Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab

A project development lab for creative producers from East and West Africa

About

The Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab is a 5 day film development program that aims at broadening the professional networks and producing expertise of participants through a series of hands-on workshops and one-on-one sessions with local and international industry mentors. 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.

The first two editions held in 2021 & 2022 were a resounding success hosting producers from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda & Burundi.

The last edition in 2023 saw the inclusion of West African producers created within the framework of the DEENTAL program, launched by the CNC with the financial collaboration of the European Union and the support of the ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) States organization, in collaboration with DOCUBOX (Kenya) & FOPICA (Senegal)

In the same year, the lab also run its first parallel program for documentary producers that was tailored towards producers with projects at the development stage in project partnership with Documentary Africa

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.

Fiction Producers:
Who Can Apply

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:
Who Can Apply

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.

The application deadline for the program is 30th June 2024, submissions must be done directly through the application form

How to Apply

Fiction Producers

Selection:

Application file (in French or English) which is composed of the completed application form, along with the following documents:

An application letter & Video in English (3 minutes maximum) outlining the producer's background, a short presentation of current project (format, stage of development, needs), as well as his/her motivations, objectives, and expectations for participating in the programme.

The synopsis and logline of the film (200 words max)
A narrative treatment (maximum 10 pages)
Project status and history (200 words max)
Look book (if available)
The producer’s note of intent (maximum 1 page and 200 words).
The curriculum vitae (focused on the filmography) of the producer (200 words max).
The presentation of the production company (200 words max).
Budget top sheet and finance plan (in local currency and in euros).
Finance plan
A copy of the passport of the producer to determine proof of citizenship.
A high resolution image of the producer.
A Vimeo or Youtube link from the director’s last film, subtitled in French or English (short and feature films are accepted)
Proof of Chain of Title

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Click Here to Apply

Documentary Producers

Selection:

Application file (in French or English) which should be composed of the completed application form, along with the following documents:

An application letter & Video in English (maximum 3 minutes) outlining the producer's background, a short presentation of current project (format, stage of development, needs), as well as his/her motivations, objectives, and expectations for participating in the programme.

The synopsis and logline of the film.
A narrative treatment (maximum 10 pages).
Project status and history.
Look book (if available).
The producer’s note of intent (maximum 1 page).
The curriculum vitae (focused on the filmography) of the producer.
The presentation of the production company.
Budget top sheet and finance plan (in local currency and in euros).
A copy of the passport of the producer to determine proof of citizenship.
A highresolution image of the producer.
A Vimeo or Youtube link from the director’s last film, subtitled in French or
English (short films and feature films are accepted).
Chain of Title

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Click Here to Apply

Key Dates - 2024 Edition

Application Deadline: 30th June, 2024.

Pre-Lab sessions: Select dates in September & October 2024

Producers Lab Dates: 4th November - 8th November, 2024

Location of the Workshop: Kampala, Uganda

Gallery - 2023 Lab Edition

Gallery - 2022 Lab Edition

Key Milestones - 2023 Lab Edition

Projects selected for further development

DEENTAL@Cannes Participation - 2024

Dylan Habil (Kenya) and Doreen Kilembe (Tanzania) were selected to attend the 4th edition of Deental@Cannes in May 2024 under the support of the CNC

Development Support

Marie Laurentine Bayala (Burkina Faso) and Leul Shoaferaw (Ethiopia) were awarded a 5 month consult support to further develop their projects by Statement Africa which involves consulting sessions on script editing and project presentation

African Lab Showcase Participation - Durban Film Festival 2024

Debra Aroko (Kenya), Dirbdil Assefa (Ethiopia)and Dylan Habil (Kenya)were selected to participate in the Durban Film Market to showcase their projects to industry professionals and decision makers