MultiChoice Is Looking for High-Concept African Drama Series: “An Exciting Opportunity to Discover Bold New African Drama,” Says CANAL+

FAME Week Africa, the Cape Town-based creative industry market, has partnered with MultiChoice Group, a CANAL+ company, to launch a new commissioning call for original African drama series.

The Premium Drama Call for Projects, launching as part of FAME Week Africa, is open to producers across the continent with contemporary, high-concept drama series that can appeal to local audiences while travelling across African markets and internationally.

According to the press release, MultiChoice is looking for commercially appealing, action-driven stories rooted in authentic African experiences. Projects should explore universal themes, feature aspirational storytelling and have the potential to connect audiences across at least two African territories. Submissions can be in any African language, English or French, without compromising cultural authenticity.

The series should run for approximately 8–12 episodes of 50 minutes each, although the final episode count will depend on the creative concept. Projects are also expected to demonstrate strong production ambition while remaining commercially viable without requiring large-scale financing or complex international co-production structures.

“This is an exciting opportunity to discover bold new African drama that speaks authentically to local audiences while travelling beyond borders,” said Nicola van Niekerk, Senior Vice President: Content, CANAL+ Africa. “We are looking for commercially compelling stories with ambition, strong characters and universal themes – stories that showcase the incredible creativity emerging from across the continent.”

Producers are required to submit a creative treatment and an estimated production budget. The treatment should include a series overview, logline, synopsis, story world, style and tone references and character overviews.

Submissions will first be reviewed by the FAME Week Africa team, with shortlisted producers invited to pitch their projects directly to a commissioning panel comprising representatives from MultiChoice Group, CANAL+ and StudioCanal.

The commissioning call is separate from the FAME Week Africa Project Pitch Platform. Producers who have already submitted projects to the platform can submit the same projects for the MultiChoice opportunity if they meet the commissioning brief.

Submissions close on 18 September 2026. Producers can submit their projects here.

FAME Week Africa has also launched its first Micro Drama Pitching Competition in partnership with Story Oasis and Media Valley, inviting African creators to submit original scripted concepts designed for short-form, mobile-first viewing.

Applicants are required to submit a two-page concept document, five-page pitch deck, team biographies and a statement of intent. Six finalists will be selected to pitch their projects at FAME Week Africa 2026, with the winning team receiving story development support as well as production and post-production support from Media Valley.

Unlike a traditional cash prize, the winning project will receive support aimed at moving the concept towards production, including consultation with story experts, access to Media Valley’s sound stage and LED Volume for one day, and video editing facilities.

Submissions for the Micro Drama Pitching Competition close on 31 August 2026. Creators can submit their projects here.

FAME Week Africa 2026 will take place from 28–30 October at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in South Africa.

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