EAccelerate Fund

Background

This program is a collaboration of members of the East Africa Screen Collective (EASC) with DW Akademie on the program ”DW Akademie Film Development Fund”. The rationale for the EAccelerate Fund is to put management and program design of capacity building tools for the African screen sector into the hands of Africans and African organisations. It is a decolonising approach in rethinking financing and sectoral partnerships on the continent. With the conviction that the ownership of the program should lie in East Africa, the “DW Akademie Film Development Fund” will be merged into the “EAccelerate Fund” and managed by Documentary Africa (DocA) on behalf of the EASC.

In 2024, the program will focus on supporting the alumni of the “DW Akademie Film Development Fund” through funding and training in the development of proof of concepts/short films from their previously developed projects.

Call for Mentors 📣

The EAccelerate Fund 2025 seeking mentors to support a new wave of East African filmmakers. This initiative nurtures bold, original short films through financial support and mentorship. We are inviting experienced filmmakers, storytellers, and industry professionals to join the program as mentors.

Areas of Expertise

We are looking for mentors with professional experience in one or more of the following:

  • Creative Development (story, script, character)

  • Production & Technical Craft (directing, cinematography, sound, design)

  • Post-Production (editing, sound, color grading)

  • Industry & Career Guidance (festivals, distribution, pitching, fundraising)

Role of Mentors

  • Support 1–3 filmmakers between September 2025 – January 2026

  • Provide at least 3 hours of one-on-one guidance per filmmaker

  • Share feedback on project development and creative problem-solving

  • Participate in at least one group session or panel

  • Mentorship will take place primarily online

Eligibility

  • At least 5 years of professional experience in filmmaking, television, or related storytelling/media fields

  • A track record of at least 2 completed projects that have been publicly released, exhibited, or recognized

Benefits for Mentors

  • Honorarium provided for your time and expertise

  • Connect with a diverse cohort of talent and fellow mentors

  • Play a direct role in shaping the future of East African storytelling

 

📅 Application deadline: Thursday, August 28, 2025

APPLY NOW!

2024

Grantees

The East Africa Screen Collective (EASC) has chosen four East African filmmakers to receive up to €20,000 and personalized training from the EAccelerate Fund. The selected filmmakers are Neema Ngelime from Tanzania, Dilman Dila and Patience Nitumwesiga from Uganda, and Habtamu Gebrehiwot from Ethiopia.

The Fund will support them to produce short films based on previously developed film ideas. For grantees without a producer, the program will facilitate connections to experienced professionals from the region.

Neema Ngelime (TZ)

Neema is a documentary photographer and filmmaker who focuses on the everyday. She believes in the magic of the mechanical nature of the every day, she weaves this with an experimental and feminist lens. Her films have been featured at multiple international film festivals, including the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, IDFA, Beldocs International Film Festival, the New York African Film Festival, the London Short Film Festival, the Eastern Neighbours Film Festival, and others. She is a member of the African Photojournalism Database, which is a joint project between the World Press Photo Foundation and Everyday Africa, and a member of WomenPhotograph and an alumni of DocNomads. Additionally, Neema is part of Berlinale Talents 2023. Her work has been commissioned by notable publications such as Bloomberg and the New York Times T Brand Studio, and has been displayed both internationally at The Museum of African Art in Serbia and locally at AjabuAjabu and Nafasi Art Space. Neema is currently developing her next film via DW Akademie Film Development Grant.

Habtamu Gebrehiwot (ETH)

Habtamu Gebrehiwot is an Ethiopian filmmaker and a graduate of the Addis Ababa University with a master in Film. He joined the film world in search of his own voice through cinema.Throughout his decade-long film career, he has been involved in numerous television commercials, short documentaries, and music video as Director,cinematographer and editor. He wrote and directed the short film titled “Rendezvous,” which was screened at the European Film Festival in Addis Ababa in 2022. He currently works as a cinematographer and producer for the highly acclaimed drama series, “Gira kegn,” which airs on Ethiopian National Television. He is also developing the feature film “The Fortunate”. He succefully attended and graduated from DW Akedemie Film development programin 2023. He is highly aspired to pursue his dream oftelling unique ethiopian stories to the international cinema world.

Dilman Dila (UG)

Dilman was nominated for Best First Feature by a Director at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (2014), for The Felistas Fable, which won four major awards at the Uganda Film Festival (2014). His short masterpiece, What Happened in Room 13 (2007), has attracted over eight million views on YouTube. His other notable films include The Sound of One Leg Dancing (2011), which won The Jury Award at the Nepal International Indigenous Film Festival (2012). In 2017 he released his second feature film, Her Broken Shadow, a sci-fi based in a futuristic Uganda, which has been selected at festivals like Durban International FilmFestival and American Film Institute's New African Film Festival.

Patience Nitumwesiga (UG)

Patience Nitumwesiga is a writer, producer and director based in Uganda. Her work emphasizes utopian and decolonized African themes while boldly confronting our current cultural and political realities. She runs Mbaganire, a podcast for African folktales and organised an Embroidery-for-Justice project to mourn femicides in Wakiso district where she lives. She’s developing two documentary debut features, Tongue of the Spear and The Woman Who Poked The Leopard, which was presented at Durban Filmmart in August 2021 where it won five awards.
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EASC at Berlinale

This year, EASC presented the four groundbreaking short fims at Berlinale, marking a major milestone for East African cinema. These films are a testament to the program’s commitment to empowering African cinema through direct funding, mentorship, and industry exposure.

The program is funded by

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