8 Filmmakers Selected for the FIIFDOPO’s La Fabrique du Doc Writing Residency

Ahead of the fifth edition of the Porto-Novo International Documentary Film Festival (FIFDOPO), the organizing committee has announced the selected eight projects for the 3rd edition of the  Pan-African writing residency La Fabrique du Doc, scheduled for July 2026 in Porto-Novo, Benin.

This residency is part of an effort to build the capacity of African authors in the field of documentary filmmaking. For ten days, the selected filmmakers will receive intensive support focused on developing their projects, in an environment conducive to creation and professional exchange. After the residency, six residents will be chosen to take part in La Fabrique du Doc.

The call for documentary writers was opened earlier in the year and was focused on filmmakers in West and Central Africa countries, including Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Guinea-Conakry, Senegal, Mauritania and Chad. The residency was framed as an opportunity for creators to strengthen the narrative and artistic quality of their work, while gaining access to a Pan-African professional network.

The selected filmmakers and projects include Burkinabe, Korbeogo Barkissa’s Tiefo, Beninois Samson Choupa’s Between the Worlds, Senegalese  Frero Pierre’s Return to the Door of No Return, Burkinabe Mamounata Lenglengué’s Waiting at the invisible Front, Senegalese Realisé par Hamidou Djigo’s The Voice of the Village, Beninois  Réalisé par Balogou Osée Adamassou’s Yayi Tissougui, Chadian Nodjiwameen Doumdanem’s Endolutte, and Guinean  Béatrice Guilavogui’s Loma Koli. 

From July 20 to 28, in Porto-Novo, these eight filmmakers will experience a week of intense writing, reflection, sharing and accompanying with documentary professionals, in order to strengthen the artistic and narrative quality of their projects. This program provides selected filmmakers with intensive, hands-on training to refine the storytelling, artistic structure, and technical quality of their documentary projects. The pan-African residency will serve as an incubator that elevates their creative skills and connects them directly to a valuable Pan-African professional network. This exposure equips these creators with the pitching and production tools needed to possibly secure international funding and distribution, transforming their raw project ideas into viable, globally competitive films.