South Africa is to be honoured with a red carpet walk of honour at the 2008 Cannes International Film Festival which opens on 14 May. The Marche du Film executive director Jerome Paillard has given special permission for the Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Ms Ngw Botha, to lead the South African delegation attending the festival up the famous red carpet at the Palais des Festivals. This was revealed as “a promotional highlight’ of the South African programme at Cannes by the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) head of marketing and public affairs, Jackie Motsepe at an industry briefing in Cape Town on Tuesday, 6 May.
Motsepe also launched the South African theme “South Africa: Your co-production partner of choice’ for the 2008 Cannes Film Festival at the special NFVF briefing, co-hosted by the Cape Film Commission and attended by industry members and the media.
According to Motsepe the main objectives of the NFVF at the 2008 Cannes Film are the celebration of 11 years of South Africa’s participation at the festival, promotion of South Africa as a filmmaking destination and positioning South Africa as a co-production partner of choice. The South African pavilion which has been organised by the NFVF and co-sponsored by the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC) will provide a business base and enabling environment for South African delegates in Cannes. The DTI will have a significant presence in Cannes in order to introduce the new production incentive to the international filmmaking community. The NFVF will also introduce up and coming producers to the international film arena during the festival.
The NFVF will host a conference, themed “South African your co-production partner of choice’ on Wednesday 21 May at the five star Hotel Martinez. Key guests at the conference are the Marche du Film’s Jerome Paillard and DTI director general, Tsheliso Matona .
Among the topics to be unpacked at the conference will be the current treaties and case studies of successful film and television co-productions – World Unseen (by Shamim Sarif), Goodbye Bafana (by David Wicht), Jozi H (by Alfons Adetuyi, Thabang Meleya) and Molo Fish (by Clarence Hamilton). Motsepe also revealed that by the end of 2008 , the NFVF would have four additional co-production treaties in place with Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and France.
The conference will also incorporate discussions on financial funding opportunities, with Video Visions Entertainment’s Sanjeev Singh talking on distribution and exhibition.
South Africa as a founding partner of the Producers Network, will have a South African spotlight on the launch of South Africa’s production incentive. The NFVF and DTI will host thematic tables on South Africa’s new production incentive and co-production treaties at the network.
The NFVF will also host a networking event at the Hotel Martinez for industry professionals and local DJ Black Coffee will be the entertainment for the occasion.
