Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab 2025

Deadline: June 30, 2025

Applications are open for the Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab 2025. The Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab is a 5 day film development program that aims at broadening the professional networks and producing expertise of participants through a series of hands-on workshops and one-on-one sessions with local and international industry mentors. The residential program is designed to hone emerging producers’ creative instincts and evolve their communication and problem-solving skills at all stages of their next feature film project.​

The last 4 editions held from 2021 to 2024 were a resounding success. The last two editions in 2023 & 2024 saw the inclusion of a parallel program for documentary producers that was tailored towards producers with projects at the development stage. In 2025, the lab will continue to feature both fiction and documentary projects from Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, DRC Congo Tanzania & Ethiopia.

Cost

Selection for the programme includes:

• Round trip transportation between the participant’s place of residence and workshops places
• Meals and accommodation on site
• Participation in the activities offered under the programme

Eligibility

Fiction Lab Eligibility

• Project Requirements: Open to producers attached to a full-length fiction feature film in development.
• Rights Ownership: Applicants must have formal control of the project rights.
• Budget Consideration: Financing is not required at the time of application, but applicants must detail the budget level and justify its reasoning.
• Exclusions: Documentary, short film, episodic, or new media projects are not eligible.
• Languages: Applications can be submitted in English or French.
• Geographical Scope: Producers from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Ethiopia and DRC
• Application Limit: Only one project per applicant.

Documentary Lab Eligibility

• Project Requirements: Open to producers attached to a documentary film in development, with an attached director.
• Rights Ownership: Applicants must own the intellectual property rights to the project.
• Selection Scope: One producer per country will be selected for the lab.
• Languages: Applications can be submitted in English or French.
• Geographical Scope: Producers from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, and Ethiopia.
• Application Limit: Only one project per applicant.

Application

• Complete the Application Form. Fill out the online application form in French or English, providing accurate and detailed information.
• Submit the Following Documents:
  • Application Letter & Video (max. 3 minutes):
    Describe your background, present your current project (including format, stage of development, and needs), and share your motivations, objectives, and expectations for participating in the program.
  • Film Synopsis and Logline (max. 200 words).
  • Narrative Treatment (max. 10 pages).
  • Project Status and History (max. 200 words).
  • Look Book (if available).
  • Producer’s Note of Intent (max. 1 page, 200 words).
  • Curriculum Vitae (focused on your filmography, max. 200 words).
  • Production Company Presentation (max. 200 words).
  • Budget Top Sheet and Finance Plan (in local currency and euros).
  • Chain of Title documentation.
• Provide Proof of Eligibility:
  • A copy of your passport to verify citizenship.
  • A high-resolution image of yourself.
• Submit Work Samples:
  • A Vimeo or YouTube link to the director’s most recent film (short or feature), subtitled in French or English.

Click here to apply for Fiction
Click here to apply for Documentary

For more information, visit Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab.