Yennenga Academy is a programme for young talents of the African cinema. It is an opportunity for the youth to discover their future working environment, to interact with experts of the industry attending the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), offering a platform for the emergence of new talents and collaboration opportunities for the future of African cinema.
Yennenga Academy includes master-classes around different film professions (Production, Direction, Scriptwriting, Distribution, Critic, and more.), immersion and exchange opportunities with professionals.
This year’s edition is structured around four (4) sessions as follows:
- Filmmakers Session: is dedicated to daily meetings with directors, producer and other globally renowned figures of the film industry for moments of exchange on different cinema-related issues.
- Industry Session: This session offers an opportunity for participants to hone their knowledge about the film industry, interacting with distributors, acquisition managers, marketing experts, sales agents, exhibitors as well as producers and representatives of film funds and institutions. Skill development thus airs with the opportunity to establish a robust network of contacts, essential for anyone aspiring to become a cinema professional.
- Critics Session: Meant to introduce future film critics to their profession as prescribers, this programme includes round tables with festival guests and workshops with film journalists, editors, advertisers and other professionals attending FESPACO.
- Curatoring Session: This session will call upon festival programmers, art directors and advisors present for the occasion to train festival curators in Africa. Indeed, despite the number of film festivals across the continent, very few have art directors to guide the vision and artistic options when it comes to programming.
Article 1: This Regulation aims to define the organizational, operational and participation conditions for « aspiring filmmakers » in the Yennenga Academy programme.
Article 2: The Yennenga Academy programme will be hosted from 28 February to 05 March 2027.
Article 3: Eligibility conditions for the Yennenga Academy programme:
- Be a national of an African country or Diaspora;
- Be aged between 18 and 32;
- Be able to speak French or English fluently.
Article 4: Application package.
Applications (in French or English) shall include:
- A curriculum vita;
- A cover letter specifying applicant needs and expectations;
- A letter of recommendation from a film organization;
- A copy of the valid passport or national ID card;
- A recent portrait photo (JPEG 300 dpi) of applicant.
Applications are expected no later than 20 September 2026 at 23h 59mn on the platform by clicking here.
N.B.: Only complete applications will be considered by the selection committee.
Article 5: A selection committee chaired by the Director General of ABCA shall be responsible for the selection of participants. Decisions by the committee shall be final and irrevocable.
The results of the selection will be published on the websites of ABCA and FESPACO.
Article 6: Successful applicants will receive a commitment form to be completed and returned. Receipt by the Management of ABCA of the completed and signed form implies acceptance to be present and available for all programme activities.
Article 7: The Yennenga Academy programme undertakes to:
- Cover the accommodation and catering costs for successful applicants during their stay in Ouagadougou;
- Cover the costs of participation in activities for successful applicants;
- Accompany each successful applicant as much as possible through customized support.
FESPACO does not cover national and international transport costs. To do so, successful applicants are invited to liaise with film entities in their country of origin or any other institution to cover their travel expenses.
Article 8: Participation in the Yennenga Academy programme implies full adherence to this Regulation.
Article 9: The Director General of the Burkinabe Film and Audio-visual Agency (ABCA) shall be competent to hear any dispute over the interpretation and application of the provisions of this Regulation. Amicable settlement shall be favoured should any dispute arise
Article 10: Only the French version of this Regulation shall be authentic.
Article 11: Cases not provided for by this regulation shall fall within the competence of the Director General of ABCA.
The Director General
Alex Moussa SAWADOGO
Officier de l’Ordre de l’Étalon
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