The African Producers Accelerator (APA) has opened applications for its 2026 programme, offering mid-career African producers an opportunity to strengthen their companies, refine their business strategies and expand their international reach. It is the second edition of the programme.
Alongside other requirements, eligible producers are expected to have produced one of these: a feature-length narrative film, a feature documentary, a TV hour documentary, a TV series which have screened at an international festival or was broadcast beyond its country of production.
Run by Big World Cinema, brainchild of South African producer Steven Markovitz, in partnership with the Bertha Foundation and the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa, and in association with the Durban FilmMart Institute and Central Film School, the 12-week programme will run from May to the end of July 2026.
“The African film industry is at a pivotal moment,” says Big World Cinema. “Strong, sustainable production companies are essential to ensuring that bold African stories continue to reach global audiences. APA exists to help support them.”
Unlike traditional training labs with fixed curricula, the APA is designed as a tailor-made programme structured around each producer’s company, project slate and strategic goals. Participants will take part in weekly one-on-one online advisory sessions, curated masterclasses and targeted consultations with international industry specialists in areas such as world sales, intellectual property, business affairs, development and financing.
The programme will culminate in a five-day in-person lab in Cape Town, where producers will refine their company presentations and project slates before pitching to a panel of investors. Participants will then attend the Durban FilmMart, where tailored meetings with potential financiers, sales agents, festival programmers and distributors will be arranged.
Participation in the programme is free, and the costs of attending the Cape Town lab and Durban FilmMart will be covered.
The initiative targets African producers who have been working professionally for at least three years, run active production companies and have produced work that has screened internationally or been broadcast outside its country of origin.
The programme applications window opened today, 12 March 2026. It closes on 5 April 2026. Interested producers are required to fill this form. More information here.
