By Esther Onyegbula

For the third consecutive year, the French Embassy in Nigeria, in partnership with StoryMi Academy, has trained a new cohort of young Nigerian documentary filmmakers, reinforcing efforts to deepen capacity building and international collaboration in the country’s creative sector.

The six-month mentorship programme, initiated by StoryMi Academy and led by award-winning French journalist, Ms. Sophie Bouillon, is supported by the French Embassy in Nigeria and targets emerging Nigerian directors and journalists with strong documentary ideas.

Speaking on the initiative, Bouillon said the programme was designed to encourage the production of high-quality documentaries in Nigeria, enable young filmmakers to earn sustainable livelihoods from their craft, and promote cultural and creative exchanges between Nigerian and French directors and producers.
Five fellows selected for the StoryMi Academy Documentary Programme recently premiered their short films at EbonyLife Cinema, Lagos, on Saturday, January 10. The screening, tagged Minidocs Premiere, attracted filmmakers, producers and enthusiasts of Nigerian storytelling, who gathered to celebrate emerging voices in documentary filmmaking.

The fellows were selected from over 150 submissions and worked on their projects for the past six months, undergoing intensive research, filming and rewriting processes before completing the films.
According to the organisers, each documentary reflects the questions, contradictions and lived realities of contemporary Nigeria, offering audiences intimate perspectives on diverse social issues.

During the programme, the fellows received hands-on training and mentorship from Nigerian and French professionals in both the creative and technical aspects of documentary production. Instructors included Mr. Ike Nnaebue, Ms. Chika Oduah, Ms. Marjolaine Grappe and Mr. Joel Kachi Benson, the first Nigerian to win an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary category.

As part of the mentorship, the five filmmakers will pitch their projects to an international audience at FIPADOC, a business-to-business documentary event scheduled to hold in Biarritz, France, from January 26 to 29. The pitching session is expected to provide opportunities for securing co-producers, creative collaborators and international distribution for the projects.

Organisers said the initiative aligns with broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s documentary ecosystem and position young filmmakers for global visibility and partnerships.

Vanguard News