Future Mentors
In 2022, a group of film experts, selected by the Durban FilmMart Institute, embarked on an inspiring co-creation journey that culminated in the publication of an invaluable guide tailored for an emerging generation of film mentors.
The Future Mentors Programme’s mission is to address the scarcity of mentors originating from the African continent, while simultaneously equipping the next wave of mentors in Africa with the essential skills they need. The Future Mentors Programme Guide, crafted in collaboration with partners DW Akademie and Berlinale Talents, acts as a training tool that caters to individual needs and empowers mentors to actively engage within the film industry. Its purpose is to support a capacity-building programme for seasoned film professionals who possess a genuine desire to share their expertise with aspiring film practitioners. The guide caters to individuals with a background in mentorship, as well as those seeking to enhance their mentorship skills using a structured and comprehensive methodology. It is particularly beneficial for film industry practitioners who have successfully nurtured and delivered projects to fruition and are now seeking to transition into the role of mentor or trainer. Access to the Future Mentors Programme Guide will be freely available through the Durban FilmMart Institute’s online offering, ensuring that aspiring mentors and industry professionals can readily benefit from this tool.
The Future Mentors Programme Guide is as a precursor to the launch of The Future Mentors Programme to take place in 2024. The programme follows the DFMI’s eagerness to expand the programme’s reach and empower a greater number of filmmakers not only entering the industry but to further create a sustainable industry for the future generation. This stems from a shared belief in the transformative power of mentorship and the immense potential it holds for nurturing emerging talents within the industry.
Click to view the Future Mentors Guide below:
Future Mentors Team:
Azza Chaabouni
Tunisia
Don Edkins
South Africa
Fibby Kioria
Kenya
Iman Djionne
Senegal
Mayye Zayed
Egypt
Mitchell Harper
South Africa/Ireland
Naziha Arebi
Libya/United Kingdom
Neiloe Whitehead
South Africa
Tiny Mungwe
South Africa
Yanis Gaye
Senegal
Christine Tröstrum
Germany
The DFMI would like to acknowledge the profound contribution made by Christine to the conceptualisation and development of this programme.
Tragically, Christine passed away in 2024.
2025 Participants
West Africa
Carlos Yuri Ceuninck
Cabo Verde
Carlos Yuri Ceuninck was born in Santo Antão, Cabo Verde (1976). He graduated from the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión (EICTV) in Cuba, specializing in documentary film directing. His films have been shown in international film festivals like Locarno, IDFA or Hot Docs and won the Étalon d’or award at FESPACO (2023) for Best Feature Documentary. His selected filmography includes the short documentary “Dona Mónica” (2020) and the features “The Master’s Plan” (2021) and “Omi Nobu” (2023). In 2025 he was a member of the jury for the feature documentaries competition at FESPACO and also a mentor for East African documentary projects in development at Docubox Story Lab in Kenya.
Fatoumata Senghor
Senegal
Fatou Kandé Senghor is an artist for everything. “It is not the medium that defines me, it is the theme that imposes on me the form of sharing”. She remains a multi-faceted visual artist, exploring the intersection between art, technology and academic research.
Her documentary “L’autre en moi” (The Other in Me, 2011) on the theme of identity has toured renowned American universities. Her creative documentary “Donner Naissance” (“Giving Birth”, 2015), a portrait of the enigmatic Casamance sculptor Seni Camara, was selected for the prestigious Biennial of Contemporary Arts in Venice. She has directed several episodes of TV series C’EST LA VIE produced by KEEWU PRODUCTIONS. In 2021 adapted her anthology into a TV series entitled WALABOK COMMENT VA LA JEUNESSE.
Giresse Kassonga
DRC
Giresse Kassonga is a Congolese producer from Kinshasa, dedicated to authentic African storytelling through fiction, documentary, and animation. His work guides projects from conception to public presentation, blending creativity, rigor, and cultural responsibility. From 2020 to 2025, he co-produced two seasons of the acclaimed TV series Coloré with Canadian and Nigerian partners, broadcast on TV5Monde, RTI, and NCI. His feature documentary Les Bilokos (in development) won the 2nd Filmac Prize in 2023 and was selected for the DFM African Lab Showcase, DFMI Business Lab, and Locarno Open Doors 2025. Stéréoman (pre-production), earned him the 2024 Filmac Prize and selection for the prestigious Deental program at Cannes. He has participated in the Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab, EFM Toolbox at Berlinale 2025 and is currently in the Eurodoc 2025 programme with Stéréoman, aiming to build bridges between Congolese cinema and the international industry.
Luck Razanajaona
Madagascar
Maéva Ranaivojaona
Madagascar
Maéva Ranaivojaona views film as a powerful tool for exploring identities and broadening global audiences—bridging indigenous communities with their diasporas, shedding new light on history, and empowering dreams and memory. Her vocation became evident in 2012 when her first short film, Domicile, screened at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). In 2017, she co-founded Subobscura Films with Georg Tiller in Austria, expanding its activities to France. She has participated in the Realness Institute’s Creative Producers Indaba (2024) and the EFM Toolbox Diversity Programme at Berlinale (2025). As a director, she won three awards for her documentary Zaho Zay (FID Marseille and Viennale, 2020). Her upcoming feature film was selected for EKRAN+ (2022) and the Alliance 4 Development programme at Locarno Film Festival (2024).
Moustapha Sawadogo
Burkina Faso
Moustapha SAWADOGO is a dedicated film producer and cultural professional with over two decades of experience in the African creative industries. Beginning his career in Burkina Faso’s vibrant arts scene, he later specialized in cultural project management through training in France and Europe. A graduate of EAVE, his career spans managing music and dance institutions, producing award-winning films and series, and mentoring emerging talents. As Head of FESPACO PRO, he champions industry development across the continent. Moustapha’s work reflects a strong artistic vision and a deep commitment to African narratives. He is a member of numerous selection committees and project assessors (IDFA, Pitch au Féminin, Ouaga Côté Court, Generation Africa/Steps, Festival Nouveau Cinéma Montréal, etc.).
Soro Azata
Burkina Faso
Azata Soro is a Burkinabè filmmaker, screenwriter, and actress. For more than fifteen years, she has been working in the world of cinema, where she began as an actress before turning to directing. She wrote and directed her first short film Waffo, presented at several international festivals, including FESPACO and the Luxor Festival, and awarded the Jury Prize at REBIAP.
Her project Journal intime d’une chèvre was selected at the Impala Lab (Docmonde, Ateliers Varan, AfricaDoc). In 2024, it received the SCAM Brouillon d’un rêve grant. The film was also selected at the Open Doors of the Locarno Festival 2025, where it received an award, as well as the support of the Maïssa Fund.
Alongside her work as a director, she continues her career as an actress, appearing recently in the feature film Un Amor by Isabel Coixet (2023). A committed feminist, she co-founded in 2019, with Nadège Beausson-Diagne, the African MeToo movement “Même pas peur,” to denounce sexual violence in African cinema
Azata Soro is a Burkinabè filmmaker, screenwriter, and actress with over fifteen years of experience in cinema. She began as an actress before transitioning to directing, writing with her first short film, “Waffo,” presented at FESPACO and Luxor Film Festival, it won the Jury Prize at REBIAP. Her project, “Journal intime d’une chèvre”, received the SCAM Brouillon d’un rêve grant in 2024 and was selected for Locarno’s Open Doors in 2025, where it received an award and support from the Maïssa Fund. She continues her acting career, recently appearing in Isabel Coixet’s feature film “Un Amor” (2023). A committed feminist, she co-founded the African MeToo movement “Même pas peur” in 2019 to denounce sexual violence in African cinema.
North Africa
Alyaa Musa
Sudan
Alyaa studied filmmaking at London Film School and has a MA with distinction in Cinematography and Post Production from the University of Greenwich, UK. She has multiple creative credits in a number of internationally recognized films. Co-founder of Black Balance Artistic Production Sudan and founder of TOOMA Production Rwanda. She is currently leading multiple internationally produced documentaries and fiction projects of different genres.
Amine Hattou
Algeria
Amine Hattou is an Algerian independent filmmaker with an MFA in Film and Television Directing from Columbia College Chicago (2024). His career began with the short documentary Two for Tango (2009) and continued with the short fiction film Down to Earth (2011), selected for over twenty international film festivals. In 2012, he founded Béjaia Film Lab, a professional platform for Maghrebi directors, and co-founded Dima Cinéma to develop film culture in Algeria. A Fulbright Scholarship recipient (2021), he participated in Berlinale Talent Campus (2013) and Global Media Makers (2018). His filmography includes the feature documentary Janitou (2020), which premiered at the Durban International Film Festival. He is currently in post-production on Anza (2024) and developing La Maison des Ombres (2025).
Dhia Jerbi
Tunisia
Dhia Jerbi is a Tunisian producer and director specializing in creative documentary filmmaking. He joined the Documentary School of Lussas in 2018, where he directed Au pays des oranges tristes, selected for over thirty international festivals. His first feature-length documentary, Behind the Sun, premiered at Visions du Réel and was showcased at Carthage and FESPACO.
Committed to fostering equitable partnerships, he co-founded Muja Films with Manon Lavaud in 2022. In 2024, he co-founded the Archive Circulation Initiative, working to preserve the rich heritage of Arab and African cinema. Dhia is also the initiator of the Afro+ Producers’ League, a collective uniting producers from the African diaspora and the Global South, advocating for creative control, intellectual property rights, and narrative authenticity while challenging systemic power imbalances in co-productions.
Hussein Eddeb
Libya
Hussein Eddeb is a Libyan filmmaker and journalist with over a decade of experience in media and storytelling. His notable works include Ta3bir (2017), a short film exploring freedom of expression, which was showcased in Marseille, Milan, and Tunis. In 2018, his short film Friend Bashir earned third place in the prestigious EU Migration Media Award. In 2019, Hussein received the Team Challenge Award in Journalism from the Thomson Foundation in London. He earned a Master’s degree in Media and Communication Management in Berlin in 2024. Since 2023, Hussein has been directing The Birth of Derna, a feature-length documentary produced by Integral Film (Norway), co-produced by Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, and supported by several European institutions. The film is currently in production and set for completion in June 2026.
Kesmat Elsayed
Egypt
Kesmat El Sayed is a film producer and co-founder of SEE MEDIA Production (Cairo) and SEERA Films GmbH (Berlin), producing films that combine strong artistic vision with urgent social relevance, and that resonate with audiences worldwide. Her work often bridges cultures and geographies, bringing narratives from the Middle East and North Africa into dialogue with global audiences. An active member of the international film community, Kesmat is an alumna of EAVE, Berlinale Talents, Realness Indaba, and EURODOC and contributes to the field through mentorship and curatorial work serving on several selection committees and juries. She also offers free year-round pro bono mentorship in Egypt, fostering new talent and strengthening the local industry.
Lamia Belkaied Guiga
Tunisia
Lamia Belkaied Guiga is an accomplished academic, critic, and artistic director with extensive experience in Arab and African cinema. She holds a Ph.D. in Audiovisual Media from Panthéon-Assas University (Paris II). As Artistic Director of the Carthage Film Festival (JCC), Director of the Higher School of Audiovisual and Cinema (ESAC) in Gammarth, and Director of the National Centre for Cinema and Image (CNCI) in Tunisia, she actively mentors emerging filmmakers, provides consultancy on youth-focused cinema projects, and advises Francophone universities on audiovisual programs. Lamia has published widely on Tunisian and Arab cinema, gender, and media practices in Africa. An experienced mentor with Mentor Arabia, she is committed to fostering the next generation of directors, guiding their creative development, and promoting Arab and African cinematic heritage globally.
Mahmoud Hemeda
Egypt
Mahmoud Hemeda is an Egyptian Animation Director, Creative Producer, and CEO & Co-founder of Samaka Studio, based in Egypt and Abu Dhabi. He is also the Co-founder of Animatex, Egypt’s largest animation festival. With over 15 years of experience, Hemeda is pioneering a new wave of culturally rooted animation from the MENA region and through the Samaka School, which he founded, continues to create safe and inspiring spaces for young filmmakers to grow, experiment, and bring authentic African stories to the global stage. His work has been featured on HBO Max (The Vow II), Amazon Prime (#1 Happy Family USA), and TED-Ed and showcased at major festivals including Annecy, Durban FilmMart, and MIPCOM.
Mirvet Kammoun
Tunisia
Mirvet Kammoun is a Tunisian filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. She holds a Ph.D. in Arts and Art Sciences from the Sorbonne University. She has written and directed three short fiction films: Nejma (2014), Noces d’épines (2017), and Poussières d’étoiles (2021). Her films have been selected and awarded at numerous international festivals such as the Aswan Women Film Festival, Carthage Film Days, Malmö Arab Film Festival, Alexandria Mediterranean Film Festival, FIFOG, and FESTICAB.
In 2010, she published her first essay, Youssef Chahine: The Camera of All Struggles, followed in 2022 by her second essay, History and Poetry in the Films of Shadi Abdel Salam. She has served as a jury member at various international festivals. Her first feature-length documentary, My Sister Story, is currently in post-production.
Muhammad Taymour
Egypt
Nada Riyadh
Egypt
Nada Riyadh is an Egyptian filmmaker and cultural manager. She works across cinema, multidisciplinary art projects, and cultural initiatives with a strong focus on women’s issues and body politics. Her latest feature documentary, The Brink of Dreams (2024), co-directed and co-produced with Ayman El Amir, won the prestigious L’Œil d’or award for Best Documentary at the Cannes Film Festival. Her earlier work includes the short fiction film (The Trap, 2019), which was selected for the official competition at Cannes’ Semaine de la Critique and the feature documentary (Happily Ever After) co-directed and co-produced with Ayman El Amir, which premiered in IDFA in 2016. Since 2010, Riyadh has designed and led numerous filmmaking and visual storytelling workshops. These programs supported marginalized and distressed communities affected by war, displacement, and political violence, particularly in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt. She has collaborated with cultural institutions and NGOs to train youth, women, and grassroots groups, using film as a tool for self-expression and resilience.
2024 Participants
Bongi Ndaba
South Africa
Bongi Ndaba is a South African born and bred writer, director and producer who has developed, created and head written various award winning and AR crushing shows on South African television. Currently a new Showrunner for Generations The Legacy and in development for her own series. Also a filmmaker with award winning short movies and feature films. Also passionate about mentoring, teaching and giving opportunities to young people especially those from disadvantaged communities.
Hayat Aljowaily
Egypt
Hayat Aljowaily explores the intersection between film and social change. After having completed a Bachelor in Social Sciences at Sciences Po in the south of France, Hayat completed a Bachelor of Arts in Film and Media Studies at Columbia University. Whether working on the Marvel series “Moon Knight” or producing shorts through her Paris-based label Le Hangar, Hayat delves into themes such as migration, identity, and climate justice. Hayat also founded Kalam Aflam, an initiative which promotes emerging MENA artists in France. She also works as a creative producer and programmer with various clients including Crtve Development and El Gouna Film Festival.
Mamounata Nikiema
Burkina Faso
Mamounata NIKIEMA, a specialist in creative documentary filmmaking and Communication for Development, has been a director since 2007 and producer since 2011 through Pilumpiku Production. She has also served as a trainer in documentary writing and launched initiatives like the Ciné-équipement event and the digital platform Sulunsuku.com. In 2021, she was honored as a Knight of the Order of Merit in Arts, Letters, and Communication during FESPACOx
Mayye Zayed
Egypt
Mmabatho Kau
South Africa
In her 20-year strong creative journey, Mmabatho has worked as a producer, broadcaster, development executive as well as a script consultant. She considers herself a story nomad; contributing to script development programmes in Uganda, South Africa, Brazil, The Philippines, Indonesia, Canada and Italy, to name a few.
Nicole Schafer
South Africa
Nicole Schafer (1980) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker based in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands of South Africa. Her films explore themes around identity through intimate, character-driven narratives. She also lived in Malawi, contributing stories to a pan-African magazine program. She holds an MFA in Film and Television from the University of Cape Town (2005) and is the founder of Thinking Strings Media.
Perivi Katjavivi
Namibia
Sihle Hlophe
South Africa
Sihle Hlophe is an award-winning filmmaker and story development consultant trained at the Torino
Story Lab (Italy). She is an alumni of programs such as the IDFA Academy, the Hot Docs Story Lab
and the Durban Film Mart. With her work having been showcased at over 70 international film
festivals, she brings a wealth of knowledge to her craft. Over the last 15 years, she has directed,
produced, and written documentaries, fiction films and TV shows. Sihle is passionate about
providing professional support to both emerging and experienced filmmakers.
Tapiwa Chipfupa
Zimbabwe
Application Information
Applications are now closed.
Click here for more details on application information.
Please follow us on social media for updates regarding the opening of applications and deadlines for submissions or you can sign up for our newsletter below.
