Top honours in the Film category went to Tshwane University of Technology’s Andre met Strepie, with Henrik Purienne’s A Film About a Girl Who Wants to Become an Actress winning the Online competition.

Now in its eighth year, EDiT (Emerging Dynamics in Television) is a learner-based initiative designed to provide emerging film and television talent with genuine production opportunities within a ‘real world’ environment. The competition is open to students at tertiary institutions, who are in their final year of study, or post-graduates, as well as to individuals who are doing their apprenticeship or are interns at production companies. Participants in the Film category are given a budget of R40,000 with which to produce their films.

At the awards ceremony, M-Net’s marketing director Koo Govender said that the entries in both Film and Online had been of a high standard. “We hope to see these young filmmakers competing at the Oscars in years to come.”

M-Net commissioning editor Sibusiso Ndebele, who spearheads the EDiT project, added: “This initiative has proved very successful and opens doors for young filmmakers. We take pride and joy when we see how young filmmakers who got their first break on EDiT proceed to build solid film and television careers. I would like to thank the academics in the participating tertiary institutions for identifying and nurturing the considerable talent seen at the EDiT competition.”

Jason Probert, head of M-Net’s New Media division, said that the EDiT Online competition had been initiated in 2006 to create another platform for all the aspirant filmmakers in South Africa. “This year we have also introduced the Mobile Film Festival, so we’re looking for mobile pilots. Our plan originally was to commission only the overall winner of EDiT Online but because the entries were so good, we will commission at least five others.”