The Realness Institute in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective, and the Canada Media Fund has announced the four African participants for the 2025 AuthenticA Series Lab for the fourth edition of the programme which gives screenwriters a unique opportunity to shape their original ideas into episodic storytelling across any genre.
The cohort includes award-winning Ghanaian storyteller Gamel Apalayine who works across film, TV, theatre, and music; award-winning Nigerian-British poet, filmmaker, and photographer Joladé Olusanya; acclaimed Kenyan scriptwriter and bestselling author Mona Ombogo; and award-winning Egyptian-Canadian filmmaker and human rights advocate Reem Morsi.
The aim of AuthenticA is to ensure that upon completion of the programme, participants will have professionally developed pitch decks, their pilot scripts, and a series “Bible” to support their proposals for funding and support – in line with international standards. All intellectual property rights in the material developed will remain with the respective writer.
The dynamic programme kicks off with an 8-day in-person residency in the Western Cape, South Africa (Coot Club, based in Stanford) from 3 to 10 September this year, followed by online sessions until mid-December. The second in-person residency takes place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 19 January to 19 March 2026. The final residency will take place in Lille, France, from 20 to 27 March 2026, where they will pitch their projects as part of the African Series Pitch at the Series Mania Forum in Lille, France, Europe’s largest co-production series market and festival that attracts talent scouts, sales agents, broadcasters, investors and distributors.
The AuthenticA Series Lab will be led by Emmy-nominated film/television producer and writer, and Interim Managing Director of the Realness Institute, Mehret Mandefro as Director of Producing and Showrunning; with Selina Ukwuoma, an award-winning freelance script consultant as Director of Writing Programmes.
“Giving African writers the time and space to get closer to their voice remains a critical intervention in a landscape that underinvests in the pre-writing and writing phase of development,” says Mandefro.
“Due to the hundreds of applications for our programmes, the Realness Institute is in a unique position to survey the breadth of stories storytellers from across the African continent have to tell,” says Ukwuoma. “We see a well of untapped potential, that brings vision rooted in the wisdom of the spaces from which they come and our job is to show them how they can take people on the journey with them.”
This pedagogical team is joined by two new members Mmabatho Kau as Story Expert and Thandeka Zwana as Creative Producer, both who have worked in the past as programme experts on other Realness programmes.
With over 20 years’ experience South African producer, broadcaster, development executive, and script consultant Mmabatho Kau, holds advanced degrees in media and has worked on projects ranging from Netflix comedies to political biopics and acclaimed festival films. She passionately supports writers to find “their voice”.
“I am humbled to be invited as a mentor on this prestigious programme that honours African storytelling. Together with the writers, I hope to build on the foundation set by our griot ancestors from the North, East, West and South of Africa,” says Kau.
Thandeka Zwana is a versatile story consultant, script doctor, and curator with experience across leading film organisations and festivals, dedicated to refining scripts, nurturing talent, and amplifying African storytelling globally through her current work with the Indigenous Film Distribution and the Festival de Cine Africano y de la Diáspora Africana.
“I am extremely excited to join the AuthenticA team for the first time this year,” says Zwana. “The 4 writers have truly engaging stories that cover a range as diverse as the countries they represent. This is bound to be a spectacular journey.”
“Through AuthenticA, we are proud to support African storytellers whose diverse voices and bold stories strengthen the global conversation and connect us with international audiences,” says David Rimer – Founder of The StoryBoard Collective.
“The Canada Media Fund is thrilled to return as a partner of the AuthenticA Series Lab for the second year,” says Jessica Lea Fleming, Director of Growth & Inclusion at the Canada Media Fund. “Our collaboration with Realness Institute continues to offer career-changing opportunities for participants while centering the unique stories and perspectives of African and African-diasporic community members.”
“Thanks to the Realness Institute’s expertise and the support of Storyboard Collective, the AuthenticA Series Lab has established itself as one of the most exciting incubators for African series. We are delighted to welcome such a promising group of participants and look forward to showcasing their talent at the pitch session during Series Mania Forum in Lille next March,” says Francesco Capurro, Series Mania Forum Director.
Submissions this year came from 168 applications, over 24 countries, covering over 30 genres of television series.
For more information visit the Realness Institute website at www.realness.institute/authentica-series-lab
WRITER BIOGRAPHIES:
Gamel Apalayine (Ghana)
Gamel Apalayine is a Ghanaian storyteller working fluidly between film, television, theatre, music and new media. His short film THE MOB screened at the prestigious FESPACO (2019) and Zanzibar International Film Festival (2018), among others, eventually earning the Artistic Bravery Award at the 2018 DGLFF.
In television, Gamel served as Head Writer for two seasons and 560 episodes of the hit Ghanaian TV series DEDE for MultiChoice Ghana and Showmax. He was also Head Writer for two seasons of the hit show ENO, Ghana’s first Showmax Original Drama Series, and contributed as a writer to an upcoming CANAL+ Original Drama Series, yet to be announced. In theatre, Gamel co-wrote and adapted HONEYMOON HOTEL (2025), a romantic comedy that premiered to critical acclaim at the National Theatre of Ghana. He directed Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize–winning drama RUINED at the ETS Drama Studio. In performance, he has starred in several leading roles including the titular part in Federico García Lorca’s Yerma, Ayi Kwei Armah’s Osiris Rising, and I Told You So, a theatrical adaptation of the beloved 1970 Ghanaian comedy film.
Through his newly formed creative company, Whistling Rocks, Gamel is developing a dynamic slate of projects across film, television, music, and theatre, that reflect his commitment to telling bold, diverse African stories with honesty, humour and heart, and in 2026, he will carry that mission to the esteemed Columbia University’s School of the Arts in New York City to begin his Film MFA in Creative Producing.
Joladé Olusanya (Nigeria / UK)
Joladé Olusanya is an award-winning Nigerian-British poet, filmmaker and photographer whose work spans page, screen and community practice. Raised between Lagos and London, he tells intimate stories of identity, masculinity, faith and belonging, often blending lyrical writing with cinematic visuals. His debut poetry pamphlet, Jabez Incarnate (Out-Spoken Press, 2025), traces memory across cities and generations; a debut photography book is forthcoming from US indie publisher OtherOther.
As a poet, Joladé has been commissioned by the BBC and the Barbican, performed at Africa Writes, Royal Festival Hall and BET, and published by Poetry London and in multiple anthologies. He won the 2017 Out-Spoken London Performance Poetry Prize and the 2017 Out-Spoken Prize for Poetry, and placed third in the 2021 Poetry London Prize.
As a director and photographer, he has created work for FIFA, CHANEL, Canon, Sony/Columbia Records, BBC and Bentley Motors. His work has been highlighted by the Financial Times, The Guardian, British Cinematographer, The Hollywood Reporter, VSCO, Pitch and It’s Nice That, and exhibited with Canon Vision, Kodak at The Photography Show, SXWKS and FABA. In 2024, his poetic documentary mandem was commissioned and produced by Warner Bros. Discovery and has screened at film festivals across the UK.
A BAFTA Connect member, Joladé was invited to Buckingham Palace in 2013 and 2024 in recognition of his contributions to poetry and to British film and television. He mentors emerging creatives and serves on charity boards. Through his production company, By The Kin, he is developing a slate of short films and an original TV series while building community-led projects across Europe, the US and West Africa.
Mona Ombogo (Kenya)
Mona Ombogo is a globally recognized, award-winning Kenyan scriptwriter and best-selling author dedicated to shaping the future of African storytelling. Her international upbringing—born in Kenya, raised in Swaziland, and educated in the UK and US—has given her a unique lens on the world, which she uses to craft stories that are both culturally specific and universally resonant.
Mona’s exceptional talent has been honored with prestigious accolades, including the 2024 Women in Film Award for Best Script Writer and the Best Writing in a Series award at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) for the hit Netflix series ‘Volume’, which she head-wrote. Her work is consistently sought after by major industry players, having served as head writer for the popular M-Net series ‘Salem’ and ‘Shanga’, and as a writer for Showmax’s ‘Single Kiasi’.
Her passion for developing new talent is evident in her work as a development executive and trainer for industry giants like Netflix and the Multichoice Talent Factory. This commitment to mentorship is complemented by her own continuous growth, having been selected for distinguished programs like the Red Sea Series Lab, where her project ‘Generation ‘A’ won a grant, and a five-week summer residency at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts with ‘Deserter’.
As a director, her feature film ‘Unseen, Unsung, Unforgotten’ was nominated for eight Kalasha Awards, winning two. With a deep understanding of both local nuance and global storytelling craft, Mona is uniquely positioned to bring stories like Deserter to an international audience.
Reem Morsi (Egypt / Canada)
Reem is a filmmaker with a background as a professional Scuba Diver and a Human Rights advocate at International Organizations. Morsi’s short films have garnered many awards and screened at many festivals including TIFF, 2012. Her multi-genres feature film as a writer/director/producer, Banned, a Telefilm Talent to Watch film, was short listed for Sundance Film Festival & is currently starting its festival tour. She directed the feature, Queen Tut & episodes of Virgins! including the season finale, and is currently in development on her TV series “Zahra’s Faces” & “Sweet & Sore” (optioned). Reem participated at Berlinale Script Station, Realness Institute, Cannes Atelier de Cinema Du Monde, TIFF Talents, Torino Feature Comedy Lab, Women in the Director’s Chair, Canadian Film Center & Warner Bros Director’s Program.
Morsi’s film credits also include THEIR FEAST (2012 TIFF, BBC, Cine Sud), NOSTALGIA (2015 – WIFTV), THE DOOR (Whistler, 2016 & Best Drama at 2017 Yorkton Film Festival, Audience Choice Award & Best Screenplay at WIFT Showcase 2018), SHOW & TELL (2016-WIFT/BravoFact pitch competition) & won Golden Sheaf Awards for Best Director, Best Short Subject & Best Emerging Director (Yorkton Film Festival, 2017). Reem also won the Canadian National Genre Competition by WIFTV for her series sci/fi genre concept, FISH (currently in development). She’s also in development on two other scripted series.
