As morning broke on a blustery cold Joburg winter morning, like any savvy social media consumer, I picked up my smart phone and logged onto Facebook and saw a fellow filmmaker post pictures of a sun-drenched Durban beachfront taken the same morning. Hours later, as my mid-afternoon flight descended on King Shaka, the skies were grey and the winter rain fell below. So much for the sun.
As I descended on the 8th Durban FilmMart, which took place from 14 to 17 July 2017 at the Tsogo Sun Elangeni Hotel, it was abuzz with local tourists, primary school sports teams mingling with aspirants and veteran filmmakers. After a very short wait at the DFM registration booth (they’re efficient), I made my way to meet with my fellow filmmakers, who were milling around the second floor pool deck. Several of us had made it to the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) opening night film screening, Serpent produced by Video Vision. For those squeamish about snakes in a tent – this is not for you. I can attest to this by the amount of times my chair was kicked by the lady behind me every time the black mamba raised its fanged head and hissed.
Afterwards, a group of us made our way to The Chairman, arguably South Africa’s most diverse and funky nightclub. A mix of Mzansi cool, Cuban murals, Greenwich Village New York City flair and New Orleans art decor. For us right-brained people, between the vibey sounds of Afro Punk Band Urban Village and the DJ’s rare grooves, we could not ask for more – or so we thought. As we enjoyed the vibe, I noticed that there were more female filmmakers who had joined the little cipher we had gathered – refreshing.
Women-led film
It was Friday, the DFM had officially opened and it was evident that the narrative was to focus a good part of the programme on women filmmakers. I attended a conference session titled ‘Women-Led Film: In conversation with Tilane Jones’. Jones is the executive director of ARRAY, an independent film distributor co-founded by African American director Ava DuVernay (Selma, The 13th, Queen Sugar). The session was facilitated by Moikgantsi Kgama of Image Nation, an independent film exhibitor in Harlem, New York. The discussion was centred on the innovative business model that ARRAY had set up in the last few years. ARRAY’s primary focus is on women-led films; written, produced and directed by women with “original voices”.
Since opening their doors in late 2013, all films distributed by ARRAY have made a profit. Yes, you read that correctly – profit. Jones says that for them, the key to making a profit is that they ASK audiences what types of films they would like to see.
The Emerging Black Filmmakers Scheme
On Saturday, early morning grey clouds gave way to a warm winter’s sun. I made my way to the beachfront and made good use of the outdoor gym facing the Indian Ocean. Later that day, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) held a workshop on The Emerging Black Filmmakers Scheme. Hats off to the DTI for being transparent and open to questions. At the workshop, the DTI shared that R362 million has been earmarked for the rebate scheme for the fiscal year 2017/18 and of that, R100 million is allocated to emerging filmmakers. Yes, it seems like a contentious issue – who is considered emerging? But hey, here is a government agency rolling out a scheme that is there to financially support content creators, which gives a 50 per cent rebate of the first R6 million and is 25 per cent above the QSAPE (Qualifying South African Production Expenditure). You will be hard pressed to find that anywhere else in the world.
20 years of co-production with Canada
On Sunday, 16 July, the day ended with the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) hosting The Canada Media Fund to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of the SA/Canada co-production treaty. We were packed in like sardines, as the Canadian High Commissioner lauded South Africa’s local film sector for engaging in over 20 co-productions in as many years with our Northern partners in film. Facilitated by SA ex-pat, producer Lance Samuels of the Blue Ice Film Fund (The Book of Negroes), and Nigerian-Canadian producer/director Alfonse Adetuyi (Molo Fish, Jozi H, Love Jacked), the accolades were many. The Canada Media Fund, which has an estimated $365 million Canadian dollars, is encouraging more co-productions with South Africa. So polish off that script and make tracks to Toronto International Film Festival in September.
The wrap-up
It’s said that in today’s business world you are either the disruptor or your become disrupted. What is your business going to be? On the last day of DFM, a panel titled ‘Virtual Reality (VR): What’s Happening in Africa and What Can We Make Happen?’ was held. From the conference sessions held this year, it is evident that DFM seeks to keep pace with the global trends that impact on all in the sector. It’s a different lens we have to look through when faced with the fast-paced changes taking place in the area of filmmaking, changes which include gender issues, immersive entertainment (VR), screen-based media content and new distribution platforms (streaming, VOD), skills development and transformation of the local film industry as well as ownership of content as content developers.
As the weekend wound down and the Durban winter seemed to tease us with its unseasonable warmth, I once again held fort at the proverbial altar of filmmakers alike – the hotel pool bar. Its here you can feel the temperature of the Mart. I eagerly listened and drank my cider. It seemed the Mart had met the expectations for the majority of us, me included.
By Themba A. Sibeko
