The show was written by Voline Ogutu.
Episodic Lab alumnus, Voline Ogutu
International streamer Netflix has authorised the development of Kenyan romance crime thriller Dilemma written by the 2022 Episodic Alumnus Violine Ogutu.
Reacting to her story idea being selected for further development, Voline Ogutu, who has now started to turn her attention to next steps which include Writers’ Room planning, says, “I am honoured and grateful to be part of this rare opportunity. To those who dream of telling African stories on the global stage, it is truly within your reach. Thank you to the Netflix and Realness team who were part of this process.”
Violine was one of the few Africans selected to participate in the 2022 Episodic Lab programme in South Africa.
Applications open for 2023 programme.
The Realness Institute in partnership with Netflix has opened calls for submissions to its 2023 Episodic Lab and Development Executive Traineeship (DET) programmes which will take place from 30 April to 30 July 2023.
The Lab and Traineeship aim to support screenwriters and mid-career industry professionals from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa who are seeking opportunities to develop their original story ideas in any genre and are looking to enhance their skills as story consultants respectively.
Bringing together a wealth of creative talent from Africa in these programmes, Realness Institute offers the Episodic Lab participants the opportunity to pitch their incubated stories to Netflix executives at the end of the programme. It also offers DET participants a deeper understanding of the story development process, and exposure to a more nuanced approach in the support of writers whilst simultaneously holding writers accountable for their creative work.
To support the participants to focus on their involvement in the programmes, Realness Institute will provide a monthly stipend of KSh. 223,142.89 (ZAR 33,000) for the duration of the Lab and traineeship to help cover their living expenses.
“As filmmakers, we understand how difficult it is to find time and space to focus on our creative processes: to unpack stories, mull over and bounce ideas off others, benchmark ourselves against our peers as we hustle to make films, and pitch and search for funding and finance,” says Mehret Mandefro, Director of Development and Partnerships, Realness Institute. “In understanding this landscape, we are delighted that Netflix has once again partnered with us, to bring these two symbiotic programmes for African filmmakers in our joint quest to grow African stories and content on the continent.”
While there is no guarantee that any proposal will be developed further by Netflix, it is a unique opportunity to interface at key milestones with Netflix executives and be afforded the opportunity to pitch.
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