# Idris Elba and Google Launch $1M AI Filmmaking Programme for Emerging African Filmmakers

_Event · published 2026-11-02_

The Akuna Group, chaired by British actor and filmmaker Idris Elba, has partnered with Google to launch "From Script to Screen with AI," a 50-week initiative offering free training, mentorship, and production funding to emerging filmmakers across Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and South Africa. The $1 million programme is funded by Google.org and delivered through Akuna Learning, with curriculum developed by AI filmmaking education specialist Curious Refuge.

Participants will progress from foundational AI filmmaking training through specialisation tracks covering fiction, documentary, animation, advertising, and screenwriting, before pitching original projects to panels from Akuna and Google. Selected teams will receive financial support to produce their films, with a planned showcase in October 2027. Organisers have confirmed that participants will retain full intellectual property rights over their work.

## Sources
- [brandiconimage.com](https://www.brandiconimage.com/2026/11/idris-elba-google-launch-1m-ai.html)
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