REALNESS AFRICAN SCREENWRITERS RESIDENCY
Founded in 2015, the Realness African Screenwriters Residency is the flagship and founding programme of the Realness Institute — a residential development incubator for African feature film scripts, held at a creative sanctuary in Stamford, South Africa (Western Cape). Six screenwriters are selected per cycle. The programme consists of six weeks of intensive on-site training with mentors, followed by a further six weeks of home-based development with continued mentor contact. Since its founding it has received over 650 submissions from 23 African countries and has worked with over 30 film projects. Two films produced from alumni projects have both secured international sales agents and screened at major international festivals worldwide: A Fool God by Hiwot Adamasu (Ethiopia), and This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese (Lesotho) — which won 32 international awards. What makes this residency distinctive is its deliberate use of African script consultants and African producers as mentors, creating a development environment rooted in African creative perspective rather than a European one. It also functions as a year-round alumni support system.
[Enriched 2026-04-21] Year-round incubator for African screenwriters — script refinement, industry pitch matching, financing connections. Alumni include Cannes/Sundance filmmakers. Programme network: IFFR, Locarno Filmmakers Academy, Institut Français, CNC, IEFTA, Atlas Ateliers, Nirox Foundation. 2026 cycle dates not surfaced — verify on site.
Deadline
GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFRICAN FILM & SERIES MAKERS | 2025/2026 EDITION | Updated March 2026 Compiled March 2026 directed by Cati Weinek with Fab Claude.. Always verify deadlines and eligibility on official programme websites before applying. Annual programme. Call for applications typically opens mid-year (historically July–August) for a September–October residency cycle. Watch realness.institute/realness-residency for the 2026 call.
Cost
FREE to apply and participate. Residential support is provided for selected writers during the six-week on-site residency.
Format
Feature films only (fiction and arthouse). Script-stage development. Not for series — see 29b for the dedicated episodic programme.
Eligibility
African writers and filmmakers from any of Africa’s 54 countries. The programme looks for filmmakers with distinct voices and perspectives who are devoted to their craft and have a passionate commitment to cinema. A feature film script or strong treatment at an advanced stage of development must be submitted with the application. Participants must be able to travel to and remain in residence at Stamford, Western Cape for the full six-week period. Track Record and Evidence of Impact Since 2015: 650+ submissions from 23 countries; 30+ projects mentored; 2 produced films with international sales agents. Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection (Lesotho) won 32 international awards, screened at Berlinale, Tribeca, TIFF, and across the international festival circuit. Hiwot Adamasu’s A Fool God (Ethiopia) is also produced and internationally distributed. Alumni have been selected to the Locarno Filmmakers Academy, IFFR Rotterdam Lab, TorinoFilmLab, EAVE, and La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde. In 2025, Realness appointed a new board of directors and alumni advisory council — chaired by Senegalese filmmaker Moussa Sene Absa and including Nigerian talent manager Enyinnaya Omeruah and South African filmmaker Dillion Phiri — signalling institutional maturity and long-term sustainability.
What You Get
Six weeks of intensive residential training at Stamford, Western Cape, mentored by Story Consultants Selina Ukwuoma and Mmabatho Kau and Creative Producer Cait Pansegrouw. A further six weeks of structured home-based development with continued mentor contact. Final script deliveries are submitted to international partners for awards consideration. All participants are eligible for scholarships to attend further international labs: the Locarno Filmmakers Academy, TorinoFilmLab Meeting Event, EAVE Producers’ Workshop, La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde (Cannes), and IFFR Pro’s Rotterdam Lab. Year-round alumni support. Pitching to industry partners for potential financing and production.
Watch realness.institute from mid-2026 for the Screenwriters Residency call to open. Applications historically close July–August.
Applications are closed
This opportunity is no longer accepting applications. Browse open opportunities
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