Film · News
Idris Elba and Google want African filmmakers to leave the classroom with a film to make
The Akuna Group and Curious Refuge are creating a 12-week AI filmmaking program that leads to project pitches and potential production funding.
Reporting updated Nov 1, 2026
THE TAKEAWAY
A new filmmaking initiative backed by Google.org and Idris Elba's The Akuna Group aims to help African storytellers develop original projects using generative AI. The program goes beyond learning tools: participants will collaborate, pitch their ideas and compete for production support.
WHAT HAPPENED
Learning how to generate a convincing film shot is one thing. Turning that shot into a story, finding collaborators and getting the project made is another.
That's the gap a new program called From Script to Screen with AI is trying to close.
Announced October 28, the initiative brings together Google, Idris Elba's The Akuna Group and AI filmmaking education company Curious Refuge, with $1 million in support from Google.org.
The program is open to eligible creators in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and South Africa.
Over 12 weeks, participants will study screenwriting, world-building, animation and digital production. Five tracks cover fiction, documentary, animation, advertising and screenwriting.
Mentorship, portfolio reviews and feedback accompany the technical instruction.
At the end, graduates will form creative teams and present their ideas on the Akuna Stage. Selected projects will receive production funding and pathways toward exhibition.
Applications close November 15, 2026. The first cohort is scheduled to begin in February 2027.
WHY IT MATTERS
AI tools can make some parts of filmmaking more accessible, but they don't solve every challenge creators face.
A filmmaker still needs a story worth telling, collaborators who can help finish it and an opportunity to reach an audience.
This program is interesting because it links those stages instead of treating prompt-writing as the final achievement.
It also puts African filmmakers in a position to develop stories grounded in their own communities and perspectives.
The exact models taught and the size of individual production awards have not yet been publicly detailed.
Focused takeaway
Where
Five participating African countries.
Training
Twelve weeks across five filmmaking disciplines.
Mentorship
Creative development, portfolio feedback and practical guidance.
Production
Team pitches and potential support for selected projects.
Google says selected graduating teams will have access to production funding and exhibition pathways.
Source excerpt
VEYR ANGLE
The promise of AI filmmaking becomes much more meaningful when creators can move from experimenting with tools to making films audiences can actually see.
Akuna's program is trying to build that bridge.
