

The Lab takes place over six months and began on 8 September with an in-person residency at the Coot Club in Stanford (Western Cape) ending on 17 September.

Following this, the writers will participate in online sessions and then an additional in-person residency in Switzerland (Geneva) from 20 January next year culminating in a pitch session at Series Mania Forum in Lille (France) on 25 March 2025 which sees more than 4,200 TV professionals from more than 70 countries and five continents coming together for networking, discovery, and insights.

The AuthenticA Series Lab is designed by programme director Elias Ribeiro, in collaboration with Story Expert Selina Ukwuoma. Ukwuoma and creative producer Mehret Mandefro will spearhead the creative mentorship of the programme.

“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,” says Mandefro.

Experienced film professionals from the industry will engage with the cohort as guest speakers, providing diverse perspectives and sharing their professional experiences.

The four screenwriters

This year, the Canada Media Fund has partnered with the programme to sponsor the Canadian/Ethiopian writer Aden Abebe.

“We are proud to celebrate the selection of multi-disciplinary artist Aden Abebe for this year’s cohort of the AuthenticA Series Lab," says Jessica Lea Fleming, director of growth & inclusion at the CMF.

“The CMF is committed to enhancing access to professional development opportunities for content creators like Aden and playing a role in bringing their stories to life.”

• Aden Abebe (Canada/Ethiopia

  A multi-disciplinary artist, community leader and mentor whose passions lie at the intersection of art and social justice as well as a trained photographer, turned writer-director - producer - executive producer, Abebe’s work has been presented in art exhibitions, film screenings and streaming television. Abebe’s series project is a comedy titled 333.

• Talemwa Pius (Uganda)

  A screenwriter, film director, film editor, film producer, and production designer who has written and directed multiple short films including the award-winning Engaito Pius’s project is a western titled Mad Bounty and The Midnight Gun.

• Tony Koros (Kenya)

  A Los Angeles-based Kenyan filmmaker, and recipient of many prestigious fellowships and grants. His latest short film, Tithes & Offerings premiered in competition at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2019 and was distributed by CANAL+. The title of Koros’ series project, a dramedy, is Money Town.

• Mlilo Mpondo (South Africa)

  A writer who has been published extensively by national and international platforms (Daily Maverick; ELLE Magazine; Marie Claire; UK Guardian). Her debut novel is titled Things My Mother Left Me(Black Bird Books). She is the recipient of the UJ Debut Fiction Prize 2023 and has been longlisted for the 2023 Sunday Times Literary Award. Women from the 13th Floor is the title of Mpondo’s series project in the dramedy genre.

Platform to amplify African talents

Laure de Peretti de la Rocca, director of The StoryBoard Collective, the Swiss philanthropic organisation dedicated to supporting the development and impact outreach of authentic and transformative stories says, “TV series have the capacity to transcend geographies and cultures, creating connections that bridge diverse audiences. This year marks the third edition of AuthenticA, and we look forward to exploring the authentic stories of these four talented writers.”

Series Mania is proud to once again partner with Realness Institute and The StoryBoard Collective for the third consecutive year on the AuthenticA Series Lab,” says Laurence Herszberg, Series Mania general director.

“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.”

Submissions this year came from 27 countries, covering 23 genres of television series.