UNESCO & Tamayouz Launched New Film Residency Supporting African Women Directors

Photo Credit: UNESCO

UNESCO and the Tamayouz Cinema Foundation have launched a 2025 residency in Morocco, training 10 emerging African women filmmakers in writing, directing, and production to strengthen creative diversity across the continent.

A Major Investment in Africa’s Creative Future

In a joint effort to strengthen gender equity and creative diversity in African cinema, UNESCO and the Tamayouz Cinema Foundation have rolled out a new film residency designed specifically for emerging African women filmmakers.

The residency — held from 15 September to 27 October 2025 in Morocco — took place across the cities of Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech, bringing together ten participants from multiple African regions.

This initiative is part of UNESCO’s broader commitment to nurturing cultural expression under the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions — a global framework that calls for fairer, more inclusive cultural industries.

Inside the Residency: Six Weeks of Intensive Filmmaking

Rather than functioning as a theoretical workshop, the programme was structured like a professional film lab — with participants required to develop and complete an original short film before the end of the residency.

With support from industry mentors, the cohort took part in:

• story development and scriptwriting

• directing and visual language workshops

• production design and scheduling

• editing and post-production training

• one-on-one sessions with established filmmakers

By the end of six weeks, each woman had produced a short film ready for festival consideration, streaming opportunities or showcase screenings within UNESCO partner networks.

The Filmmakers: Ten Voices — One Shared Vision

Here are the ten talented women selected for the 2025 cohort, with their home countries:

• Abigail Kelapile — Botswana

• Perle Prunelle Sakofio — Central African Republic

• Lisette Nange Malung — Cameroon

• Hawi Kefale — Ethiopia

• Rana Matar — Egypt

• Ivy Chebet Langat — Kenya

• Mariama Niang — Senegal

• Wissal Jabri — Morocco

• Esther Beukes — Namibia

• Cianeh A. Kpukuyou — Liberia

What the Residency Offered

• A six-week production cycle, ending in a completed short film per participant.

• Full coverage of travel, living expenses, training, production support, and mentorship — making the residency completely accessible.

• Instruction and guidance from established filmmakers and professionals, including internationally respected mentors as part of the creative supervision team.

• A final showcase in Morocco where completed films are presented — offering visibility to international industry professionals, distributors, and festival programmers.

With this residency, UNESCO and Tamayouz aren’t just giving opportunity — they’re building infrastructure. For African cinema to truly thrive, it needs new voices, real training, and the confidence to tell diverse stories.

This might be one short-film batch — but it could mark the start of something much larger.