Sixteen African film practitioners have been selected to participate in a brand-new film development initiative called the African Creative TV (ACTV) Residency.
The ACTV initiative brings film TV professionals from across the African continent to Los Angeles for a four-week summer residency at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, where American television writers, producers and industry experts will mentor them.
The producers selected for the Residency are Kenya’s Becky Muikia, Tosh Gitonga and Toni Kamau; Nigeria’s Isioma Osaje and Stephanie Dadet, and South Africa’s Phathu Makwarela, Meren Reddy and Rethabile Ramaphakela.
The head writers that made it into this year’s cohort are Nigeria’s Chinaka Iwunze, Temidayo Makanjuola and Fatimah Binta Gimsay; Kenya’s Jennifer Gatero and Mona Ombogo, and South Africa’s Gwydion Beynon, Lwazi Mvuzi and Nandisa Mkize.
They will be tutored by a team of instructors, including Rob Edwards, Angela Harvey, Joy Kecken, Michael Klick, Nichelle Protho, Desta Tedros Reff, and Nina Lederman.
ACTV is a collaborative effort between the U.S. State Department, the USC School of Cinematic Arts and the American Film Showcase. It is focused on engaging African TV producers and writers who produce high-quality content for a global market. It aims to connect African creatives with the U.S. entertainment industry, support African creative economies, build a regional network of African TV creatives, and elevate the creative producer role in African TV production. ACTV focuses on professional development and networking opportunities for television writers, producers, and other technical fields such as art direction, cinematography, editing, and line producing.
This year’s residency runs from 8 July to 8 August, 2024.