Countdown to all things Durban
19-JUN-13
Just 30 days to go until the great big Durban jamboree – four interlinking major industry events that run concurrently – the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), Durban FilmMart, (DFM), Talent Campus Durban, and Durban Wild Talk Africa.
Bored with board talk
22-MAY-13
The big news emanating from yesterday's budget vote speech by South African
Minister of Communications Dina Pule, or rather from a press conference held
just after her presentation to parliament...
The new BFF?
08-MAY-13
If someone rescues you and gets you out of trouble then do they instantly
qualify to be your ‘best friend forever’?...
Tin Cup
10-APR-13
Remember the scene in the Kevin Costner golfing movie, Tin Cup, where he
strikes a
golf ball from inside the Club House Bar through the window, across the water
hazard
and the ball obligingly plonks onto the green?...
Wanted: a new broom
13-MAR-13
Just when you think that things can’t get worse at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) – low and behold – they do...
The great trek
13-FEB-13
Spontaneous applause erupted in the middle of a session at the Digital Broadcasting Switchover Forum (DBSF) in Johannesburg on 12 February, when Habbi Gunze of the Tanzanian regulator announced that...
Hands up!
23-JAN-13
Hands up anyone who thinks there is any chance of the situation at South Africa’s long-time beleaguered public broadcaster improving this year, taking into account recent reports of a bizarre plan to...
Master class
12-DEC-12
Every so often a film comes along that really moves you – for me earlier this year it was the Oscar-winning The Artist and now it’s Life of Pi. So, I apologise for waxing lyrical about...
Ubiquity
14-NOV-12
Human beings in the digital age are well and truly at the mercy of content, simply because they desire it so much. We constantly want content on all manner of screens – our TVs...
It's market time!
31-OCT-12
For years South African television executives and broadcasters have been going to the premier international content markets – MIPTV and MIPCOM – in Cannes, France. Today marks...
Reality? Really?
12-JUN-13
In an ingenious campaign (devised by CHI&Partners NY) to mobilise viewers to migrate to its channel while simultaneously making a telling statement about reality TV...
Game of Films
15-MAY-13
It’s that time of year again – the glistening Cote d'Azur, dazzling stars, high
profile premičres, glitzy parties, much-anticipated screenings and major deal-
making behind the scenes of the...
Bailout?
17-APR-13
Today is the day when South African satellite pay-TV operator TopTV, owned by ODM (On Digital Media) is scheduled to publish its Business Rescue Plan...
The weekend that was
20-MAR-13
Nominees, hopes, winners, triumphs, disappointments, smiles, grimaces, trophies, red carpets, elegance, glamour… The SAFTAs (South African Film and Television Awards) took place on Friday, 15 and Saturday, 16 March...
Desperately seeking ‘no news’
20-FEB-13
Having been exposed to South African and global media for the past week reminds me of one of the first maxims that we learnt decades ago in the journalism department at Rhodes University...
Word attack
06-FEB-13
Do you ever wonder if the people who write party political and / or government documents (ie. resolutions, policies, strategies, etc.) give any thought to the people who have to...
The winner’s smile
16-JAN-13
So here we sit in South Africa, far, far away from Los Angeles and yet those of us who truly love film can’t help but be swept up in the tidal wave of Hollywood Awards Season, just because it’s so exciting and mega star-powered...
Bondism rules!
28-NOV-12
It’s easy to get totally caught up in all the global hype surrounding the 23rd James Bond film, Skyfall, which releases in South Africa on Friday. So far reviews of Skyfall have been...
Ownership and going local
07-NOV-12
Last week South African public broadcaster SABC issued a statement announcing that, as per a meeting held by its board, the broadcaster’s Intellectual Property (IP) Policy had been...
The Persuaders
24-OCT-12
This Friday will see a gathering of some of South Africa’s top creative minds at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre for the annual PromaxBDA Africa Conference &...