The South African commercials service industry will have a unified front at the upcoming Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in France in June, courtesy of the Cape Film Commission’s (CFC) South Africa House initiative.
South Africa House will be situated in a prominent position on Cannes famous beachfront promenade, La Croisette (number 55), where the South African flag will be visible all down the strip. A big draw card of South Africa House will be the large format screenings of FIFA World Cup games taking place during the week of 20 to 26 June. South Africans based at the House will be able to invite their business contacts to come and watch the games.
CFC Manager: Marketing & Operations Nicole Klassen notes that this year’s South Africa House project is subject to a more constrained budget than that of 2009.
Last year we had to deal with the economic recession, whereas this year we’re still dealing with it but also with the fact that we don’t have the support of the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Gauteng Film Commission (GFC). However, we’re creating a strong base at Cannes Lions for the South African brand. 2010 is a big year for South Africa and it would be strange if we did not have a presence at Cannes Lions. Furthermore, it’s clear that the global ad industry is picking up after struggling through last year, so people are rushing to take advantage of this upsurge.
Read more in the May 2010 issue of Screen Africa
