A new eco-friendly film infrastructure and tourism development in Namibia aims to transform it into the “most film-friendly country in the world’.
Desert Star Motion Picture Studios and Resorts plans to combine permanent film sets with film studios and production facilities, as well as 7-star resort accommodation, an international airport and a golf course designed by South Africa’s Ernie Els.
They plan to develop 10 sites in Namibia through a 10 year rollout plan, with construction on the first and flagship site, Desert Star South on the banks of the Orange River in south east Namibia, to start in October this year.
CEO of Desert Star Holdings, Rudolf Markgraaff, says he got the idea while on a location recce for a period piece called The Lamb in Morocco with South African director Regardt van den Bergh (Faith Like Potatoes).
“We looked around and asked ourselves why we could not shoot our film, which requires desert settings, closer to home. The idea evolved into the decision to build permanent film sets for our film and other films. The film industry creates enormous waste and we thought that we could bring about immense savings by building sets that we could re-use.’
According to Andrea Vinassa from Desert Star publicity they want to emulate and improve on a successful project by the Moroccan government which transformed Ouarzazate, a previously insignificant oasis in the Sahara desert, into a film and tourist city with over 80 000 inhabitants.
“Over the past decade Ouarzazate has attracted 42 international film productions and thousands of tourists, generating in excess of $1.2b in foreign income for that country,’ explains Vinassa.
They believe combining filmmaking with tourism, extreme sports, resort and residential property development will ensure financial sustainability in the current world economic climate.
Best facilities
Vinassa explains that they are aiming to build the “best and most comprehensive production facilities in southern Africa’.
“The permanent film sets, integrated into the landscape, will be complemented by everything a filmmaker would need to produce an international blockbuster movie – from production offices, studios, sound stages, stunt tracks, wardrobe and make-up, back lots and post-production facilities, an animal handling area and nursery. We are building a city, replete with crew accommodation, shopping centre, restaurant, recreational and medical facilities that will eventually house 50 000 residents.’
The number and size of studios is not yet determined. “The Desert Star South studios will be built in the first phase of development and we plan to start shooting The Lamb at the same time. We will be adding studios and sets as we go along. Sets will be custom-built depending on the production,’ says Vinassa.
An “Open Film and Tourism Zone’ is planned to allow for the free flow of film professionals and goods into the basin surrounding Desert Star South.
The development will also be eco-friendly by operating on solar power, and aims to create a blueprint for a greener film industry that can be implemented worldwide.
Vinassa notes that they are using a number of funding mechanisms, including private equity investors, loan finance, the sale of fractional title property and an initial public offering (IPO) which is planned for October 2013.
“We have more than 100 founding investors, ordinary people who believed in our vision, who invested in the start-up phase of the company, and had enough faith in us to get us to the point where we are now marketing the concept in Europe and the US,’ she notes.
Hollywood champion
Their champion in Los Angeles is Frank Yablans, the former president of Paramount Pictures, who is also attached to produce The Lamb.
“He has a massive network of Hollywood players and has worked tirelessly to create awareness. We are contacting producers and agents through word-of-mouth and one-on-one meetings,’ explains Vinassa.
When the time comes, they will also invite South African producers and filmmakers to a launch at Desert Star to introduce them to the facilities.
While they are targeting family movies, including biblical and historical epics, they are open to any film with the budget to shoot at Desert Star. “We welcome all genres from cowboy movies, to documentary to sci-fi to first century epics and middle Eastern war films,’ says Vinassa.
Besides The Lamb, a $20m production set in first century Jerusalem, a number of other productions are slated to shoot at Desert Star. “Jonah is a $1,6m biblical tale for which the producers will import a first century ship from the Middle East to Walvis Bay, and transport it down to the banks of the Orange River. Then we have the 3D three-picture franchise, The Lion of War, produced by GiantKiller Productions, as well as Deo Volente, the story of Saul / Pauls’s personal transformation,’ adds Vinassa.
According to Markgraaff they have received unprecedented support from the Namibian government, which facilitated all project approvals and final clearance of the environmental scoping report and environmental impact studies, as well as approving access plans and granting the water permit.
By Linda Loubser
Screen Africa Magazine – March 2012
