THE 2017 Realness Residency programme is now in its final stage as the second cohort of participants head to Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), where they will present their projects at the Durban FilmMart, to the industry under the mentorship of script consultant Selina Ukwuoma.
Realness was established in 2016 by Urucu Media with the aim of providing the best talent on the continent with the space, time and support necessary to create and develop their vision.
“I had the honour of being invited to shadow Nadja Dumouchel as a script consultant. Her writer-focused methodology reminds one that the writer is at the centre of the story-birthing process,” said script editor and content producer Mmabatho Kau.
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Realness 2017 began last month. The selected residents for 2017 are Lemohang Mosese (Lesotho), Mario Fradique Bastos (Angola), Rama Thiaw (Senegal), Samantha Nell (South Africa) and writer-director team Gloria Huwiler (Zambia) and Jahmil XT Quebeka (South Africa).
“It’s the first time in my life that I’ve sat in a room and felt so understood by other filmmakers in terms of my experience as well as in terms of my goals and hopes,” said Samantha Nell.
“The residency came at a moment in my life when I felt quite stuck artistically. It has provided the necessary perspective to begin writing a screenplay I now have a renewed passion for” added fellow resident Gloria Huwiler.
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The residents were mentored by Dumouchel for their first week and then enjoyed four weeks of writing punctuated by masterclasses, virtual reality film experiences and film screenings. One highlight of this year’s residency was a masterclass on film festival strategies with Toronto International Film Festival programmer Kiva Reardon. The call for submissions for the 2018 Realness Residency will go out later this year.
The selected residents for the Realness Residency programme in 2017, Mario Bastos, Lemohang Mosese, Gloria Huwiler, Rama Thiaw and Samantha Nell.
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