Eight talented Africans embark on the next step of their 'MDR !*' audiovisual adventure

Following a call for applications made by CFI and CANAL+ in December 2015, 12 finalists were invited to a workshop held in Grand Bassam (Côte d'Ivoire) from 11 to 15 January 2016, where they were able to hone their skills in writing short programmes.

The experts chosen by CFI and CANAL+ – two script doctors, a director and an Ivorian comedian – helped each of the participants to come up with an original concept and then write compelling and flowing scripts, with the focus being placed on the characterisation of the protagonists and the ending. The finalists were also able to learn about the production of short formats, and tested the visualisation of their projects.

The eight candidates selected at the end of this workshop were:
• Bertrand Baleguel, from Cameroun
• Edouard Elvis Bvouma, from Cameroun
• Joël Diby, from Côte d'Ivoire
• Honoré Essoh, from Côte d'Ivoire
• Issouf Ganame, from Burkina (based in Gabon)
• Fidèle Koffi, from Côte d'Ivoire
• Paul Steve Kouonang, from Cameroun
• Cedric Juliano Magnagou, from Gabon

CFI will support these talented individuals as they write their new episodes, the best of which will be made into a pilot commissioned and funded by CANAL+, which will be 4 to 6 minutes long. The most convincing pilots could then be broadcast on CANAL+, which has the option of commissioning one or more comedy series.

As African audiences have shown a very strong interest in short programmes, CFI, French operator in media cooperation, and CANAL+, a partner in the creation of original African content, have launched the MDR ! project in order to identify the African stars of tomorrow and help them to develop, through the creation of a range of new short comedy programmes over the next few years.

* MDR ! [mort de rire] is a French equivalent to LOL! [laugh out loud]