CFAs: Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab

The residential program is designed to hone emerging producers’ creative instincts and evolve their communication and problem-solving skills at all stages of their next feature film project.​

In 2024, the lab will feature both fiction and documentary projects from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania & Ethiopia.

Vision

• The Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab aim at bringing together producers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda & Ethiopia. This program is meant to address some of the challenges that exist in our eco-system where the role of the creative producer is not well understood.

Mission

• The Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab aim to increase the number of creative producers in East Africa, equip producers with the required resources and tools, strengthen their skills in the film development stage and enhance the quality of their projects in order to create greater opportunities, visibility and access to the global markets.

Who can apply?

• Fiction Producers:
  • The Great Lakes Creative Producer Lab is open to any producer formally attached to a full-length, fiction feature film currently in its development stage. Applicants must control the rights to the project with which they apply.
  • Projects do not need financing in place at the time of application. However, each application must demonstrate serious attention to the film’s budget and articulate the reasoning behind the budget level. Documentary, short film, new media and episodic projects are not eligible to apply.
  • The call is open to producers from one of the following countries; Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Ethiopia.
  • Only one project per applicant is accepted for submission and can be in English or French.
  • The application deadline for the program is 30th June 2024, submissions must be done directly through the application form
• Documentary Producers:
  • The Great Lakes Creative Producer Lab is open to any producer formally attached to a documentary film currently in its development stage. Applicants must own the IP rights to the project with which they apply and must have a director attached to the project.
  • The call is open to producers from one of the following countries; Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Ethiopia. One producer per country will be selected for the Documentary Lab.
  • Only one project per applicant is accepted for submission and can be in English or French.

Eligibility Criteria

• Fiction Producers:
  • Producers are eligible for the program if they:
    • Have accumulated three years of professional experience within the film industry
    • Are nationals of a country from the following: Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Ethiopia
    • Are able to communicate in English in a professional context
    • Have produced at least 2 short films or 1 feature film
    • Have a feature project in hand and the legal right (by way of ownership or option or attachment agreement) to produce the script
  • The ideal applicant should demonstrate the following attributes:
    • Entrepreneurial spirit
    • Self motivated
    • Collaborative and willing to contribute to their peers
  • To be eligible, the producer cannot be the author and/or director of the submitted project.
• Documentary Producers:
  • Producers must have produced at least one documentary short film.
  • Producers must apply with a project and should be lead producers on the project.
  • The producer’s project should be in development and should have a rough cut.
  • Producers should own the IP to work on the documentary project.
  • The Producers should not be the writer/director on the project.
  • Producer is able to exchange in English in a professional context.

For more information, visit Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab.