Ghanaian filmmakers and content creators can now apply for a free artificial intelligence (AI) filmmaking programme launched by Idris Elba’s Akuna Group in partnership with Google.
Called From Script to Screen with AI, the initiative is run by Akuna Learning, the education arm of the British actor’s pan-African company, with a curriculum designed by AI filmmaking platform Curious Refuge. As reported by 3News and Adomonline, it is open to creators in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and South Africa. Applications opened on Monday, 26 October, and close on 15 November 2026.
Akuna Learning announced the programme on X, describing it as designed for emerging African creatives.
According to Adomonline, the programme is backed by US$1 million in funding from Google.org. Participants will start with a 12-week online academy from February to April 2027, then choose a pathway in fiction, documentary, animation, advertising or screenwriting. Graduates can submit one-page film ideas, and shortlisted teams will get four weeks of mentorship before pitching to panels from Akuna, Google and the wider film industry. Selected teams will receive funding to make their films between July and October 2027, with the finished projects set to be showcased in October 2027.
Applications are free, and participants will not pay to take part. Creators keep ownership of the work they produce. Filmmakers, screenwriters, animators, content creators, photographers, editors and visual artists can apply, and no film school background or AI experience is needed. Applicants must be at least 18, live in one of the five countries, have access to a laptop, reliable internet and electricity, and submit existing work that shows their talent. Women are particularly encouraged to apply.
“For me, this is about learning. This is about access to courses that help educate creators across the continent to tell their stories,” Elba said, adding that the programme teaches African filmmakers to use AI tools. “Selected projects will receive production funding, and creators will retain control of their work.”
Akuna Group CEO Khaled Gad added: “Training on its own does not build an industry. 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.”
Applications are open at akunalearning.com until 15 November.
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