Four African Screenwriters Selected for the AuthenticA Series Lab taking place in Ethiopia, France and Switzerland

The Realness Institute, in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective and supported by the Canada Media Fund and the Series Mania Forum, has announced the four African participants for the 2026 AuthenticA Series Lab, the fifth edition of the programme which gives screenwriters a unique opportunity to shape their original concepts into episodic storytelling across any genre.

The cohort includes Lagos-based writer, director and cinematographer Lateefah Mayaki; award-winning Ghanaian-Canadian writer and filmmaker Lindsey Addawoo; acclaimed South African writer/director Phumi Morare; and multi-hyphenate Cameroonian-born writer, filmmaker and cultural entrepreneur Sahndra Fon Dufe.

AuthenticA is designed to give participants what they need to take their projects to market: a professionally developed pitch deck and completed pilot script, each built to international industry standards. Writers retain full intellectual property rights over all material they develop through the programme.

The programme opened with an 8-day in-person residency in Ethiopia from 17–25 September 2026, followed by online sessions running until 14 January 2027. A second in-person residency follows in Geneva, Switzerland, from 19 January to 21 March 2027. The final residency takes place in Lille, France, from 22–26 March 2027, where the fellows will pitch their projects as part of the African Series Pitch at Series Mania Forum — Europe’s largest co-production series market and festival, attracting talent scouts, sales agents, broadcasters, investors and distributors.

Throughout the six-month journey, the fellows will be mentored by Mehret Mandefro as Director of Producing and Showrunning and Selina Ukwuoma as Director of Writing Programmes.

“Going into the fifth year of this lab, offering writers the time, mentorship and industry access to turn an original idea into a market-ready series seems even more important in light of what is going on in the world,” says Mehret Mandefro. “We need to write a new world and that begins with supporting fresh voices that have something to say.”

“We continue to build on the work of the last four years showcasing the multiplicity of original African voices. This year’s unprecedented all-female group of storytellers gives us a glimpse into four more fascinating worlds we have not yet encountered on screen. I’m so looking forward to delving into these rich and rewarding stories with them,” says Selina Ukwuoma

“Through AuthenticA, we are proud to support African storytellers whose diverse voices and bold stories strengthen the global conversation and bring truly international content to the fore,” says David Rimer – Founder of The StoryBoard Collective.

Submissions this year came from 144 applications, over 27 countries, covering over 20 genres of television series.

For more information visit the Realness Institute website at: www.realnessinstitute.com