All those in the local film and television production industry wishing to enter the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAS) now have until 4pm on Friday, 13 August to do so.
“Due to the limited time provided to production companies to submit their projects, the SAFTAS committee felt it rational to extend the deadline. Most production companies were engaged with the 2010 FIFA World Cup and didn’t have enough time to prepare their material. Therefore it was fair for the committee to heed their request of extending the deadline,’ says Eddie Mbalo, CEO of the National Film and Video Foundation (the SAFTAS custodian).
The Feature Film and Life Time Achievement category entries still close on 31 of December 2010 as previously announced.
Productions eligible for entry should have been produced and publicly exhibited or broadcast in South Africa between 1 August 2009 and 31 July 2010. In the feature film category, the SAFTAS committee has made a decision to extend the closing date to 31 December to allow all features produced and exhibited within the eligibility period to qualify.
In 2011 the SAFTAS will continue to give accolades to individuals and productions in the following categories: TV Non-fiction, TV Fiction, Feature Films, Short Films, Student Films and Animation with Special Lifetime achievement awards. The Best Newcomer category has also been added to honour individuals who have been in the film and television industry for a period of one year.
Members of the public are encouraged to nominate individuals who have through the years tirelessly contributed to the industry in the category of Life Time Achievement. Previous individuals who have been honoured in this category include Cynthia Shange, Joe Mafela, Dr. John Kani and Katinga Heyns. The closing date for public nomination is 31 December 2010.
Rules and regulations can be obtained from the NFVF website: www.nfvf.co.za.
This year entries can only be entered online at www.saftaregistration.co.za.
