The African Producers Accelerator (APA) Returns for Second Year

The African Producers Accelerator programme (APA) is returning for its second edition after a successful inaugural edition. This time, applications are  open  for mid-career African producers eager to strengthen their companies, sharpen their strategy and scale their impact. The APA is a joint initiative by Big World Cinema in partnership with the Bertha Foundation and National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa and delivered by the Durban FilmMart and Central Film School. 

The APA 12-week programme offers tailor-made advisory and practical support designed around each producer’s specific company and slate. The aim is to support early-career African producers through curated training, international exposure, and long-term industry connections. The programme starts in May and concludes at the end of July 2026.

The APA tailors its curriculum around individual producer’s needs, goals and challenges, and how best to overcome them. Participants engage in weekly online 1:1 strategy sessions, curated masterclasses, and targeted consultations with leading international industry specialists based on the producer’s needs and goals.

The programme culminates in a five day in-person Lab in Cape Town where producers refine their company pitches and slates before presenting to a panel of investors. Participants will then move to the Durban FilmMart, where investors and fund meetings will be arranged, alongside a private networking dinner with international guests from funds, sales agents, festival programmers and distributors.

According to the organizers, the programme is designed for producers already operating at a high professional level. “The 2025 pilot cohort included producers whose achievements within the last year span winning a BAFTA, premiering at the Venice Film Festival, winning Best Debut Feature at the 69th BFI London Film Festival, the Tiger Award at the 2026 International Film Festival Rotterdam, and the SA–Netherlands Thuthuka Co-production Fund Prize.”

The 2025 cohort includes Funmbi Ogunbanwo (Nigeria), the Producer of My Father’s Shadow, Nigeria’s first-ever selection at the Cannes Film Festival, Neo Baloyi (South Africa), Producer of Netflix hit Collision, Jorge Cohen (Angola), Co-founder of Geração 80, Josh Olaoluwa (Nigeria), former EbonyLife producer and alumnus of Red Sea Labs and Biennale Cinema College, Annemarie Du Plessis (South Africa), Producer of Carissa, selected for the Venice Film Festival and Zoe Ramushu (Zimbabwe/South Africa), a Producer-director. 

The programme is designed for mid-career producers and actively running production companies, developing a slate of film and/or television projects and those seeking strategic advice, business growth and international positioning. To qualify, you must be an African citizen living on the continent, proficient in English, work primarily as a producer with over 3 years of experience, able to commit to 12 weeks’ part-time participation (up to 4 hours/week) and have produced at least one of the following: 

1. feature length narrative film, feature documentary, TV hour documentary, TV series which have screened at an international festival or been broadcast beyond its country of production. 
2. Your work has been selected for at least one A-list festival and/or distributed internationally is an advantage, not a prerequisite.

Applications for the 2026 cohort have commenced and will close on 5th April, 2026. Participation in the APA is free for producers and the cost of attending the Lab and Durban FilmMart is covered by the APA programme.