Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab

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

About

The Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab was founded by Aftales Film Hub (Kenya) and Kiasi Productions (Uganda) to address a critical gap in the East African film ecosystem — the need for structured, high-level producer training that bridges creativity and industry practice.

Conceived as a timely and essential capacity-building initiative, the Lab strengthens the professional foundations of the African film sector by empowering producers to develop, finance, and deliver projects that meet international standards while retaining strong local voices. Through a week-long, hands-on project accelerator, participants engage in workshops, one-on-one mentorship sessions, and peer learning designed to refine their creative instincts, leadership, and problem-solving skills at every stage of production.

Since its inception in 2021, the Lab has established itself as a vital space for professional growth and collaboration. In 2023, it expanded to include West African producers through the welcoming both fiction and documentary producers from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, DRC Congo, Cape Verde, Egypt, and Ethiopia. This year also introduces a new career track for producers not presenting projects in development — underscoring the Lab’s commitment to long-term career growth and industry leadership.

Rooted in collaboration, innovation, and a shared passion for African storytelling, the Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab continues to build on the foundation of a growing film ecosystem — one that celebrates the interconnectedness of the countries and regions across the continent and champions the producers shaping its cinematic future.

Vision

A self sustaining and vibrant ecosystem of producers within the African continent

Mission

To increase the number of creative producers within the African continent, equip producers with the required resources and tools, to strengthen their skills in the film development stage to create greater opportunities 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:

A cover letter expressing interest in the programme (maximum 250 words)
A video in English, at most 3 minutes, presenting the producer's background, current project details (format, development stage, and requirements), motivations, objectives, and expectations for participation 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:

A cover letter expressing interest in the programme (maximum 250 words)
A video in English, at most 3 minutes, presenting the producer's background, current project details (format, development stage, and requirements), motivations, objectives, and expectations for participation 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

Open call for a fiction or documentary producer from West Africa

Through the support of the CNC, we will be admitting one producer from West Africa for this year's edition of the lab for either documentary or fiction lab. See the list of eligible countries below:

Bénin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cap-Vert, Cameroun, Congo Brazzaville, Congo RDC, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinée, Iles Comores et Ile Maurice, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritanie, Niger, République Centrafricaine, Rwanda, Sénégal, Les Seychelles, Tchad, Togo ainsi que d’Haïti.