Bottom: Snapshots from the Future Mentors North African edition.
The Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI) has wrapped its 2nd edition of the Future Mentors Programme in Tunisia and Senegal. The programme, funded by DW Akademie with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), along with partners Berlinale Talents, Centre Yennenga in Dakar and Doc House in Tunis, took place from 3 – 7 November 2025 hosting 15 film professionals across the two cohorts.
The programme is designed for African film professionals at an advanced stage in their careers who want to professionalise their mentorship practice. The guide and curriculum, developed between 2022 and 2024 as part of a co-creation process between a group of pan-African film professionals initiated by the DFMI, offers participants a framework and practical tools with which to engage in the mentorship process with presence, a strong container in which to deliver their mentorship, all the while remaining responsive to mentee and platform needs.
The 2nd edition of the Future Mentors Programme was expertly delivered by trainers Iman Djionne and Yanis Gaye in Senegal and Azza Chaabouni and Mayye Zayed in Tunisia. Each cohort engaged in a week-long intensive training that included the dissemination of the Future Mentors Programme theory and methodology, role playing exercises, personal reflections and group discussions. The valuable space created to share personally and professionally during the programme remains one of its key successes. Allowing both trainers and participants a chance to exchange real-world learnings from which everyone can draw on in future mentorship practice, lab advisorship or project consultations.
“The Future Mentors Programme gave me reflective tools to approach mentoring with adaptability, sensitivity, and the right amount of distance. It offered essential technical skills and, even more importantly, a rare community devoted to the transmission of knowledge—something vital in an industry undergoing profound change. The programme’s support was invaluable, shaped by a clear understanding of what mentors need today: connection and the feeling of being in the right place, where one’s competencies are truly recognized and given a meaningful framework.” – Maéva Ranaivojaona, Madagascar, 2nd Edition West Africa
“The Future Mentors Programme opened a door I had been waiting for, allowing me to connect with African filmmakers despite Libya’s long isolation. What we learned was both valuable and deeply inspiring, and for me, this is just the beginning.” – Hussein Eddeb, Libya, 2nd Edition North Africa
“A mentor must have the humility to admit they don’t know everything instead of misleading a mentee” – Soro Azata, Burkina Faso, 2nd Edition West Africa
“A strong African film market is not just an industry; it is a strategic tool of soft power, shaping narratives and reinforcing the strength of our continent.” – Giresse Kassonga, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2nd Edition West Africa
The DFMI sincerely thanks our implementing local partners Centre Yennenga in Senegal and Doc House in Tunisia. Both organisations are committed to supporting African films and the professionals at their centre through meaningful project and professional support.
To learn more about each of the participants in the West and North African cohorts of the 2nd edition of the Future Mentors programme visit our website: https://durbanfilmmart.co.za/future-mentors/
Access to the Future Mentors Guide is available at the same link as a free, digital resource to download and is now available in Arabic as well as English and French.
The Durban FilmMart Institute receives its primary funding from the Durban Film Office and eThekwini Municipality.
The second edition of Future Mentors is presented in partnership with DW Akademie, supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) along with partners Berlinale Talents, Centre Yennenga in Dakar and Doc House in Tunis.
About Durban FilmMart Institute
Durban FilmMart Institute is the business hub of the African film industry in a world where professionals and products are globally competitive and celebrated. The mission of the Durban FilmMart Institute is to provide appropriate and effective programmes and services to promote, support and facilitate investment in the African film industry. The Durban FilmMart Institute runs year round developmental programmes and an annual market (Durban FilmMart). The DFMI has recently launched Filmmart.africa which is an online tool for filmmakers to connect and which we hope will enhance visibility for African content. For more information about the DFMI programmes visit www.durbanfilmmart.co.za
About DW Akademie
DW Akademie is Deutsche Welle’s center for international media development, journalism training and knowledge transfer. DW Akademie’s projects strengthen the human right to freedom of expression and unhindered access to information. DW Akademie empowers people worldwide to make independent decisions based on reliable facts and constructive dialogue. Within the film industries department, DW Akademie supports filmmakers across the Global South, strengthening film ecosystems, promoting freedom of expression, and empowering creative voices that contribute to social change. DW Akademie is a strategic partner of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The organisation also receive funding from the Federal Foreign Office and the European Union and are active in 60 developing countries and emerging economies.
About Berlinale Talents
Berlinale Talents is a talent development programme that explores the how and why of movie making. Since 2003, it has grown to become a one-of-a-kind forum for film professionals and cinema lovers alike, featuring a Summit with public talks, discipline-specific workshops, networking events and two spaces for project development, the Berlinale Talents Lab and the Talent Project Market. While the Berlinale sections showcase films in all their facets and the European Film Market is the festival’s most vibrant business hub, our focus is creative people and how they see the world through a different lens.
About Centre Yennenga
Yennenga Centre is a hub dedicated to film education, creation, and film programming. Based in Dakar, Senegal, it has three main objectives. Firstly, it aims to train a new generation of cinema technicians through a two-year post-production program. This training covers editing, color grading, sound editing, and mixing.
Secondly, Yennenga Centre presents films that explore social issues, followed by Q&A sessions aimed at a diverse audience, with special emphasis on the younger generation, in order to utilize cinema for educational goals. Lastly, it supports African film production by providing internationally recognized post-production facilities, reducing production costs, and promoting local co-productions.
https://www.instagram.com/centre.yennenga
About Doc House
Doc House is an independent, non-profit organization based in Tunis, founded in 2018 by a collective of filmmakers and cultural practitioners. It strives to foster positive social change and promote the universal values of human rights by using documentary cinema as a tool for awareness and engagement.
Since its founding, Doc House has supported both emerging and established documentary filmmakers, aiming to strengthen a dynamic and autonomous documentary production ecosystem. This effort is carried out through tailored training programs and mentorship opportunities. Doc House is also actively involved in networking, outreach, and production support – contributing to the sustainability and growth of the sector.