SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: A record 233 title entries were received for the 2012 South African Film & Television Awards (SAFTAS), which will be awarded in March 2012 at a venue still to be disclosed.
Indicating a sure sign of growth in the sector, the Feature Film category attracted a record 23 entries. The category with the most entries is Factual, which received 39 entries.
Custodian of the SAFTAS, the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), has appointed a total of 104 judges – all past SAFTA nominees and winners – to judge the entries. Judging takes place in two phases – filtration (to reduce the large number of entries) and final judging which is skills specific.
The NFVF convened a meeting in Johannesburg on 13 October to brief judges on SAFTAS procedures, rules and regulations. All judges were presented with the SAFTAS guidelines as well as DVDs with the entries.
SAFTAS project manager Azania Muendane announced the names of the two overall judging chairpersons – Jackie Motsepe and Feizel Mamdoo.
“Jackie and Feizel will not be involved in the judging per se – they are there to sort out any discrepancies or disputes that may occur during the judging phases. If any judge notices something amiss they must report it to the chairperson of their particular judging panel, who will then approach Jackie and Feizel. Each panel appoints its own chairperson,’ explained Muendane.
SAFTAS chairperson Eddie Mbalo added: “”We need chairs who are respected by the industry. Jackie is ex-NFVF and was involved in launching the SAFTAS seven years ago. She has a huge passion for the industry and is now a senior manager at SABC International Acquisitions.
“Feizel has been in the trenches of the industry for years. He is currently the chair of the South African Screen Federation (SASFED) and was involved in launching the Independent Producers Organisation (IPO) years ago.’
Mamdoo noted that judges come with their own sensibilities. “The SAFTAS judging is an organic process with dynamic interaction. So I appeal to the judges to go into the process with open minds – interaction must be based on respect all round and openness.’
Motsepe described this as a very exciting time for the industry. “The SAFTAS is about the people in this room because we rely on your expertise to select the best work of the past year. We’re looking forward to your participation.’
The SAFTAS committee is not involved in judging at all. Said Mbalo: “The SAFTAS rules and regulations are cast in stone for the 2012 competition – they will be reveived next year following the awards ceremonies. If any judge thinks changes should be made to the rules and regulations then please put it in writing and submit your suggestion to the overall judging chairpersons so that it can be considered during the review process.
“We ask that all judges familiarise themselves with the rules and regulations and we trust that you will make fair decisions. Products must be judged for what they are, rather than by who made them. We require maturity and fairness from judges as these awards are meant to raise standards in the industry. ‘
This is the first time in SAFTAS history that the competition has such a big group of judges. Mbalo continued: “The DVDs with the entries that you will receive tonight for the first round of judging must not be distributed among family and friends – it’s imperative that the work be protected. I am also chairperson of the South African Federation Against Copyright Theft (SAFACT) so am committed to the fight against piracy. Each judge has a responsibility to ensure the work is protected at all costs.’
Ever since the SAFTAS launched, the committee (made up of representatives from the NFVF, SASFED, SABC, e.tv, M-Net, Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro) has had a long term plan to set up the South African Film & Television Academy to administer the SAFTAS.
“We are still moving ahead with this plan, however the Academy is a separate structure that needs its own funding. At the moment the NFVF is the sole funder of the SAFTAS, so we need to raise the standard of the SAFTAS so that it attracts sponsorship,’ commented Mbalo.
Muendane emphasised that the SAFTAS are about celebrating creativity and encouraging excellence in the industry. “Although entries are closed there is a still a call out to the industry until 31 December to nominate new entrants to the industry who have only worked for a year, to compete for a special Newcomer Award. Nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award are similarly still open.”
All SAFTAS entries are South African productions and official co-productions. The latter requires accreditation from the Department of Arts & Culture, via the NFVF, to give it official co-production status. Only South Africans with permanent residence can be awarded SAFTAS.
The minimum number of nominations per category is three, the maximum is five.
Auditing of all stages of the judging process, as well as the awards ceremonies themselves, is undertaken by Deloitte.
Nominees will be announced in January 2012.
“We are delighted with the huge number of entries this year and applaud the industry for ploughing through the mud of a very difficult year to produce all this fine work,’ concluded Muendane.
(Report by Joanna Sterkowicz)
