REALNESS - A SCREENWRITERS RECIDENCY
Founded by Elias Ribeiro and Cait Pansegrouw from Urucu Media South Africa. Cocoon Productions is proud to be a partner of the pan-African incubation program since its first edition
Realness Residency is a pan-African programme dedicated to developing and supporting the next generation of African screenwriting talent. Realness ensures that projects are given the space to mature sufficiently in the development phase such that, once they enter production, they result in films that have the potential to travel and appeal to worldwide independent cinema audiences. Its purpose is to offer talent a nurturing environment that allows them to stretch their creativity and drive their craft under mentorship from industry experts. Its aim is to not only nurture and empower filmmakers every year but to foster a New Wave of Authentic African Cinema. It is a year round support system to the alumni, helping them to bring their scripts from the page to the screen ensuring that the programme maintains a long-standing impact. Operating from the stunning Cradle of Humankind in South Africa, the residency period is a six-week focused incubation where residents write in a inspiring and relaxed environment but are provided feedback and support at every step of the process. Residents also attend the Durban International Film Festival as participants of the Market (DFM) after receiving mentorship on how to pitch their film projects. This step is designed to get them closer to realising their films by facilitating their proficiency in attracting financial investment/partnership for their work. After the festival participation, residents are given another 6 weeks to finesse their work from the comfort of home. Final deliveries are submitted to our partners for awards consideration. Each project is eligible for scholarships to attend Locarno Filmmakers Academy, Torino Film Lab Meeting Event, EAVE Producer's Workshop and La Fabrique des Cinemas du Monde in Cannes.Urucu Media are grateful for the support of Berlinale Talents, in partnership with Nirox Foundation, The French Institute of South Africa and Institute Français’s Cinémas du Monde, Torino Film Lab, EAVE Producer's Workshop, Toronto International Film Festival and Locarno Filmmaker's Academy.