Triggerfish officially launches search for Africa’s next big storyteller

South African animation studio Tiggerfish, together with Disney and the Department of Trade and Industry, today announced the launch of Story Lab, a programme that aims to unearth South Africa’s next big animated hit.

Now 20 years old, Triggerfish is responsible for two of South Africa’s biggest ever animated feature hits in the shape of Adventures in Zambezia and Khumba. The Cape Town-based studio is now looking to put out a feature film a year and Story Lab is a part of that strategy.

The initiative, which is open to anyone who is 21 years and older and a citizen or permanent resident of an African county, is also designed to help nurture African writing talent. After applying online, shortlisted candidates will attend two weeks of script development with a number of well known film writers.

Those two weeks will allow the shortlisted candidates to fine tune their idea before pitching it again. Following the pitching process, six finalists will be selected. These finalists will be paid for their scripts and receive mentorship and immersion at Disney.

Read more: Triggerfish to launch search for Africa’s next big animated hit

They’ll also pass through two nine month stages going from outline to completed script under the guidance on industry professionals. These include British director and co-founder of Aardman Peter Lord (Chicken Run, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists), Hollywood writer Jonathan Roberts (The Lion King) and script consultant Karl Iglesias (Writing For Emotional Impact), and a panel of development executives from The Walt Disney Company, as well as South African storyteller Gcina Mhlope, comedian David Kau and Triggerfish’s development team of Anthony Silverston, Wayne Thornley and Raffaella Delle Donne.

If an idea gets through to the final stage and the story is made into a feature film or TV series, the person behind it will have been paid R1-million. That said, there are also options further down the revenue waterfall with winners retaining rights to their stories.

“We are ready to bring a fresh voice to the world,” said Anthony Silverston, head of development at Triggerfish. “We believe there is extraordinary talent in Africa and the Story Lab is the perfect way to partner with them.”

“We’re privileged to be bringing African stories from Cape Town to the world,” Triggerfish CEO Stuart Forrest said at a Cape Town press conference announcing the launch.

“The Story Lab will be a great catalyst for African creativity on the global stage,” he added. “We look forward to opening up the Triggerfish production platform and our networks to the continent’s top creative talent.”

All scripts must be submitted in English, but the fact that the features are animated means that there is scope for them to be dubbed into other languages after production.

The development process can take a number of years. For each phase of development, Triggerfish will provide financial support, workspace, and expert guidance by internal and international consultants and mentors, as well as a route to market through top-tier relationships with Hollywood agency William Morris Endeavor.

Entries for the opening round of Story Lab close on 31 August.