SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: South African documentary filmmakers Pascal Schmitz and Samora Sekhukhune featured in the Johannesburg session of the National Film and Video Foundation’s (NFVF) In Conversation With… series held on 21 June at the Avalon Cinema in Killarney Mall.
Both filmmakers shared their insights on attending Hot Docs, North Amercia’s biggest and most prestigious documentary festival and market, earlier this year. Schmitz and Sekhukhune were part of the official South African delegation which enjoyed the support of the NFVF and the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti).
Said Schmitz, who is a board member of the Documentary Filmmakers’ Association (DFA): “In 2010 I attended the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) for the first time thanks to support from the NFVF. While there I met Elizabeth Radshaw, the director of Hot Docs who said she was very keen to have a South African delegation at her festival. So in 2011 I approached the NFVF and they made it possible for a small group of DFA members to attend Hot Docs.
“During this time I researched the dti’s Export Marketing & Investment Assistance (EMIA) Scheme, which assists any industry in South Africa to export its products. The dti has adapted EMIA for the film industry with the Emerging Exporters scheme for new companies that are at least one year old. They will pay for 20 filmmakers to attend a market or festival and fund the stand, transport and accommodation. But they don’t pay for everything, such as visas, and that’s where the NFVF fills the gaps. This year the NFVF sent five filmmakers whose projects they are currently supporting to attend Hot Docs, in addition to the DFA delegation.’
Sekhukhune noted that being part of the 18-strong South African delegation at Hot Docs was very helpful especially for a first-time delegate such as herself.
“No amount of research could have prepared me for Hot Docs. Having other people in the group who have experience of international markets was beneficial although a bit intimidating as well,’ she said.
NFVF Production & Development executive Neiloe Whitehead noted that the DFA aided the NFVF in setting up a workshop with the Hot Docs organisers to help the South Africans navigate the festival.
Sekhukhune added: “This was very useful but it would probably have been better had the workshop taken place before we arrived at HotDocs.’
Schmitz said that the DFA would undertake to do this next time. “We will hold a workshop two months in advance of IDFA in November so that people can set up appointments for the festival well before the event.’
At Hot Docs Schmitz and Ryley Grunenwald were invited to pitch their project, Sands of the Skei Queen, at the Forum.
“Once you have been selected for the Forum Elizabeth Radshaw takes you through the process,’ continued Schmitz. “You do meetings six weeks in advance and target the broadcasters you want. At the pitch there is a panel of 35 people sitting in front of you and you get seven minutes to deliver your pitch and eight minutes to answer their questions. You need to prepare and practice your pitch well in advance of the event. Four international broadcasters indicated that they were interested in our project.’
Schmitz noted that each year the South African broadcasters are invited to attend Hot Docs but never attend. “International broadcasters always prefer it if you have a local broadcaster attached to your product. Ironically it’s much harder to attach a South African broadcaster than it is an international one,’ he said.
Sekhukhune’s trans-gender project, I Am Craig, is in the very early stages of development. “I made a big mistake at Hot Docs by not setting up formal meetings in advance as I thought my project too under-developed at that stage. So for me this first Hot Docs trip was a research exercise that allowed me to start establishing relationships for the future,’ she commented.
Whitehead added: “Festivals like Hot Docs are a good opportunity for South African filmmakers to network with each other and see if they can collaborate in the future.
“I noticed that the films that generated lots of interest at Hot Docs were those that were organic to their particular communities. All of these projects were universally engaging.’
Schmitz described the documentary genre as a window into a particular world. “International broadcasters pick up on projects that they believe audiences anywhere will like, projects that are full of passion and drama. I met incredibly compassionate broadcasters at Hot Docs. One of them gave me a great piece of advice – he said: “Your film should only end when the story ends, not when the budget ends’.
“I think it’s important for South African filmmakers to attend markets like Hot Docs and IDFA to observe current trends and styles in documentary filmmaking.’
The DFA has just completed a document on the Hot Docs delegation which will soon be available on http://docfilmsa.com.
Report by Joanna Sterkowicz
