Apply now! UNESCO/Tamayouz Cinema Foundation Residency for young women African filmmakers
With funding from the People’s Republic of China and in partnership with the Tamayouz Cinema Foundation, UNESCO presents a 6-week filmmaking residency in Morocco for 10 emerging African women filmmakers, aged 21–35. Within the framework of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, this unique programme offers a platform to enhance skills, amplify voices, and connect with key players in the film industry across the continent. Under the mentorship of acclaimed directors Abderrahmane Sissako and Hicham Lasri, participants will receive professional training, produce their own short film, and collaborate with peers from across Africa.
Location of the residency: Rabat & Marrakech, Morocco
Dates of the residency: 15 September – 27 October 2025
Apply by: 31 July 2025 (midnight Paris time)
Who can apply?
Applicants must:
- Identify as a woman
- Be a citizen of an African state
- Be between 21 and 35 years old before the start of the residency
- Have at least 2 years of professional experience in film or audio-visual production
- Have written and directed at least one fiction film (short, medium, or feature), preferably screened at a festival or broadcast
- Speak and understand English and/or French fluently
Two participants will be selected from each African sub-region.
What’s covered?
Selected participants will receive:
- Travel expenses from their home country to Morocco
- Visa and administrative support
- Accommodation, meals, and local transportation
- Training and equal production funding for short film projects
- Per diems for additional personal expenses
How to apply?
Submit the following:
- A completed application form (in English or French)
- CV
- A copy of your passport
by 31 July 2025 to: convention2005.call@unesco.org
Africa CDC Launches Health Journalism Fellowship to Strengthen Public Health Storytelling
New track under African Union Media Fellowship aims to promote evidence-based storytelling and health security reporting
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA | 23 July 2025 — The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the continental public health agency of the African Union, has launched a health journalism fellowship aimed at empowering African journalists to produce compelling, evidence-based public health stories that inform, engage, and drive policy dialogue.
This marks the introduction of a dedicated health journalism track under the prestigious African Union Media Fellowship (AUMF), a flagship initiative that supports media professionals and content creators to tell development-focused stories aligned with African Union priorities, including governance, peace and security, migration, climate action, and digital innovation.
Africa CDC is launching the health journalism track with support from the World Bank, continuing a targeted partnership focused on building media capacity and strengthening Africa’s voice on health security. The fellowship will support five journalists, one from each of Africa CDC’s Regional Coordinating Centres, through a dynamic programme of mentorship, collaborative learning, and field engagement.
“At a time when Africa is navigating multiple health priorities, from rising non-communicable diseases to re-emerging outbreaks and persistent gaps in health workforce financing, we need a new generation of storytellers who can unpack these challenges with depth, accuracy and empathy,” said Margaret Edwin, Director of Communication and Public Information at Africa CDC. “This fellowship fills a critical gap in how public health is reported and understood across African Union Member States and will empower journalists to elevate Africa’s voice in shaping its own health future.”
The inaugural 2025 cohort of fellows will work closely with Africa CDC to explore urgent public health topics, including how lessons learned from COVID-19, mpox, Ebola, Marburg, and other health emergencies are shaping current strategies and preparedness plans.
They will examine the role of Africa CDC and its partnerships in building robust, agile, and inclusive health systems; unpack the state of vaccine development, distribution, and equity across the continent, with a spotlight on local manufacturing and regional supply chains; and explore how digital tools, laboratory networks, and data-driven systems are revolutionising disease detection, response, and public trust.
Over the course of the 16-month fellowship, the selected journalists will be mentored by leading health experts and gain access to exclusive resources to strengthen their reporting and amplify Africa’s health priorities.
In addition to mentorship and reporting support, the health fellows will join a continental network of media professionals under the broader AU Media Fellowship programme. As part of the third cohort of the AU Media Fellowship, they will benefit from workshops, field visits, editorial guidance, and a learning tour of key global institutions, coordinated with the EU Delegation to the African Union and other partners.
The AU Media Fellowship prioritises high-impact content, alignment with AU objectives, and expanded outreach, ensuring the programme remains sustainable, well anchored, and a powerful driver of storytelling for Africa’s Agenda 2063.
The fellowship is supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the European Union Delegation to the African Union, alongside a broad coalition of African and international media, academic, and policy institutions. Through the health journalism track, Africa CDC is reinforcing the African Union’s commitment to amplify African voices in shaping the continent’s health future.
For more information and to apply, visit: https://aumf.au.int/application The call for applications is now open and will close on 14 August 2025.
Covering Mental Health Equity: A Mental Health Reporting Project Webinar
This free one-hour webinar on Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. Eastern teaches journalists of all beats how to cover mental health equity. Participants learn to find diverse sources, understand systemic barriers and get replay access after the webinar airs.
Covering Mental Health Equity: A Mental Health Reporting Project Webinar
According to a 2023 Kaiser Family Foundation survey, nine in 10 American adults can recognize a mental health crisis. Whether they can get help if they are in one is an entirely different question. The survey showed that among white residents who reported poor or fair mental health, only 50% could access care for their needs. Among Black and Hispanic residents, the ability to get care was even lower – 39% and 36% respectively.
For reporters covering a wide spectrum of beats, including health, criminal justice, education, immigration and community, understanding mental health equity and inequity is essential to getting the job done. While cost and scheduling block mental health care for all Americans, people of color report additional barriers: finding providers who understand their background, not knowing where to go and dealing with stigma around seeking help. These aren’t just statistics; they are stories in your community that often go untold.
This is the gap that Covering Mental Health Equity seeks to fill: This free, one-hour webinar with replay access provides a primer on the latest research, training and tools needed to enrich and broaden your reporting on the mental health challenges in your community.
Get guidance on mental health equity from journalists who do the work:
- Kerwin Speight, Faculty, Poynter
- Ashley Hopkinson, Media Coach, Solutions Journalism Network
- Josh McGhee, Chicago Bureau Chief, MindSite News
This webinar is designed for:
- Journalists across all beats
- Reporters, editors, producers and engagement specialists seeking to broaden their mental health coverage
- Fellows and alumni of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism and Mental Health Newsroom Collaborative
- Students and early-career journalists developing foundational reporting skills
The Mental Health Reporting Project is a collaboration between Poynter and The Carter Center, made possible through the generous support of our sponsor, the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF).
Enroll for free today to gain practical frameworks from subject matter experts committed to advancing understanding, awareness and acceptance of mental illness. Enrollment also gives you free access to the full, self-directed course.
Questions?
If you need assistance, email us at info@poynter.org.
