The Australian High Commission was proud to support a visit to South Africa by two Australian filmmakers, Sieh Mchawala and David Valivedoo, who participated in the 9th annual Tri-Continental Film Festival (TCFF) and the associated bi-annual People to People International Documentary Conference in Johannesburg from 9 to 15 September.
TCFF is South Africa’s only film festival dedicated to human rights. Mchawala and Valivedoo screened selected works at the festival and participated in panel discussions and master classes at the Conference. On Tuesday 13 September they presented a selection of their works to invited guests at the Residence of the Australian High Commissioner to South Africa.
The filmmakers’ visit coincides with the recent entry into force of the Australia-South Africa film co-production agreement. This treaty-level agreement, which entered into force on 22 August 2011, aims to encourage film co-productions between Australian and South African filmmakers by streamlining some of the administrative and funding issues around cooperation in film-making.
Practical benefits for filmmakers are that projects approved as official co- productions under the treaty will be granted “national treatment’ by both countries, meaning co-producers can access a range of funding and tax benefits; simplified immigration requirements for the entry of skilled personnel; and duty free importation of equipment for use in co-productions. Official co-productions will also be treated as “local content’ under domestic television broadcast quotas.
The agreement will provide opportunities for Australian and South African film-makers to pool their creative and financial resources, facilitate cultural and creative exchange between the countries and increase the output of high-quality productions.
The Australian High Commission participated in an information session about the film co-production agreement on 13h September at the People to People Conference.
For more information about the potential of the agreement for film-makers, please see the Screen Australia website: www.screenaustralia.gov.au/coproductions.
