Netflix and UNESCO launch African Folktales short film competition

Netflix and UNESCO have launched an ‘African Folktales, Reimagined’ short film competition aimed at filmmakers across Sub-Saharan Africa.

The competition winners will get the chance to produce their short films and have them premiere on the streaming service globally in 2022.

“Africa has a rich storytelling heritage and a wealth of folktales that have been passed down for generations,” Director of Content in Africa, Ben Amadasun, said in a statement.

“When you marry these very local stories with Africa’s emerging talent, there’s no limit to fresh new stories to connect people with African cultures and bring the world that much closer to each other.”

Netflix African Folktales competition details

The competition is open to those who want to pursue a career in film development and production.

It aims to spotlight African storytelling and promote local stories and traditions.

Following an application process, the organisers will shortlist 20 applicants and announce them in January 2022.

The applicants will then participate in a “How to Pitch to Netflix” workshop that will help them prepare their short film pitches.

Judges from Netflix and UNESCO will then select six winners the following month.

The winners will then get to develop and produce a 20-minute short film each with the help of industry mentors.

Each winner will receive a $75 000 (R1.1 million) production budget and an additional $25 000 (R369 000) cash prize.

Once completed, the six films will debut on Netflix in September/October 2022 as part of an anthology series.

Applicants must have a minimum of two years and a maximum of five years of experience in the industry. They must have developed and produced one to two feature films, TV shows, documentaries, or two to three short films or commercials.

Applicants must also be a citizen of and currently reside in a Sub-Saharan African country. They must also be 18 to 35 years old at the time of submission.

You can check out a trailer for the Netflix African Folktales competition below:

How to apply for the competition

To apply, applicants must submit a synopsis of their short film idea. The synopsis must not be longer than 500 words.

They must also submit links to a recent CV as well as a portfolio or evidence of their past audiovisual work.

Applicants can submit their details on the Netflix African Folktales Reimagined website.

Applications are open from 4pm on 14 October and will close at 1:59pm on 14 November.

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Featured image: Unsplash/DCL “650”