The Cape Film Commission (CFC) has announced an agreement with the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) that will see the CFC act as an agent for the dti within the Western Cape to promote film locally and internationally. The agreement focuses on helping local filmmakers attend international film festivals, markets and trade missions, with budgets allocated through the SSAS process.
According to the CFC, they will act as a local coordinator for all applicants for dti funding for the film industry on these types of missions and collate and coordinate the process on behalf of the dti. The CFC will also liaise with the NFVF on the missions they plan on a national basis.
Applicants for funding must liaise with Shamila, the CFC events co-ordinator, on Shamila@capefilmcommission.co.za to ensure the correct information is supplied. The CFC is not limited by the number of missions it can apply for funding for in any one year; however filmmakers are limited to four applications through the SSAS process.
Should filmmakers be successful in their applications, the funding should cover all marketing, accommodation, flight, transport and event entry costs. The submission to the dti by the CFC has a minimum of five filmmakers and a maximum of 20 however; the optimum would be 10 for each mission. There will be a preference given to a mix of small and larger production companies.
According to the CFC, proposed missions are currently as follows, and they will send out notifications when they request submissions from the industry:
Initial Proposal 2012/13:
1. Berlinale – February 2013
2. Hong Kong Film Market – March 2012
3. Cannes Film Festival – May 2012
4. AFCI Locations – Los Angeles – June 2012
5. TriBeca Festival, New York – April 2012
6. Annecy Animation Festival – June 2012
7. AFM Santa Monica – November 2012
According to the statement from CFC CEO Denis Lillie: “We are flexible on the above and would welcome other suggestions that for example, may have a focus on documentary.
Please note that our applications need to be with the dti 3 months before each event and your application must comply with the dti criteria, we will post that on our website in due course.
It is essential that filmmakers are registered with the CFC as members and have a membership number. This will form an important part of the application process as it will enable us to standardise much information for future applications and will assist in breaking down red tape and streamlining the process.
The dti has also requested that the CFC engage with it in its business plan for film. If you have any practical suggestions of what we should propose, please advise us before the end of November.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank the dti for their innovative thinking in this matter and we look forward to working with them proactively in the coming years.’
