ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Throughout the glittering ballroom of Abidjan’s Sofitel Hôtel Ivoire, the center beat of Ivorian creativity was palpable as a result of the 2025 model of the Worldwide Salon for Audiovisual Content material materials (SICA) received right here to an in depth with the much-anticipated award ceremony of the pitch opponents, an initiative spotlighting the next period of storytellers from all through the African space.

As part of SICA’s third model, the Ministry of Communication and the Media Help and Progress Firm (ASDM) issued a reputation for pitches, encouraging filmmakers, producers, screenwriters, and content material materials creators to submit distinctive initiatives all through film, television, and digital codecs as part of the SICA Enterprise Hub. 

4 lessons – expert fiction, newbie fiction, documentary, and totally different codecs – gave rising and established creators the chance to pitch their initiatives sooner than a jury of enterprise professionals led by Ivory Coast TV presenter and producer Patricia Kalou. 

On June 26, night certainly one of many salon, people had merely 5 minutes to make their case. Some used audiovisual helps, others opted for additional dramatic renditions of their pitches, transforming themselves into the characters their initiatives have created. The viewers responded enthusiastically, showering basically essentially the most compelling pitches with rousing ovations, though every presentation earned reward.

The winners had been unveiled via the next night time’s star-studded closing ceremony, attended by Ivorian authorities ministers and worldwide guests.

Throughout the expert film and assortment class, Franck Vléhi took excessive honors with “Manley,” a drama praised by the jury for its sturdy cinematic potential and narrative mastery. The problem earned him a development grant of 25 million CFA Francs (approx. $45,000). 

Rooted in a West African legend, “Manley” weaves a historic and spiritual story of a youthful girl born to be sacrificed for the survival of her village. As earlier and present converge, the film shows on memory and customized. 

Reflecting on the inspiration behind “Manley,” Vlehi shared, “The prospect to tell a story rooted in Ivorian customized, a residing legend from our private historic previous, moved me deeply.” He continued, “If we don’t inform our tales, if we don’t declare them as ours, others will come and inform them for us.”

The newbie class went to Polha Andrea for her sharp, character-driven assortment “Paire de Trois” (“Pair of Three”), securing 5 million CFA Francs in funding (approx. $9,000). A relative newcomer to the scene, Andréa’s win marked a breakout second for the youthful producer. 

A tangled love triangle set in the direction of the backdrop of family power, social hypocrisy and gender double necessities, “Paire de Trois” follows Aridja as she navigates betrayal, passion, and personal freedom. The gathering is deliberate for a 52-episode arc, each one working 26 minutes. 

Throughout the documentary class, Cissé Babou was awarded for “Tout en direct” (“Each factor Keep”), a extremely personal examination of the rise and risks of reside streaming in modern society. Babou shared with Choice that she tragically found of her mother’s passing by a WhatsApp standing. Her work sheds delicate on the impression of fastened digital publicity, incomes her a development grant of 10 million CFA Francs (approx. $18,000.

Lastly, throughout the totally different codecs class, Yato Nejy was awarded for Aucun Repos, a digital platform producing fast films that downside stereotypes “with humor and kindness.” Merely three months after its February 2025 launch, Aucun Repos already amassed higher than 12 million views all through Fb, TikTok, and Instagram, shortly establishing a following by giving a platform to voices sometimes ignored.

The Ivory Coast authorities’s dedication to nurturing native inventive experience to have the power to tell real, homegrown tales was clear all via this model of SICA. By way of initiatives similar to the SICA Enterprise Hub pitch opponents, the Ministries of Communication and Custom and totally different native actors provide important help to help creators flip ideas into fully-realized initiatives, fostering every innovation and a thriving audiovisual enterprise.

SICA’s pitch opponents acts as a powerful automobile for accelerating the occasion pipeline, offering creators direct entry to funding, mentorship, and enterprise publicity. As demonstrated by the success of this yr’s winners all through film, assortment, and documentary lessons, SICA will not be solely an event, it’s a dynamic ecosystem driving the growth of Côte d’Ivoire’s audiovisual panorama and amplifying the nation’s distinctive tales on every a regional and worldwide stage.