Twelve documentary projects and 12 fiction feature projects out of a total of 110 submissions from 13 African countries have been selected for the third edition of the Durban FilmMart, which runs from 20 to 23 July during the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).
A joint project of the Durban Film Office and DIFF, the Durban FilmMart is principally funded by the City of Durban. Over 300 delegates are expected to attend the event.
Project submissions came from South Africa, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Swaziland.
Says the DFO’s Toni Monty: “Comparing the quality of this year’s applications to those received for our inaugural edition in 2010 there is a marked difference in terms of the industry’s understanding of what a market is and the type of projects that should enter.
“The Durban FilmMart was initiated with the aim to serve the developmental needs of industry while maintaining the benchmarks of African markets before it and other markets around the world. Striking this balance will always be a challenge and a great deal of thought goes into the mix of projects that are selected.’
She notes that that the overseas co-producers and buyers who attend Durban FilmMart look for projects with a local relevance and international appeal.
The producers of the selected projects will have the opportunity to hold one-on-one meetings with potential investors and co-producers at the Finance Forum. Documentary projects will be pitched to a panel of commissioning editors and funders in the DOC Circle.
All the participants will also be able to liaise with industry professionals during several scheduled networking sessions.
Prizes confirmed at the time of writing include the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and Jan Vrijman Fund Grant for the Most Promising Documentary Project. This prize covers the winning filmmakers’ stay and accreditation to IDFA, the IDFAcademy and observer status at the Forum
The International Film Festival of Rotterdam’s co-production forum, Cinemart, will select three fiction projects to attend the Cinemart Rotterdam Lab during their festival.
In addition, as part of the France-South Africa Seasons 2012 & 2013 Canal France International will award a one-year licensing deal to one of the documentary project while Arte France will award a cash prize of €6 000 to a fiction project.
Videovision Entertainment will present a prize for the Best South African Film Project.
Monty continues: “A new prize we are giving this year is the opportunity to attend the European Audio Visual Entrepreneur (EAVE) Producer’s Workshop. EAVE is a professional training, project development and networking organisation for producers within the audio visual sector.’
International guests
Financiers attending Durban FilmMart 2012 include Kisha Cameron-Dingle from Completion Films; Meinolf Zurhorst of ZDF Arte; Alice Ramsey of Bankside-Films; and Joslyn Barnes of Lourveture Films.
Peter Rorvik, director of DIFF adds: “We also have confirmation from PBS channel POV’s documentary executive producer Simon Kilmurry, Santosh Daniel from the American funding body Global Film Initiative, and a contingent of broadcasting representatives from 12 African countries in addition to representatives from Arte, Aljazeera and e.tv.
“In addition to connections facilitated by CineMart and IDFA, the Durban FilmMart also uses the services of international match-maker Lucas Rosant, who has a lot of international co-production experience and an impressive array of international links. Lucas has attended the last two editions of Durban FilmMart and helps our delegates to find the right fit for their projects,’ says Rorvik.
Kisha Cameron-Dingle is a returning financier and has participated at Finance Forum in the last two years. On her first visit she connected with the producers of Tok Tokkie, and has been involved in the development of that project ever since.
Hot Docs Blue Ice Documentary Group will bring their first grantees for in depth development with six mentor / broadcasters. These broadcasters will also be able to take part in the DFM projects during DOC Circle and Finance Forum.
Master classes
Durban FilmMart includes two master classes provided through EAVE’s international workshop programme. Roshanak Behesht Nediad will present a master class on Finance while Jacques Akchoti will present a master class on scriptwriting.
The COA Group returns to the Durban FilmMart to join a panel on digital trends and new media entitled Digital Africa.
DFM and DIFF have moved their residential and workshop hub to Durban’s Golden Mile.
Screen Africa magazine – June 2012
