Meet the alumni
„Mehal Sefari“ fictional, 105 min.
„Without the support of the DW Akademie film development fund, our project would never reach on the verge of production stage. The fund provided us with the financial backing we needed to bring our vision to life, and allowed me to focus on telling our story without the stress of financial constraints. This fund is a crucial recourse for emerging film makers and has the potential to transform film industry by giving voice to the region underrepresented perspectives and stories.“
„The last tears of the deceased“ fictional, 110 min.
“The DW Akademie film fund has helped me take the time to research, write and fully dedicate myself to the development of my film.”
„Children of Arfan Qallo, wake up!“, non-fictional, 90 min.
„DWA helped my project to have its own self-discovery.“
„Sweet Annoyance“, fictional, 100 min.
Tanzania 2022
“It is rare that a fund gets to support the development phase of a film without rushing filmmakers into production. It means a lot that as a writer, I get a breathing chance to develop an exciting new story with the help of the mentorship program.“
„I am a social worker by profession and a film maker by ambition, this opportunity is an important step in my career since DW Akademie Film Development Fund helps me towards my mission in re-defining our narrative focusing on producing films for development agendas.“
“I’ am really grateful to DW Akademie. They have opened our eyes. We can tell stories that go miles and miles and change the game in our industry. So I am really happy!“
„Lets celebrate our heroes by narrating their stories in our own! For a while the hunter told the story, but now the lion gets to tell the tale!“
„Being given the opportunity to actually invest time and focusing solely on the development phase of a film project is not common for us, but, it is vital in order for writers & creaters to introduce professionalism into their work. I dare say that, years from now, the Tanzania film industry will be in a better shape thanks to the DW Akademie Film Development Fund.“
Uganda 2022
„The DW Akademie Film Development Fund will enable me to focus on this project for several months, and with the guidance of a mentor I’ll hopefully tell a story that will inspire us to rethink the future of governance.“
„It was a great opportunity for me to be part of DW film development fund 2022. The funding contributes a lot on building a strong foundation for the film projects. It comes with a lot of experience, it increased my professional growth and opened network possibilities. It enabled me to understand the proper chain of film production on a wider perspective and my film to have a better foundation. Thank you DW for this great support to filmmakers in East Africa and beyond.”
‚DW Akademie truly understand the meaning of the word ’support‘. Their curiosity, flexibility, understanding and dynamic team make them stand out as funders who have an interest in supporting both the film and the team behind it. Within the framework of the grant, the specialized support really did push the project to the next level and as we close the grant, we are only sad that we don’t get to work with them beyond development!‘
„DW Akademie opening this opportunity to develop African stories particularly Ugandan ones not only blesses me as a person but a light at the end of the tunnel to the young and upcoming young film makers it a sign of hope that theirs will once be told also with knowledge and guidance and finance.“
„I am humbled and excited to embark on this new creative journey with the DW Akademie Film Development Fund. Here’s to leveling up to bigger and better problems.“