EAccelerate Fund awards grants to East African filmmakers

The East Africa Screen Collective (EASC) has chosen four East African filmmakers to receive up to €20,000 and personalized training from the EAccelerate Fund. The new fund was born out of a collaboration between the EASC and DW Akademie. This innovative initiative aims to empower East African filmmakers by turning their project ideas into short films through grants and customized training. The program is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The selected filmmakers are Neema Ngelime from Tanzania, Dilman Dila and Patience Nitumwesiga from Uganda, and Habtamu Gebrehiwot from Ethiopia.

“This grant will help me come closer to the creative goals I have set for myself. It will enable me to strive for excellence, enhance my ability to collaborate effectively, and improve my skills as an East African filmmaker," Ngelime said.

Gebrehiwot was also excited about the grant and what it means for his career.

"As an artist, this grant will help me to have greater creative freedom to fully develop and execute my creative vision in my short film without the burden of worrying about funding," he said.

Strengthening filmmaking in East Africa

The EAccelerate Fund will support the four filmmakers to produce short films based on previously developed film ideas. For grantees without a producer, the program will facilitate connections to experienced professionals from the region.

Grantees of the DW Akademie Film Development Fund with mentors and industry representatives at a workshop on Zanzibar in June 2023

"I am thrilled to celebrate our filmmakers' incredible achievements and the evolution of our program. With boldness and trust, we have forged strong and equitable North-South partnerships, elevating the new generation of filmmakers to new heights," said Mohamed Saïd Ouma, executive director of DocA - Documentary Africa. "Together, we are shaping a vibrant narrative landscape, driven by collaboration and the vision of empowering East African voices."

The grantees are all alumni of the DW Akademie Film Development Fund, which provided support to East African filmmakers to hone their storytelling skills. This assistance aimed to empower them to convey their stories, thereby enriching the region's narratives with their unique perspectives. The program ran from 2021 to 2023.  In 2024, the DW Akademie Film Development Fund was merged into the EAccelerate Fund to be managed by Documentary Africa (DocA) on behalf of EASC.

"We are delighted with our long-standing collaboration with the East Africa Screen Collective, which has nurtured many talented filmmakers from the region and now culminates in the EAccelerate Fund. We are pleased that through this program, the selected alumni will have the opportunity to amplify their voices and bring their projects to life," remarked Johannes Metzler, head of strategic initiatives at DW Akademie.

DW Akademie has been working in the film industry for several years. We provide opportunities and training for filmmakers in the Global South as part of our efforts to promote freedom of expression and access to information

Consultation, collaboration, production

Mentorship is a key component of the EAccelerate Program. Participants will be guided by mentors from East Africa who will provide continuous direction through regular consultation sessions. These mentors will help filmmakers navigate challenges and refine their projects. The program features two intensive labs covering preproduction, script development, editing, post-production and pitching. One lab will be conducted online, and the other in person.

Grantees will now start working towards delivering a complete short film by October 31, 2024, with the hope that they can showcase their film in a selected market or at a film festival.

"This grant is a morale booster for it shows there are funders out there willing to take risks on filmmakers who venture far from their comfort zones," said grantee Dila.

The DW Akademie Film Development Fund recently merged with the EAccelerate Fund managed by the East Africa Screen Collective. For more information, click here.

About DW Akademie

DW Akademie is DW's center for international media development, journalism training and knowledge transfer. Its projects strengthen the human right to freedom of expression and unhindered access to information, empowering people worldwide to make independent decisions based on reliable facts and constructive dialogue. A strategic partner of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), DW Akademie also receives funding from the German Federal Foreign Office and the European Union, working in around 70 developing countries and emerging economies.