Previously focused on marketing Durban as a world class filmmaking destination, the Durban Film Office (DFO) will henceforth concentrate on developing capacity within its local industry. The DFO will also put a strong emphasis on new media in all its programmes as the way forward to developing a sustainable film sector in the region.
The announcement was made on 25 July at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), when the DFO presented the findings of the Durban & KZN Film Industry Review, commissioned a year ago.
Said Toni Monty, acting CEO of the DFO: “We’ve spent the last 18 months looking at the DFO in terms of its structure and mandate, which was designed initially to attract filmmakers into the region. What became clear is that we needed a definite growth plan for the future, in terms of expanding the local industry’s capacity. To formulate a plan we had to have concrete data about the industry as it is now.’
Martin Cuff of Martin Cuff Consulting was commissioned by the DFO to do a study into filmic activity within Durban and the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and its relation to the more developed industries in Gauteng and the Western Cape.
For more on the Durban & KZN Film Industry Review see August issue of Screen Africa.
