MEET THE 2025 NEXT CHAPTER LIVE PITCH FINALISTS
Photograph by Cliff Mshana / #NEWF2025
“How do you change the story?
You change the storyteller.”
MEET THE FINALISTS
Antony Njoroge from Kenya pitched ‘Memo’.
Artists from different disciplines unite to create awareness on the Northern White Rhino with an aim to gather support to save the species from extinction.
Damilola Solesi from Nigeria pitched ‘Ashianam’.
In "Ashianam (Manatee) Whisperer," a young boy with the ability to communicate with endangered manatees must protect his mystical friends from a village of fishermen who seek to exploit them for profit, leading to a difficult journey of courage, compassion, and unexpected magic.
Gloria Asimwe Rutazaha pitched ‘The Last Tear Drops of Kilimanjaro’ on behalf Fabian Senga from Tanzania.
The story of a young boy Olomi who teams up with friends to embark on a journey to save the last glaciers of mount Kilimanjaro by making a documentary using their phones.
Feisal Malik from Kenya pitched ‘The Pink Jewel of Africa’.
Will mankind be able to restore the lost glory of the pink jewel of Africa, so that the glamour of her pink ring shines again?
Ibrahim S Miles Kamara from Sierra Leone pitched ‘Silent Harvest: The Struggle for Sierra Leone’s Sea Cucumber’.
In their struggle for survival, Sulaiman Kamara and local fishermen in Sierra Leone must battle brutal competition after Chinese investors abandon their partnership in sea cucumber harvesting.
Katie Biggar from South Africa pitched ‘People of the Pool’.
The story of how the cultures and beliefs of the Tshiavha people have safeguarded and conserved the only natural freshwater lake in the country as well as its unique wildlife.
Matamba Kombila from Gabon pitched ‘Landfill Diaries ‘ Working title.
From the bowels of Libreville's biggest landfill to the shiny fishes on the market stands, the dreadful impact of Mindoubé dump, an environmental disaster in Gabon's glossy capital city.
Nondumiso Masache from South Africa pitched ‘Taste of the Land’.
In Taste of the Land, Siwe Ntombela’s innovative bakery uses indigenous African grains to spark a conversation on food, sustainability, and cultural heritage amidst the challenges of climate change.
Policarpo Mapengo from Mozambique pitched ‘Os Protetores’ (The Protectors), with live translation provided by Larissa de Sousa.
Quando acabaram os reinos na zona sul de Moçambique, ficaram extensas matas onde eles tinham as suas capitais. Tudo é proibido de se tirar delas, as comunidades vão nelas pedirem bênção às jiboias que eles acreditam ser seus ancestrais.
When the kingdoms in the southern part of Mozambique were destroyed, extensive forests were left where they had their capitals. Everything is forbidden to be taken from them, so the communities go there to ask for blessings from the boa constrictors that they believe to be their ancestors.
Robert Boyd from Sierra Leone and the USA pitched ‘What My Ancestors Saw’.
Carried in chains from crocodile-infested waters to crab-covered shores and through thick, tangled jungle, what wildlife did my ancestors encounter on Bunce Island, one of West Africa's most infamous slave forts?
Shameelah Khan from South Africa pitched ‘How Long Park’.
In the heart of the fourth biggest township in South Africa, Umlazi, stands the botanical garden Park How Long Park, which Baba Michael Hamza, had built in 1976 with his bare hands, guided by his ancestral grandmother, who had visited him in his dreams.
Neil Brandt pitched ‘The Forest’ on behalf of Zahra Moloo from Kenya.
In the forests of southern Cameroon, an Indigenous Baka community fights to return to their lands inside a national park, after decades of being forced out by a powerful conservation organization. The Forest reveals the dark side of conservation, and shows how Indigenous people who are being forced off their ancestral lands are the best guardians of the forest.
