Durban FilmMart Awards 2017 Press Release
Durban FilmMart Awards 2017 Press Release
The Durban
FilmMart (DFM), the industry development programme of the eThekwini
Municipality’s Durban Film Office and Durban
International Film Festival (Centre for Creative Arts, UKZN) ended on a high note with an awards ceremony at
the Tsogo Maharani Hotel in Durban, South Africa on Monday, July 17.
“The DFM is
one of the most important film finance platforms and industry events on the
African continent, and this year’s eighth edition has certainly been our biggest.” said Toni Monty, Head
of the Durban Film Office. “We hosted over 600 delegates with over 30 countries
participating in this year’s market; 17 of which were from Africa. We are
thrilled that we have had a record number of 70 projects presenting at this
year’s finance forum.”
Central to the
Durban FilmMart have been the networking sessions and meetings held over four
days between delegates comprising filmmakers, producers, distributors, agents,
broadcasters and film funders and government agencies.
“Our annual programme would not be possible
without our partners and sponsors, and we extend thanks and appreciation to the
partner markets, funding bodies and development organisations who have
continued to work with us in bringing African cinema to the world, and enabling
us to expand the number of projects participating in the forums.”
This year 22 official DFM film projects in
development were presented at the Finance Forum through the partnership with
Cinemart and IDFA, Netherlands.
Durban Talents was able to host 30 young
filmmakers through the support by Berlinale Talents, the Goethe-Institut and
the German Embassy.
Four scriptwriters projects were hosted at
the DFM in the Realness Script Writing Residency, while Produire au Sud,
France, supported the Jumpstart Project, a mentorship programme to introduce
six emerging filmmakers to the art of the pitch. Two documentary projects were
supported by Hot Docs Canada, and six
CineFam projects were rigorously mentored by Caribbean Tales, Canada.
“The Durban FilmMart was made possible by our
principal funder, the eThekwini Municipality, and we are privileged to have the
ongoing support of a City government that recognises, supports and promotes the
value of our industry, and understands the importance of providing African
filmmakers a platform to connect with the world, and, importantly, to connect
with African filmmakers throughout the continent.”
“Together
with partners, NFVF, KZN Film Commission, and Department of Trade and Industry,
we hosted three co-production delegations this year from Canada, Germany and
Kenya, and special thanks go to the Canadian High Commission, the German
Embassy and Kenya Film Commission for supporting these programmes.”
“This year we were able to host a vigorous
Women Led Film Focus together with the DIFF, through the support of MNET and
NFVF, as well as support from the Industrial Development Corporation for a
insightful “Film Finance: State of the Industry”.”
The
Awards/Grants:
· The
International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) awarded the most
promising documentary project at the DFM, Lobola: A Bride’s True Price (South Africa, Producer: Sarah Basyouny, Director: Sihle
Hlophe) with an opportunity to attend the
IDFA Forum, one of the top gatherings for documentary filmmakers,
producers, commissioning editors, funds, private financiers and other
documentary filmmakers in Europe, in November.
· The broadcast
stream, Afridocs, that flights African and other international documentaries across 49 countries of sub-Saharan Africa on a
weekly basis, gave a €3000 grant to Uasi (Kenya), Producers: Matrid Nyagah,
Linda Ogeda, Director: Sam Soko.
·
The CineMart Award, sponsored by the
co-production market of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, went to the
fiction project, Miles from Nowhere (South Africa),
Producer: Bongiwe Selane, Director: Samantha Nell. The project is given an
opportunity to attend the Rotterdam Lab, is a five-day training and networking
event for producers from all over the world.
· Produire au
Sud of Festival des 3 Continents (Nantes), awarded the fiction film Miles from Nowhere (South Africa), Producer: Bongiwe Selane, Director: Samantha Nell an opportunity
to attend its developmental workshop program, PAS, where they will be given
tools, expertise, and opportunities to develop European networks.
·
Videovision Entertainment awarded the “Best South
African Film Project” to the Dabulaphu (The Short
Cut), Producers Zikethiwe Ngcobo, David Max
Brown, Director Norman Maake. They receive a prize valued at R75
000, which guarantees its release once it is completed. The prize also includes
marketing and distribution support from Videovision Entertainment.
· Versfeld & Associates, publicity consultants will develop publicity
material and advise on publicity profiling through the development two projects: Womxn:
Working (South Africa), Producer
Tiny Mungwe and Director Shanelle Jewnarain, and Richard Was Here (South Africa), Producer: Akona Matyila and
Director: Jack Chiang.
· Sørfond awarded
the project Uasi (Kenya), Producers: Matrid
Nyagah, Linda Ogeda, Director: Soko Sam with an opportunity to pitch at the
Sørfond Pitching Forum in Oslo later this year.
· CineFAM-Africa Incubator Accelerator
Programme award to pitch at the Caribbean Tales Film Festival in Toronto, went
to Mary Ann Mandishona for Mamba Kazi –
African Warrior Queens.
For more
information about the DFM go to www.durbanfilmmart.com.
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