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.’
The 2007 EDiT Film Award winners are:
Best Overall Project: Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) – Andre met Strepie
Best Overall Project (Runner Up): University of Johannesburg – Forbidden Cue
Best Performance by a Cast: Dillon Govender – University of Johannesburg – Forbidden Cue
Best Directing: Morne du Toit – Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) – Andre met Strepie
Best Photography: Stephen de Villiers – University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) – Commando
Best Acting: Morne du Toit – Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) – Andre met Strepie
The Best Overall Project was awarded R50,000 in cash, while the category winners each received a cash prize of R10,000 from M-Net.
The 2007 EDiT Online Award winners are:
Animation: Henry – produced by Louis Minnaar
Documentary: A film about a girl who wants to become an actress – Henrik Purienne
Music Videos: Dorp – London out there – Wessel Albertse and Eben Olivier
Short Film: Robotic Dreams/ National Nightmares Christo Oberholzer and Mpho Oseitutu
Mobile: The Legend of Koos Lee – Remano de Beer
Overall winner: A film about a girl who wants to become an actress – Henrik Purienne
The category winners each received R10 000, while the overall winner walked off with R25 000.
Entries for the 2008 EDiT Awards are now open. For more information, go to www.mnet.co.za.
