DISCOP AFRICA Abidjan welcomes the launch of Digital Lab Africa, a call for projects and a platform for African talent in multimedia organised by the French Institute of South Africa, in partnership with DISCOP AFRICA and TRACE.

The objective of Digital Lab Africa is to provide a springboard for African talent in multimedia creation and to make their project happen with the support of French leading companies (studios, producers, broadcasters, distributors) such as ARTE (web creation), Okio-Studio (virtual reality), CCCP (video game), and 1D Touch/Believe Digital (digital music).

« African talent in action combined with French touch at its best, this is the very idea of Digital Lab Africa » says Frédéric Chambon, Regional Head of Media, Film & Music at the French Embassy in South Africa, and producer of DLA. He explains: “DLA is a platform dedicated to the African digital content of tomorrow. In the age of digital convergence, TV, film, music and video game content in Africa is increasingly consumed on internet and mobile phones, like everywhere else.”

Available on www.digilabafrica.com from June 1st, the Digital Lab Africa call for projects targets artists, producers, startups, developers, students in the media and creative industries. It is open to any professional or individual having an innovative project in 4 categories of multimedia production: web creation/transmedia, virtual reality, video game (serious game) and digital music. The deadline to submit a project is 31 August 2016.

From 2 to 4 November, selected applicants will take part in a pitch competition at DISCOP AFRICA Johannesburg. The 4 winning projects (1 per category) will get the chance to win a 3,000 € cash prize and a Digital Lab Africa incubation ticket to support the project development during 3 to 6 months in 2017.

The DLA project incubation will include mentorship and project development support by French reference partners for each category (see list of partners below). Additionally, the incubation ticket will comprise residence time in France within digital cluster and participation in benchmark multimedia events. The expected outcome of Digital Lab Africa is market ready content/productions showcasing African creativity at its best.

Digital Lab Africa is initiated by the French Embassy and the French Institute in South Africa as part of their on-going industry support and action plan in the media and creative industries. The Digital Lab Africa is organised in partnership with DISCOP AFRICA and TRACE, together with a range of other partners.

« The objective of DISCOP AFRICA is to contribute to the growth of the African TV content market but also to care for producers and content of tomorrow at the digital age. That’s why we support multimedia dedicated initiatives such as the Digital Lab Africa platform » says Patrick Jucaud-Zuchowicki, founding manager of DISCOP AFRICA. 

« From its inception, TRACE has been supporting youth creativity and innovation in Africa. This partnership with Digital Lab Africa is a new opportunity for us to promote the continent’s talent, and contribute to their success” explains Olivier Laouchez, CEO of TRACE. 

In addition to DISCOP AFRICA and TRACE, DLA is supported by the following partners:

Studios, production companies, and broadcasters/distributors, for project development support: Arte (Web creation/Transmedia category), Okio-Studio (Virtual Reality category), CCCP studio (Serious Game category), 1D Touch, Believe Digital (Digital Music category).

Digital clusters/hubs, residencies and labs for project incubation in France: Gaité Lyrique/Creatis, Pictanovo, Cap Digital.

Multimedia benchmark events in France for project presentation, capacity building, networking and fund raising: Paris Games Week /Game connection, Virtuality, Forum Blanc

Local partners, clusters and professional associations/forums, for local support to the DLA platform and project incubation: Make Games SA/Interactive Entertainment South Africa, Virtual Reality SA, French Tech Hub du Cap, Tshimologong precinct