By Sharlene Versfeld
Published September 13, 2023
Wanjiru Kairu from Kenya is one of four African episodic Screenwriters selected for the second edition of AuthenticA Series Lab that is created and managed by the Cape Town (South Africa)-based media organisation Realness Institute.
Current chairperson of the Kenya Scriptwriters Guild, Wanjiru Kairu is a versatile award-winning writer and director whose creative expertise spans radio, television and film. Her portfolio boasts collaborative contributions, which earned an international Emmy for Best Production in an audio drama. Beyond television, she wrote over 10 films for DSTV, and her short films have garnered international recognition and nominations. She is an instructor at Africa Digital Media Institute (ADMI), Africa Digital Media Academy in Kigali, and Multichoice Talent Factory, and a script consultant for a number of films and TV series across East Africa.
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Together with Tiah Beye of Senegal/Côte d’Ivoire, Kelly-Eve Koopman of South Africa and Moreetsi Gabang of Botswana, Kairu will begin her six-month mentorship on September 19, 2023.
Tiah Beye, went to France to study and became aware of the lack of representation of Black-led stories in the media. This compelled her to start working behind the camera and tell stories that needed to be heard. She graduated from Kourtrajmé School, an unconventional and free cinema school founded by Ladj Ly. She produced a documentary Haïroines, exploring the relationship between Black women and afro hair, during the Covid-19 lockdown. In 2022, she participated in Netflix’s Grow Creatives programme.
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Cape Town-based Kelly-Eve Koopman describes herself as a writer, change-maker and “artivist”. She has written and published a number of works, including her debut memoir Because I Couldn’t Kill You longlisted for the Sunday Times National Book Award in 2019. She is also the co-curator of the celebrated LGBTQI anthology They Called Me Queer and the African online speculative fiction anthology Our Move Next. Kelly-Eve just concluded a residency at the Johannesburg Institute for Advanced Studies, writing her first novel. She works across different disciplines and mediums including film and television and is currently doing her Masters in Creative Writing at The University of the Western Cape. Kelly- Eve is also an Atlantic Fellowship for Racial Equity alumnus and in her capacity as an activist has worked for and with various organisations and social movements.
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Moreetsi Gabang graduated valedictorian from film school, AFDA in Johannesburg, and is an alumnus of many film development programmes including Talents Durban, Talents Berlinale, DFM Institute Business, and DFM Jumpstart. He completed his Master’s degree (First Class) after receiving a scholarship to study at UAL: London College of Communication. His short film Motswakwa (Foreigner) was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2019 African Movie Academy Awards. His short film Zombie Date Night in Tlokweng won the 2023 NEFTI Competition Award as well as the Audience Choice Award. He is a two-time recipient of the Bessie Head Literature Award.
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AuthenticA Series Lab, an intense programme to support the professional development of writers of series scripts, was designed in collaboration and presented in partnership with the StoryBoard Collective with the support of Series Mania Forum, French Embassy in South Africa, and French Institute of South Africa with project funding from French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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