By Abdi Ali
Published September 8, 2016
African producers of multimedia content stand a chance to win €3000 cash prizes, mentorship and project development support from leading French companies when they pitch their projects in South Africa in November 2016.
Project ideas to be sold in a pitch competition at DISCOP Africa in the South African commercial capital, Johannesburg, shall be drawn from 522 entries from 30 black African countries. The projects are in four categories: web creation and transmedia, digital music, video games, and virtual reality.
Digital Lab Africa (DLA), the organisers of the competition, say three projects per category shall be selected for participation in DISCOP Africa that is scheduled for November 2 – 4, 2016 in South Africa. The finalists shall be announced on September 30, 2016.
A media statement from DLA says “South Africa and Nigeria are leading the pack with, respectively, 159 and 86 entries, followed by Ivory Coast (49) and Cameroon (48). In terms of categories, web creation and transmedia registered the highest number of entries (225), ahead of digital music (150), video game (82) and virtual reality (59).”
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DLA says projects that get selected at DISCOP Africa “will get a chance to win a €3000 cash prize and a Digital Lab Africa incubation ticket, including mentorship and project development support by leading French multimedia companies.”
The incubation programme, DLA says, will comprise a month-long “residency in France within digital hubs and participation in benchmark multimedia events. The expected outcome of DLA is market-ready content/productions showcasing African creativity at its best.”
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Thanking the applicants who responded to DLA’s call for entries launched on June 1, 2016 with the submission of projects, Frédéric Chambon, DLA Director and Regional Head of Film & Media at the French Embassy in South Africa, says, “The incredible number and variety of entries we received is a true reflection of Africa’s creativity and potential in multimedia production and digital content.”
Chambon says the “overwhelming response confirms Africa’s creative potential in multimedia content, and reinforces Digital Lab Africa as a springboard for African talent in this field.”
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DLA, the initiative of the Embassy of France and the French Institute in South Africa in partnership with DISCOP Africa and TRACE, is said to be open to any sub-Saharan African with an “innovative project in web creation/transmedia, virtual reality, video game, and digital music.”
The objective of DLA, the organisers say,”is to provide a springboard for African talent in multimedia creation and to make their project happen with the support of French leading companies.”
