Creative Producer Indaba 2025

Introduction

The Creative Producer Indaba (CPI) is a professional development programme offered by the Realness Institute, in partnership with EAVE, the Indian Ocean International Film Festival (FIFOI) and Maison du Cinéma et des Jeux Vidéo, with the financial support of Region Réunion.

The programme is designed for 15 film producers, looking to hone their leadership and entrepreneurial ability and build their creative skills:

• Producers (with and without projects) from Africa and the Indian Ocean;
• Producers from outside Africa with an interest in co-producing with Africa.
• African Film professionals from other disciplines such as distribution, international sales, funding bodies, institutions, broadcasters and development executives with a stake in the African marketplace.

Programme

The programme comprises plenary sessions and group work, unpacking successful case studies and having access to individual meetings with mentors and guest experts. The focus will be on project development and planning, financing, legal, PR and marketing, advocacy and lobbying, organisational development, network management and leadership. 

The programme is anchored by three in-person workshops:

• Workshop 1 in-person sessions take place from 14 to 20 November 2025. Location and festival to be confirmed.
• Workshop 2 in-person sessions take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 8 to 12 February 2026.
• Workshop 3 in-person sessions take place in Réunion Island, during the Indian Ocean International Film Festival (FIFOI), from 14 to 19 April 2026.

Eligibility

• African and Indian Ocean Producers may apply with or without a project. 

  The project may be a feature film, episodic or feature documentary project.

  For documentary projects, we will require treatment as well as 5-10 minutes of rushes, character introduction tapes or a sizzle reel. Documentary projects are eligible at all stages of development or production.

  The applicant must be the producer, not the director of the submitted project.

• Producers outside of Africa (without a project) with an interest in co-producing with Africa.

• All Producers that apply are required to have produced at least one feature fiction, a series or documentary film; or a minimum of two short films as lead producer or co-producer (executive producer, associate or line producer does not qualify).

• African and Indian Ocean Film professionals from other disciplines, such as distribution, international sales, funding bodies, institutions, broadcasters and development executives with a stake in the African marketplace must have a minimum of 4 years of experience in their profession. 

We are pleased to announce a renewal of our partnership with the Canada Media Fund, Telefilm Canada, the Austrian Film Institute, the Swiss Foundation for professional training in cinema and audiovisual media (FOCAL), the Brazilian foundation Projecto Paradiso, and the French National Centre of Cinema (CNC). Each has one spot specifically reserved for a producer in their country wanting to co-produce an African project, further enhancing cross-cultural collaboration. This partnership guarantees that all programme expenses will be covered for the selected participants from the listed partnering countries.

Applications are closed for the 2025 edition.

More information: https://www.realness.institute/creative-producer-indaba