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Arts & Culture Minister meets with film sector
Tue, 13 Oct 2009
At an open forum with the film industry held at Atlas Studios in Johannesburg on 12 October, South Africa’s new Minister of Arts & Culture, the Honourable Lulu Xingwana, urged for a closer relationship between her Department and the sector and called on the industry to be activist in this regard.
“The fact that we’re here meeting with you shows the Department of Arts & Culture (DAC) has an open door policy. Government needs to deepen its understanding of the industry so we’re here to touch base on issues that need attention. We’re certainly not oblivious to the big problems facing the industry relating to funding and policy issues.
“The DAC would have liked to meet with you earlier but I haven’t been in this portfolio very long. The film industry has a very important role to play in South Africa’s economy. It is still in its infancy but with the right support it can become one of the leading film industries in the world.
“Once we have engaged with the industry we can start formulating policies. We want to create vibrant platforms for the arts sector. The DAC believes that the imminent signing of Co-production Treaties with Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and France will add to our film platforms.”
Minister Xingwana noted that she had already met with other government departments including the Minister of Trade & Industry. “I can report that the Minister will soon announce some amendments to eradicate the delays we have been experiencing in the distribution of National Lottery funds to our sector,” she said. “We are also engaging with him about amendments to the Copyright Act which governs the all important issue of intellectual property (IP).”
Earlier, in introducing the Minister, Eddie Mbalo, the CEO of the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) said: “I have spent more time with this Minister in the few short months since she took office than with any of her predecessors at the DAC in the nine years I’ve been in office. She takes the issues of film very serious and has become our champion.”
Representatives from industry organisations including the South African Screen Federation (SASFED), The Producers Alliance (TPA), Independent Producers Organisation (IPO), Women of the Sun (WoS) and the Documentary Filmmakers Association (DFA) tabled issues such as dysfunctional public institutions (namely the SABC), transformation, sustainability of the industry, insufficient funding for the sector, the stranglehold on IP by broadcasters, skills development, factors adversely affecting the freelance sector, the moratorium on the Sithengi Film & TV Market, and the perceived weakness of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA).
The Minister expressed agreement on most of the issues raised and urged the industry to make written submissions on said issues to her Department. This, she said, would aid the DAC in formulating policies and engaging with other Departments on the industry’s behalf.
Dozens of industry stakeholders attended the meeting, including a delegation from the Cape Film Commission (CFC) led by CEO Laurence Mitchell. See full story in November issue of Screen Africa.
To see pictures from the event log onto http://www.screenafrica.com/pls/cms/cm_show_gallery?p_gid=18452&p_site_id=103
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