Four African screenwriters; Talemwa Pius from Uganda, Aden Abebe from Ethiopia, Tony Koros from Kenya and, Mlilo Mpondo from South Africa, have been selected for the 2024/25 AuthenticA Series Lab.
Tony Koros is a Kenyan filmmaker based in Los Angeles, and recipient of many prestigious fellowships and grants. His latest short film, Tithes & Offerings premiered in competition at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2019 and was distributed by CANAL+. The title of Koros’ series project, a dramedy, is Money Town. In 2021, Koros made the list as a fellow for the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab. He describes himself as a storyteller, whose works reflect a Kenya he knows, a Kenya whose stories need to be told.
Aden Abebe is a multi-disciplinary artist, community leader, and mentor whose passions lie at the intersection of art and social justice. A trained photographer, turned writer, director, producer, and executive producer, Aden’s work has been presented in art exhibitions, film screenings, and streaming television. Abebe’s series project is a comedy titled 333.
Talemwa Pius from Uganda is 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.
Mlilo Mpondo from South Africa is a writer who has been published extensively by national and international platforms including Daily Maverick, ELLE Magazine, MarieClaire, and the 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.
The AuthenticA Series Lab is presented by Realness Institute in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective and with the support of the Series Mania Forum and the Canada Media Fund. This year, over 160 submissions were received from 27 countries, covering 23 genres of television series.
The AuthenticA Series Lab will support the four selected writers to advance their series ideas into pilot scripts, and pitch them to other competitive international content markets. The Series Lab designed by Program Director Elias Ribeiro in collaboration with Story Expert Selina Ukwuoma, will take place over 6 months, beginning with a physical residency at the Coot Club in Stanford, Western Cape, from 8th to 17th September 2024.
Following this, the writers will participate in online sessions and then an additional in-person residency in Switzerland from 20th January next year. The online sessions will then culminate in a pitch session at Series Mania Forum in Lille, France, on 25th March 2025. The event will see more than 4,200 TV professionals from more than 70 countries and 5 continents converging for networking, discovery, and insights.
Commenting on the four finalists, Laure de Peretti de la Rocca, Director of The StoryBoard Collective said, “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.”