By Desa Philadelphia

In July, the American Film Showcase (AFS) launched a new program called the African Creative TV (ACTV) Initiative, produced in partnership between the U.S. Department of State. A first-of-its-kind program, it welcomed established African television creators for writing workshops to kick off a year-long process of developing eight high-quality projects for both global and local marketplaces. 

ACTV was created to help Africa’s best television creators to access technical skills and mentorship in the United States, that could help take their projects to the next level, and make them popular with global audiences. The program also aims to introduce the continent’s best creators to each other, allowing them to build relationships that could lead to creative collaborations.

This first year of the initiative is focused on professional development in three key African TV marketplaces: Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. During the USC residency, which ran for five weeks at the School of Cinematic Arts campus, participants worked on their scrips with the help of veteran creators of blockbuster television shows, who provided instruction and mentorship on story development, production process, pitch meetings and everything else needed to get a project from idea to a working script. The group was split up into drama and comedy writers and producers. Participating instructors and mentors included: writer/producer Rob Edwards (The Princess and the Frog, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, In Living Color), producer Paul Garnes (Origin, Queen Sugar, Selma), writer and executive producer Joy Kecken (The Wire, Swagger, Joyland), producer Nichelle Protho (Ghost Whisperer, Reckless), showrunner Janine Sherman Barrois (Criminal Minds, ER), writer-producer Dayna Lynne North (The Best Man: The Final Chapters, Insecure, Veronica Mars), writer-producer Michelle D Jackson (Queen Sugar, The Morning Show), writer, producer, and director Devon Shepard (True Story, Good Times), writer-producer Angela Harvey (Teen Wolf, Station 19), producer and writer Felicia D. Henderson (Empire, Everybody Hates Chris), showrunners Al Higgins (Bob Hearts Abishola), Christopher Keyser (Julia, Party of Five, The Society), and Robert Rovner (Supergirl, Crossing Jordan).
 
The collective credits of the participating African television creators include some of the most popular and top grossing African TV series and films, such as Lobola Man, The Battle for Laikipia, Softie, How to Ruin Christmas, Blood & Water, Far From Home, Volume, and The River, most of which are currently streaming on Netflix and South Africa’s MultiChoice.

Steffan Horowitz, Program Director of ACTV at the School of Cinematic Arts says the goal of the program is to expose the world to storytellers from Africa, and their projects that have international commercial appeal. “African creatives have the talent and stories to make TV that can compete on the global stage,” says Horowitz. “The ACTV program will push them to the next level by creating much needed space to develop their projects, and give them experience with American TV production practices.”

The eight (8) projects being developed are:

From Nigeria:

BOY MEETS GIRL – Isioma Osaje & Temidayo Makanjuola
Chaos ensues as young adults – first-year law associate, Dera, and aspiring musician, Ochuko – find their fates intertwined when forced to share the same studio apartment due to a glitch in a property rental app.

SUNRISE – Stephanie Dadet & Fatimah Binta Gimsay
Sunrise follows Zara, a sheltered girl who wants to preserve her family’s ailing farm. However, the brewing tension with a newly-arrived nomadic community threatens to rip apart all she’s ever known. As she confronts her roots and the prejudices of those around her, Zara embarks on a journey of self-discovery, challenging the boundaries of love, heritage, and belonging.

From South Africa:

GOLDEN KINGDOM – Phathu Makwarela & Gydion Beynon
A disgraced prince returns from exile to claim the throne of a prosperous and modern African kingdom, battling devious multi-nationals and treacherous relatives while confronting ancient prophecies and buried secrets to become the visionary leader his nation needs.

LOVE BOMBED – Meren Reddy & Lwazi Mvusi
A heartbroken fugitive plots to dupe the con-man she still loves with the help of his new vengeful heiress fiancé.

THE SCORE – Rethabile Ramaphakela & Nandisa Mlize
When an impulsive failed artist, a faded Instagram influencer and a perpetually pessimistic join skeptic join forces to pull off a high-stakes art heist to escape their desperate circumstances, they unwittingly stumble into a sketchy criminal underworld. 

From Kenya:

DESERTER – Tosh Gitonga & Mona Ombogo
When her sister is abducted by violent extremists, defiant Hawi will do anything to get her back. As part of her quest, she inserts herself into a terrorist training camp where she must pose as one of them in order to trace her sister’s footsteps. What Hawi doesn’t count on is meeting the man she was meant to fall in love with, her trainer, and discovering that the extremists are fighting to be seen.

HIGH ALTITUDE – Toni Kamau & Jennifer Gatero
After having her gold medal stripped from her at the Olympics as a result of a doping scandal, a disgraced marathon runner returns to her hometown in Kenya where she must learn to forgive herself. Will she be able to overcome her past and find redemption in the young athletes she’s tasked with training?

From Nigeria, Kenya, & South Africa:

BANISHERS – Becky Muikia & Chinaka Iwunze
Two estranged sisters are forced to band together against evil as divine exorcists while navigating life, personal demons, and the complexities of sisterhood.