Akuna Learning, part of The Akuna Group chaired by Sir Idris Elba, has opened applications for a free AI filmmaking programme for creators in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and South Africa. Applications close on 15 November 2026.
The programme, called From Script to Screen with AI, is run in collaboration with Google. The release says Google.org is supporting it with US$1 million in funding, and that Curious Refuge developed its curriculum, which the programme calls its education partner. The programme’s website says there is no application fee and no tuition.
How the programme works
Everyone starts with a foundation course in AI filmmaking, then specialises in one of 5 pathways: fiction, documentary, animation, advertising or screenwriting. The 12-week academy is online, with a few in-person meet-ups. The programme’s website lists it as 25 January to 18 April 2027; the release says February to April.
Graduates are certified and can put forward a one-page idea. The strongest ideas are shortlisted, and each shortlisted idea owner builds a team that spends 4 weeks with mentors before pitching to panels drawn from Akuna, Google and the wider industry.
Akuna funds selected projects, and funded teams make their films between July and October 2027. Creators keep the intellectual property in their work.
“Training on its own does not build an industry,” said Khaled Gad, Chief Executive Officer of The Akuna Group. “Creators need a route from the classroom to the screen, and this programme carries them all the way, from their first application to a finished, funded film.”
Who can apply
- Applicants must live in one of the 5 countries and be 18 or older on the date of application.
- They need a laptop, reliable internet and consistent power, and must be free to take part from 25 January 2027.
- No AI experience is required, but applicants must submit one example of their best work (film can run up to 3 minutes), a personal statement of up to 250 words and a 60 to 90 second introduction video.
- Applicants apply as individuals. Teams form later, around the shortlisted ideas.
Akuna says it will confirm the final cohort on 14 December 2026, and strongly encourages women to apply.
The odds are not stated
The programme’s website says plainly that only “a select few” projects in each intake are funded, and that not every graduate will join a team: “The programme funds teams, not individuals.” Neither the release nor the website says how many places the academy has, how many projects will be funded or how much each will receive.
Google’s Building for Africa summit in July 2026 included a Creative AI education programme with The Akuna Group. Free AI training is also on offer elsewhere: the African Development Bank is offering free AI courses to African civil servants. Akuna says a second intake will follow a year after the first.
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