With the 2014 edition of the world’s biggest film festival taking place from 14 to
25 May, the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) will be sending a
delegation to the southern French city to showcase the latest South African
films, foster co-production arrangements and demonstrate South Africa’s
prowess as a film producing nation.
The NFVF’s plans for this year’s festival revolve around the country’s
celebrations of 20 years of democracy, says CEO Zama Mkosi. “We will be
looking at our past achievements, as well as celebrating the 20-year milestone.
Our schedule also includes co-production forums with Brazil, UK and Canada.
One of the key messages we are sending is for countries to work with us in
telling South African stories through collaborations, utilising our resources as
well as recognising those stories as having international appeal. Co-productions
play a key role in ensuring that our stories continue to be told, that our
filmmakers are exposed to the global community or international markets and
also offer opportunities to create global networks beyond our borders.’ The
NFVF’s focus is not only on nurturing the co-production treaties that are already
in place, but also on the development of new ones.
20 years of democracy
The ’20 years of democracy theme’, Mkosi says, will be reflected throughout the
NFVF’s Cannes programme. The plan is to showcase films that either speak
directly to the theme or demonstrate what 20 years of democracy has meant to
South African filmmakers. Among the films selected for exhibition are Rehad
Desai’s searing documentary on the Marikana massacre, Miners Shot Down;
Khalo Matabane’s Nelson Mandela: the Myth and Me, which asks the question,
“How do people interpret Nelson Mandela’s message of freedom, forgiveness
and reconciliation in the world of today?’; and Donovan Marsh’s heist thriller
iNumber Number. “We hope that these films will resonate with our liberation,’
Mkosi says. “We will also host a South Africa Day, which will offer pavilion visitors
more about South Africa as a filmmaking destination.
The significance of Cannes
The importance of the Cannes Film Festival in the context of the world film
industry cannot be denied, but how important is it really as a platform for the
NFVF’s operations and how effective is it in this regard? “The Cannes successes
have been phenomenal over the past few years,’ says Mkosi, “and it therefore
remains very relevant to our mandate. “Our focus this year is on filmmakers that
are looking at securing co-production deals and films that speak to the “20 years
of freedom’ theme. Last year we had market screenings of three films: Blitz
Patrollie, Black South Easter and Khumba to various sales agents, distributors
and financiers and co-production treaty partners. At the end of the festival, Blitz
Patrollie had signed an international distribution deal with German sales and
production company Picture Tree. Khumba also concluded a distribution deal
with Metropolitan Filmexport, a major French distributor. To top it all, the NFVF is
also proud that Zulu, another co-production – this time, with France – was
honoured as a closing film at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.’
Measures of success
How then does the NFVF measure the success of its work at Cannes? “As our
participation at Cannes is to promote the country’s projects and to ensure that
our filmmakers are exposed to the international arena, our success is
determined by their achievement at the festival,’ says Mkosi. “For example, last
year the country was well represented through films such as Khumba. The
signing of the distribution deal for Khumba by one of France’s biggest
distribution companies was a major coup for the production company Triggerfish,
and that is the kind of deal we aim to achieve at Cannes.’
The NFVF’s delegation to Cannes is at the festival from 15 to 20 May.
