Regulation

Les Ateliers de Grand-Bassam 2026

ARTICLE 1 Responsibility
Grand-Bassam Project provides artistic direction, handles practical organization, and freely chooses the project’s resource persons.

ARTICLE 2 Dates and location
Les Ateliers de Grand-Bassam will take place from November 28 to December 6, 2026, in Grand-Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire.

The registration deadline is set for September 06, 2026.

The selection will be announced in mid-September 2026.

ARTICLE 3 Objectives
The development and co-production lab Les Ateliers de Grand-Bassam aims primarily to strengthen the competitiveness of directors and producers from the African continent with major international labs, to facilitate their access to funding and international co-productions, and to foster connections with established mentors from the continent.

Les Ateliers de Grand-Bassam presents a selection of film projects and gives the director and producer teams involved the opportunity to develop their projects, train in pitching techniques (pitch), and connect with potential partners to facilitate the financing and production of their works.

ARTICLE 4 Number of projects and candidates
Les Ateliers de Grand-Bassam intends to select eight (8) projects, each presented as a tandem director / producer. The eight directors will be invited to the residential incubation phase.

Among the eight producers associated with the selected projects, four (4) will also be invited to the residential phase to take part in specific training related to the development of their project.

These project holders will be connected with mentors to work before, during, and after the Lab.

ARTICLE 5 Target audience
Les Ateliers de Grand-Bassam is dedicated to holders of film projects from across the African continent.

  • Each project must be presented by a director and a producer, who must be two different people.
  • Each must provide proof of nationality from an African country.

ARTICLE 6 Eligible formats and genres
The following projects are eligible for the Lab:

  • Feature films of at least 60 minutes, fiction or documentary.
  • Series, fiction or documentary, of at least three (3) episodes. The total duration of the 3 episodes must be at least 60 minutes.

ARTICLE 7 Composition and language of the application file
Applications must be written in French or English.

Every candidate (director or producer) may submit a maximum of two (2) projects per session.

In addition to the online form, the application must include:

For feature films

  • Synopsis (1 page maximum)
  • Treatment (10 pages maximum) or screenplay
  • Director’s statement of intent (maximum 1 page)
  • Producer’s statement of intent (maximum 1 page)
  • Director’s CV (focused on filmography)
  • Producer’s CV (focused on filmography)
  • Presentation of the production company
  • Detailed project budget (in local currency and euros)
  • Copy of the director’s passport, proving nationality from an eligible country
  • Copy of the producer’s passport, proving nationality from an eligible country
  • A Vimeo, YouTube, or Google Drive link, subtitled in French or English, of the previous work most relevant to this application, directed by the director (short and feature films accepted)

For series

  • Synopsis (1 page maximum)
  • Mini-bible (10 pages maximum – 3×26 minutes)
  • Director’s statement of intent (maximum 1 page)
  • Producer’s statement of intent (maximum 1 page)
  • Director’s CV (focused on filmography)
  • Producer’s CV (focused on filmography)
  • Presentation of the production company
  • Detailed project budget (in local currency and euros)
  • Copy of the director’s passport, proving nationality from an eligible country
  • Copy of the producer’s passport, proving nationality from an eligible country
  • A Vimeo, YouTube, or Google Drive link, subtitled in French or English, of the previous work most relevant to this application, directed by the director (short and feature films accepted)

ARTICLE 8 Registration procedure
Registration is free and is done online at www.ateliersdegrandbassam.net starting August 09, 2026.

ARTICLE 9 Registration deadline
Registration on the platform at www.ateliersdegrandbassam.net must be completed before September 06, 2026, at midnight UTC.

ARTICLE 10 Preselection
Any registration that is incomplete or does not comply by the close of registration will be excluded from the selection.

ARTICLE 11 Official Prizes and Jury
At the end of the week of training, meetings, and project presentations, numerous writing residency grants both in Africa and in Europe will be awarded to the best projects.

ARTICLE 12 Services provided
Within the limits of its resources, Les Ateliers de Grand-Bassam covers round-trip travel costs from the city of residence (provided it is located on the continent) to Grand-Bassam, as well as accommodation costs (lodging, lunch and dinner, as well as local transportation) for selected participants.

Visa fees are the responsibility of the selected project holders.

Each participant is required to take part in all activities offered throughout the week.

ARTICLE 13 Obligations
Holders of selected projects agree to:

  • Include in the communication materials of the completed film or series the mention “With the participation of Les Ateliers de Grand-Bassam”. This mention will include the Les Ateliers de Grand-Bassam logo, which will be provided, in the credits of the film or series, and it must under no circumstances be modified without its approval. All publications using the logo must receive prior “approval for printing.”
  • Regularly inform the organizers of developments and events in the life of said projects: changes in production status, release date, festival participation, awards, national and international distribution, etc.
  • Provide free of charge a downloadable file or link of the final version of the film or series for archival purposes. The link or file will not be given to any third party without the prior authorization of the director or the production.

ARTICLE 14 Acceptance of these rules
Participation in the selection process implies full and unreserved acceptance of these rules.

These rules are deemed accepted upon completion of the online registration procedure, once it has been validated by the candidate.

Les Ateliers de Grand-Bassam reserves the right to modify the conditions for awarding prizes or to cancel them, and shall not incur any liability in this respect. It will inform the candidate as soon as possible.

ARTICLE 15 Information
For any additional information, you may contact: contact(at)grandbassamproject.net

Ateliers de Grand-Bassam
Ateliers de Grand-Bassam
Ateliers de Granda-Bassam

About us

Les Ateliers de Grand-Bassam is brought to life by Grand-Bassam Project, a non-profit association that embodies excellence in the film and audiovisual industry. The association is an organization of filmmakers, producers and cultural industry professionals from Ivory Coast, the continent and beyond, who help incubate performing arts and audiovisual projects by applying alternative methods of management, production, marketing and distribution in countries across the continent.

Grand-Bassam Project’s main objective is to contribute to the emergence of a solid, internationally competitive African cultural industry, notably through the development of the performing arts and audiovisual sector, capable of contributing to improving the economic impact of culture and consolidating the employability of young people.

Specifically, the objectives of the Grand-Bassam Project are to :

– Implement and consolidate an incubator for cultural projects and professional training workshops for artists and producers from Ivory Coast and other countries on the continent.

– Contribute to the reappropriation by Ivorian cultural players of the conception and governance of cultural policies, in partnership with public decision-makers at national level.

– Contribute to the dissemination of cinematographic works from the continent Formalize and implement a strategy for the implementation of activities, a risk management plan, as well as a monitoring and evaluation plan for all actions.

– Produce and/or co-produce performing arts and audiovisual works and projects for dissemination on the continent and internationally.

– Intensify artistic education initiatives aimed at children, young people and the general public.

Grand-Bassam Project is in the process of launching its program of activities, which include training, production, distribution, image education and consulting for the first edition of the Ateliers de Grand-Bassam. In keeping with its management strategy, the company’s aim is to combine production activities with socio-educational initiatives.

By working closely with sister organizations in Ivory Coast who share the same passion, Grand-Bassam Project will contribute to the future of cinema in Côte d’Ivoire and beyond.

The association capitalizes on the experience acquired over the last ten years by the Ouaga Film Lab, and projects will be carried out with the expertise required to increase the competitiveness of Ivorian and African filmmakers on the world stage.