African screenwriters can now apply for the 4th edition of the AuthenticA Series Lab, a six-month screen development programme. It is designed to elevate episodic storytelling from the continent to the global stage.
Kenya’s Tony Koros is a Kenyan filmmaker based in Los Angeles, and Angela Wamai, who studied film in Havana, Cuba, and works as a film editor in Nairobi, have been selected as participants in previous editions of the AuthenticA Series Lab.
It is an initiative by Realness Institute in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective. Additionally, The Canada Media Fund returns as a funder for the second year, supporting the inclusion of one Canadian screenwriter from the African diaspora.
It will run from 3 September 2025 to 27 March 2026. It offers a hybrid professional development experience for African screenwriters from all genres of scripted episodic storytelling.
The AuthenticA Series Lab combines online discussions, seminars, and one-on-ones, with in-person residencies at three international locations. The lab includes a 10-day residency in Cape Town, South Africa, a 2-month residency in Geneva, Switzerland, culminating in a week-long industry immersion at Series Mania in Lille, France.
“This Lab is more than a script development programme – it’s an opportunity for writers to unearth what they are unable to say in a supported environment and get closer to their voices,” says Mehret Mandefro, Interim Managing Director of Realness Institute.
Director of Writing Programmes at Realness Institute and Lab co-designer Selina Ukwuoma joins Mandefro, who is the producing and showrunning mentor, in guiding the cohort. “We’re looking for storytellers who aren’t afraid to say something urgent and real,” says Ukwuoma. “The Lab provides space, mentorship, and a direct bridge to industry—to support each story to reach its full artistic and marketable potential.”
The 2024 cohort pitched their projects at the Series Mania Forum in France in March this year, drawing an audience of over 100 broadcasters, producers, and decision-makers. Since then, many have advanced into further development—proof of the programme’s impact.
2024/25 alumnus, Tony Koros (Kenya) who presented his project Money Town at Series Mania, which has been selected for further development at The Red Sea Serieslab has this to say about AuthenticA: “It was more than a workshop. It was a creative reawakening. The programme pushed me to write with more honesty and less fear. It challenged me to reconnect with why I write in the first place and gave me good friends and great wine to hold my hand through it. It produced some of my best work.”
The Lab is open to African screenwriters working in all genres of scripted episodic or series storytelling, including drama, comedy, thriller, sci-fi, amongst others. Writers retain full rights to their projects. Four participants will be selected from the submissions, three from Africa and one from Canada.
Applications are currently open and will close on Friday 11 July 2025. To apply go here realness.institute/authentica-series-lab.