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Durban International Film Festival gears up for its 2018 edition

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Durban International Film Festival gears up for its 2018 edition

This year, the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), the leading event of its kind on the African continent, is once again bringing film-lovers and filmmakers from across the globe to the city of Durban for a feast of the latest and greatest that cinema has to offer, from 19 to 29 July.

“We are in a time of diversity, where women, racial minorities and LGBTI communities who have traditionally been underrepresented in film are having their voices brought to the fore,” says Chipo Zhou, DIFF festival manager. “Referencing this global narrative, the films in this year’s festival will reflect these new voices as much as possible. Having said that, we have had a tough time selecting from the over 2000 submissions received. It is always a bittersweet process for the team, who have had to cut this number to 200.”

“Nelson Mandela once said “Fools multiply when wise men are silent”, and with recent revelations on the exploitation of women in the industry, the DIFF is rallying behind the #itsnotokay movement,” reports Zhou. “We will show public service announcements prior to each screening that have been created by SWIFT (Sisters Working in Film and Television) – the South African based NPO that works to protect and advance the cause of women in South African film and television. This is part of our contribution to the reimaging of the South African film industry. We will also screen a selection of Nelson Mandela films as a special focus, in commemoration of his centenary birthday celebrations.”

“African cinema, including the work of female directors, is exploding with the broadening of themes and cinematic styles. There is a celebration of the development of new thematic, universal and aesthetic interpretive perspectives and our selection this year is testament to this,” enthuses Zhou.

The festival will showcase 100 fiction and documentary feature length films and a wide selection of short films and documentaries. Twenty-five films from the BRICS programme, hosted by the National Department of Arts and Culture in partnership with the National Film and Video Foundation, will run parallel to the DIFF and the Durban FilmMart (DFM).

The Durban FilmMart enters its ninth iteration in 2018 and will yet again offer a robust industry programme that is not only abreast with industry trends but aims to project beyond them. The DFM, taking place from 20 to 23 July, is a premier film industry market platform and continues to attract an extensive global network yet is firmly grounded on the African continent. This year, the DIFF and the Durban FilmMart have worked closely to synergise content with the appointment of well-known curator Russel Hlongwane to bring a joint vision to light.

The DIFF Industry Programme, which is targeted at emerging filmmakers and the general public interested in learning more about film, will provide an overview of the value chain in the film industry. This is a public programme pitched at entry level filmmakers. The programme also assumes its official title, Isiphethu, an isiZulu word meaning springs. The adoption of this title is informed by the need for the industry programme to establish an identity within and alongside the DFM. Both the Durban FilmMart and the Isiphethu Hub will have a strong focus on developing documentary filmmaking with targeted workshops and master classes – by several highly acclaimed international industry practitioners – taking place.

The educational Talents Durban, in partnership with Berlinale Talents, turns 11 this year, having attracted over 250 applications from 30 countries throughout the African continent. This year, a total of nineteen, very promising Talents Durban participants were carefully selected by an independent, international, woman-led Talents Durban alumnae selection committee. After vigilant consideration the committee selected three film critics to join Talent Press, four animation directors, six directors and six screenwriters.

“We look forward to our 39th edition, ahead of what we hope will be a significant 40th celebration in 2019,” says Zhou. “With about 600 filmmakers in attendance the public can look forward to a feast of film and some fascinating insights into the world of cinema.”

9th Durban FilmMart: Creating Networks, Developing Content and Building the Business of Film in Africa

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9th Durban FilmMart: Creating Networks, Developing Content and Building the Business of Film in Africa

One of Africa’s premier film industry events, the Durban FilmMart (DFM), a joint programme of the eThekwini Municipality’s Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) has ramped up its offerings to delegates for its 9th edition, which takes place from 20 to 23 July.

“The 2018 edition of Durban FilmMart offers some exciting opportunities through a diverse programme of master classes, seminars and events, for African filmmakers to build business networks, explore collaborations, develop content, benchmark their creative and production work in line with international trends, and look for investment and business opportunities,” says Toni Monty, head of the Durban Film Office. “But what underpins the DFM, is the focus on developing the industry in Africa, whilst drawing on local African and international expertise.”

“There are a number of lead speakers presenting at this year’s DFM,” says Russel Hlongwane, curator of the DFM and DIFF industry programme. “This year’s programme promises to stretch the mindsets of industry players, providing them with innovation and new thinking, coupled with opportunities to engage with successful and respected thought-leaders.”

Some of these key speakers include, amongst others, Dayo Ogunyemi, Lagos-based creative entrepreneur, investor and founder of 234 Media, which makes principal and private investments in the media, entertainment and technology sectors in Africa; Stephen Follows, a leading trainer and thought-leader in how storytelling can be used to change hearts and minds, and data researcher in the film industry, whose work has been featured in the New York Times, The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Mirror, The Evening Standard, Newsweek, The News Statesman, AV Club and Indiewire; and LA-based Peter Russell, a screenwriter and a long-time story doctor in Hollywood whose clients include Imagine, HBO, Participant, Viacom, CBS Television and many more.

After a decade of experience in music, finance, law and consulting in New York, Dayo Ogunyemi moved to Lagos to help restructure Nollywood, Nigeria’s film industry. Over the past 15 years, Ogunyemi has worked in the media, entertainment and technology spaces in all three regions of sub- Saharan Africa.

Through a 234 Media investment, Ogunyemi built and operated East Africa’s then largest cinema chain and an affiliated film distribution company, through which he acquired and released independent/arthouse films including Djo Munga’s Viva Riva, Michel Hazanavicius’s The Artist and Kevin McDonald’s Bob Marley biopic.

Under 234 Media’s Studio Africa banner, Ogunyemi serves as producer for films by leading and emerging African directors and has participated in the Cannes Producers Network and Cinefondation Atelier programmes.

He served as a founding board member of the African Film Academy, organiser of the African Movie Academy Awards; and on the board of the UN Economic Commission for Africa’s Information Society Initiative. At DFM, Ogunyemi will present a session entitled Africa through the Lens.

Stephen Follows, who will present a session entitled A Bird’s-Eye View of Global Industry Trends, has acted as an industry consultant and guest on the BBC Radio 4 series The Business of Film. He has created UK-wide campaigns for major charities including Scope and Unicef, and has taught at the National Film and Television School (NFTS), Met Film School, Filmbase, and on behalf of the BFI, the BBC and the British Council.

Follows’ scriptwriting has, won Virgin Media Shorts, the Reed Film Competition and IVCA awards; been nominated at the British Independent Film Awards, Viral Video Awards, and the LA Movie Awards; been long-listed for a BAFTA; and championed by Mike Newell, James King, Stephen Fry, The Daily Telegraph and Le Monde.

Follows has produced over 100 short films and two features. He has produced corporate video work for a wide variety of clients ranging from computer game giants (Bethesda), technology giants (Nokia Siemens Networks) and sporting giants (Jonny Wilkinson).

UCLA lecturer and screenwriter, Peter Russell is also a long-time story doctor in Hollywood whose clients include Imagine, HBO, Participant, Viacom, CBS Television and many more. Russell is in high demand for his legendary seminars and master classes on film and TV story.  In 2017 he sold two television pilots – a crime procedural and a biographical mini-series.

Russell’s charismatic speaking style won him UCLA Teacher of the Year in 2009. He ghostwrites for both new and established film and television writers and producers. Russell privately consults with producers and writers on film and TV story from treatments to pilots and full story development.  At the DFM he will present a workshop on writing for television series.

Other topics covered include Aesthetics of African Cinema, Matriarchs in Filmmaking led by South African Women in Film and Television (SWIFT), Are there any Sacred Cows in Filmmaking? a discussion led by the South African Screen Federation, Co-Production Treaties – Treat or Trifle?, Copyright vs Copyleft, The Medium is the Message: Animation, Getting to the Heart of your Documentary, BRICS SA Forum: Distribution Strategies within BRICS Countries and Women Led Film.

“Besides these sessions, filmmakers will have plenty of opportunities to network with peers at the various sessions as well as the more casual social functions where often creative ideas and collaborations have their birthplace” says Hlongwane.

Once again this year, the National Film and Video Foundation will present workshops and discussions on policies and local industry trends, and will also host a number of networking sessions.

Filmmakers from 16 pre-selected African film projects will have the opportunity to pitch their film projects to leading financiers, broadcasters as well as other potential funders and investors at the DFM’s finance forum. Eight documentaries and eight feature fiction films in development will be mentored by experts and given an opportunity to pitch to various panels. This gives them an opportunity to craft their projects even further, working towards getting their films made and distributed.

In 2017 CaribbeanTales and the DFM joined forces to produce the CaribbeanTales’ CTI Accelerator: CineFAM – Africa with the aim of supporting projects by African women. This accelerator aims specifically to build capacity and creative leadership among women of colour who are underrepresented in leadership roles. In 2018, the second edition of this hugely successful programme will focus on facilitating productions under the South Africa-Canada official co-production agreement.

Supporting the development of emerging filmmakers, the DFM through Produire au Sud, Nantes, will conduct a writers workshop with script consultants, Sari Turgeman and Jeremie Du bois, for its “Jumpstart” projects. This Jumpstart programme bridges the gap for emerging filmmakers to go from self-funding projects to investment/funded ones.

Running parallel to the DFM, and supported by experts and visiting speakers, is the Durban International Film Festival’s open industry programme, Isiphethu, aimed at introducing entry level, emerging filmmakers, micro-budget filmmakers as well as interested members of the public to the inner-workings  of the world of cinema.

Manager of the DIFF, Chipo Zhou says, “Our strategy for Isiphethu, in terms of industry growth, is to support filmmakers in developing content. But it is also about supporting the development of the quality of content, which may ordinarily be impacted on by smaller budgets… We want to be able to offer these filmmakers opportunities to incubate projects, be mentored by experts, network with seasoned and experienced peers, and be included in the overall vision of the DIFF and DFM, to grow quality African content. In short to include this sector of the industry into the greater industry fold.”

“Central to the objectives of the Durban FilmMart is just how we can encourage African filmmakers to look within to collaborate, finance and develop content,” says Toni Monty. “We are very excited to see so many DFM alumni projects that have come to fruition, doing very well on the various local and international festival and cinema circuits, and many with good distribution deals: these include films like Rafiki, Inexba: The Wound, Alison, Tessa, and Five Fingers for Marseilles to name a few. This is exactly what the strategy was when the DFO and DIFF created the DFM nine years ago, and it is heartening to see the long term value it provides for the African film industry.”

The 9th Durban FilmMart takes place in Durban, at the Tsogo Sun Elangeni from 20 to 23 July 2018, during the 39th edition of the Durban International Film Festival. 14

TELEVISION DIRECTOR SPEAK: Catharine Cooke

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TELEVISION DIRECTOR SPEAK: Catharine Cooke

We caught up with iNumber Number director Catharine Cooke, who took home the Golden Horn for Best Achievement in Directing in a TV Drama at the 2018 South African Film & Television Awards…

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND AND HOW HAS THIS SHAPED YOU AS A FILMMAKER?

I was the youngest of four sisters and a laat-lammetjie, so I spent a lot of time on my own and therefore developed a robust imagination to fill my world with stories to entertain myself. I think this strong sense of imagination and storytelling has really helped me to lift the writers’ creation off paper and breathe life into their work.

My acting background has especially been helpful to me as a director, as I feel actors can trust me to respect and hold their vulnerability safe in front of the camera. My work in theatre and my years as an assistant director also taught me to have discipline on my sets.

HOW DID YOU FIND YOURSELF WORKING IN TELEVISION?

It wasn’t so much a plan as an organic process of finding out what I really loved and what I was good at, as well as avoiding a 9–5 office job. So thank goodness I found this platform to bring stories to life and work with other crazy creative minds.

INUMBER NUMBER TOOK HOME THE SAFTA – WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU?

The crew and actors did such a great job and of course it was an absolute delight having our directing team recognised by the industry and our peers. We don’t really think that getting acknowledged is important, but taking those steps up onto the stage and having that moment was truly wonderful and inspiring.

WHAT KIND OF CONTENT DO YOU LIKE CREATING AND WHY?

Any content, romance, comedy to drama, as long as the story is worth telling, the script is well-written and I have talented actors to work with (that haven’t been plucked from the bowels of Instagram hype). What more could I ask for?

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

I’m currently working on a show for DStv called The River, which has been very well received by audiences since airing.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU CREATIVELY?

Good books, theatre, listening to people’s life stories, listening to music, listening to my imagination running wild… In other words, I find inspiration anywhere I can.

WHO ARE YOUR LOCAL MENTORS?

I am fortunate to be surrounded by other very talented filmmakers that I am lucky enough to call my friends. We share ideas and encourage each other. I am mentored by them all. However, the very talented Donavan Marsh (iNumber Number), who is currently finishing work on Hunter Killer with Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman, was my first and most influential mentor. I learned so much working with him and felt very encouraged by his belief in me.

TOP THREE FAVOURITE DIRECTORS? 

Coen brothers. Steven Spielberg. Ridley Scott

WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CAREER CHALLENGE TO DATE? 

Unfortunately, part and parcel of the South African film and television industry is the lack of time and budget, so instead of aiming for greatness, we merely achieve mediocrity. We have very talented filmmakers in this country, with a great passion for this industry and I believe this lack of time and budget should be a challenge for ALL of us.

AND YOUR BIGGEST HIGHLIGHT THUS FAR?

Working on a BBC TV show called Jamillah and Aladdin.

WHERE IS YOUR DREAM SHOOT LOCATION?

One with no cars, no aeroplanes, no dogs barking, no lawn mowers and preferably where the light looks golden most of the day.

THREE ALL-TIME FAVOURITE FILMS?

Ok, now that’s like asking me to name my favourite child! But here are three of my favourite movies, although not necessarily my top three: The Big Lebowski. Blade Runner (1982). 12 Angry Men.

ANY ADVICE FOR EMERGING FILMMAKERS?

Don’t let fear of failure ever stop you from pursuing your passion. You are not alone on set; you are surrounded by other professionals that are more than willing to help you realise your vision and who share the same passion. Learn anything and everything about your profession, because your knowledge will be your strength and your skills your weapon.

IF YOU WEREN’T A FILMMAKER YOU WOULD BE…

I would still be searching… And of course still avoiding a 9–5 office job. I love what I do. It’s hard to think of doing something else.

Realness announces 2018 participants at Cannes Film Festival

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Realness announces 2018 participants at Cannes Film Festival

Realness is a screenwriter’s residency initiative, conceived by Elias Ribeiro and Cait Pansegrouw of Urucu Media, that affords a new generation of filmmakers the opportunity to cultivate their talent as authentic voices in African cinema.

Since its inception, Realness has nurtured five African auteurs each year, growing into a prestigious incubator of emerging talent that is recognised throughout the global film community. Now in its third year, the residency has fostered cinematic voices from 12 countries on the continent, including Angola (Fradique Mario Bastos), Senegal (Rama Thiaw) and Kenya (Amirah Tajdin).

“There is a reason residencies such as the Sundance Labs and the MacDowell Colony are so sought-after. They offer the opportunity to withdraw from the world to create without distractions while exchanging ideas with other exciting artists and receiving expert feedback at carefully considered intervals. Realness brings that opportunity to Africa,” said international script consultant Selina Ukwuoma. “With a pan-African focus, the diversity of Africans is celebrated yet the particular concerns that we have in common come to the fore.” Ukwuoma will join Realness for the third consecutive year, alongside South African-based consultant Mmabatho Kau who began her relationship with the residency in 2017 and who was recently selected for the Torino Film Lab’s Story Editing programme. The two will work in tandem, cross-consulting on all five of the selected projects for 2018. “Both Selina and I are rooted in the African narrative but have an international outlook on story. Selina’s extensive work internationally and my work locally gives the residents a holistic experience towards developing a world-class script,” added Kau.

On 12 May, the five selected projects were annouced at the Cannes Film Festival by Realness co-founder Elias Ribeiro: “After an extensive evaluation of more than 130 projects from 24 countries, it is my greatest pleasure to introduce you to the Realness Residents of 2018; Kantarama Gahigiri from Rwanda, Matthys Boshoff from South Africa, Ng’endo Mukii from Kenya, as well as Reem Morsi and Mohammed Siam, both from Egypt.”

The five projects were chosen by an international panel of 16 prolific world cinema stakeholders, including sales agents Thembe Bhebhe and Efuru Flowers (Flourishing Films), Todd Brown (head of international acquisitions for XYZ films) and literary agent David Kayser (Casarotto Ramsay & Associates). “These filmmakers herald an important and exciting new wave of African storytelling by Africans for Africans and the world. The strength of the projects and the talent driving them will benefit hugely from the expertise exposure and incubation that Realness offers and I look forward to seeing them mature. I’ve been introduced to some truly special emerging talent who have the potential to compete on the international stage and shine,” said Kayser.

The 2018 Realness residents will move into the Nirox Foundation’s residence and sculpture park in the Cradle of Humankind on 11 June. They will work on their projects over the course of six weeks before participating in Africa’s largest co-production market – The Durban FilmMart. The most promising projects to emerge will be invited to participate in Locarno Filmmakers Academy, EAVE Producers Workshop, La Fabrique Cinéma de l’Institut Français, Torino Film Lab Meeting Event and TIFF Talent Lab, allowing them to progress closer to being realised.

Ten years of Legend Manqele

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Ten years of Legend Manqele

ADVERTORIAL: The Barleader TV CEO, Legend Manqele, isn’t an overnight success nor is he a one-show wonder executive producer. If anything, he’s a content whizz. We get a glimpse into his business-savvy mind on his path to building an empire

Manqele’s on a mission to form a sentimental connection with the month of May, in the same way that Jay-Z treasures the number ‘four’. His birthday is on 12 May, his production house The Barleader TV went live on the same day and he now plans to launch two more ventures this month. As the 29-year-old celebrates a decade working behind the scenes of the TV and film industry — three of which have been spent at the helm of building The Barleader TV into one of the fastest growing production companies — he still has more to achieve.

Not one to commemorate milestones — including his own birthday — Manqele, instead, plans to launch two new business ventures to mark this turning point. “As much as it’s important for me to have been around for this long, I haven’t thought of celebrating because it’s too much work to plan something then be anxious about whether people will attend,” he says, before breaking into a short chuckle. He adds: “I’m learning that the key to success is to be malleable, shape-shift all the time and not stay married to one idea.” Longevity, after all, is pivotal to building a trusted brand in this industry.

For Manqele, creating quality content isn’t just a craze, it’s a calling. His new ventures The Bar and TRILAB are both aimed at raising the content creation bar to compelling heights. The former is a website set to create one-of-a-kind content around the film and television industry, while the latter is a branding, strategy and digital agency that aims to assist brands with communicating distinctively by drawing from their contexts and histories. The Bar will have a CSI arm titled The Classroom, a series of film and television lectures that Manqele will be hosting with other industry thought leaders.

Manqele cut his teeth at Urban Brew Studios and later Don’t Look Down Productions. As an employee, a constant feeling of inadequacy haunted him, forcing him to admit that he didn’t enjoy living up to anyone’s expectations. And so his company was born. Channel O Top 50, Dineo’s Diary 4, The Cover, Rich Kids 2, Living The Dream With Somizi Seasons 2 and 3, Being Bonang and Cishe Ngafa are some of the productions under The Barleader banner.

“I never set foot at a tertiary institution and as a result, I’ve had to learn to bargain with my Imposter Syndrome throughout my career. However, when I went into business, I realised that I already knew most things about the industry but lacked the know-how to package them for clients,” he says, adding that studying information that wasn’t privy to juniors during his formative years helped empower him. To this day, he’s passionate about up-skilling his staff through gestures as simple as having pitch decks readily available on the company’s server and exposing them to other facets of the creative business. What he’s not interested in, however, is dwelling on his earlier struggles, even though he had to work twice as hard as many of his industry competitors, he has never felt hard done by life, he explains. He does however, want to thank all those who have walked this journey with him. Those who he says have given him a hand up, those who have given him a chance and even those who have said no, because each of those experiences have given shape to the man and business mind he is today.

Manqele’s story reads somewhat like a modern-day fairytale, but it was saying ‘Yes’ to everything and an impeccable work ethic that got him to the top over the 10 years. “We work in an industry where the guy who is bashing cables could easily become your boss. I’m proof of that and so are many others,” he says. To improve his staying power, he’ll continue to trust his gut more than just being reliant on a strategy, it’s a balancing act. “It pays you to understand yourself and the space you’re playing in, as meaningful thought produces meaningful work. Beyond the success we all need to realise that what truly matters is that this ecosystem of storytelling relies on all of us to work together in ways that will serve our country” he concludes. What lies ahead in the next ten years and beyond for this challenger brand will be most intriguing to watch.

Written by Motlatsi Radebe

Colourist Donovan Bush shares his thoughts on DaVinci Resolve 14

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Colourist Donovan Bush shares his thoughts on DaVinci Resolve 14

SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: Before the industry gets stuck in with v15, here’s what we’ve learnt about v14.

Over the last few years, DaVinci Resolve has steadily evolved from a “colour grading only” tool into a sophisticated editing and finishing suite. DaVinci Resolve 14 continues down that path to incorporate Fairlight – a complete DAW.

Blackmagic Design claims that the move from Resolve 12.5 to Resolve 14 (they must be superstitious) represents their biggest upgrade yet, and they’re not wrong. As a professional colourist here in South Africa I use Resolve daily, and v14 has been jam-packed with new and extremely useful features. There are almost too many to mention in this review, so I’ll stick to what I feel were the most important impressions from using v14 throughout my professional work so far.

First Impressions

For me, the most significant improvement to Resolve with version 14 are the updates to its performance. BMD has overhauled the playback engine, making performance up to 10 times faster than before, and it’s very noticeable when put to the test. As soon as you upgrade, you can tell that the JKL keys are much more responsive, and playback on h.264 files is much smoother, making it a lot more user friendly as an offline editing tool. Resolve 14 Studio also supports frame rates of up to 120 fps, and resolutions up to 16000×16000.

Another new feature that impressed me was Resolve’s collaborative workflow for multiple users. This allows editors, colourists and audio mixers within the same post-production facility to work on the same project at the same time. Apart from dramatically streamlining the post-production process, working on one project on one common application eliminates any conforming issues, and any changes are immediately updated – there’s even a dialogue function so the operators can communicate any changes. There’s also a new “Live Save” function, which saves any changes as they happen for anyone working on the project, although the legacy “auto save” option is still available.

Colour Grading 

Though it seems to me that most of BMD’s efforts have been concentrated on the Edit and Fairlight pages with Resolve 14, there are still some very interesting new features in the colour page such as the new OFX plugins, which really help add to the colourist’s arsenal of tools.

The De-banding plugin, for instance, is very useful for situations where an image has suffered some compression artefacts. It’s also possible to confine the plugin to specific areas of the image by using a window or a key. De-mist is great for scenes that have a lot of atmospheric haze, and Warper is very useful for adjusting the geometry of elements within a frame to make something smaller or larger.

One thing that surprised me was the Face refinement feature – this got many people excited when it was first demonstrated, as it allows users to track and edit specific elements of an actors face such as their lips or eyes. However in practice, I’ve found that it doesn’t always work that well, and sometimes analyses the facial features incorrectly.

The Camera Shake plugin, however, is a different story. I never thought I’d use it, but recently I had a situation where a 2nd camera operator had his camera mounted on a tripod, while the 1st camera was handheld. The two camera styles were noticeably different, until I used this function and adjusted the “randomness” of the movement to match the main camera. The soften/sharpen filter is also incredibly useful. It’s a great alternative to the blur tool, as colourists can now choose between softening or sharpening fine, medium or large detail. This is great for taking the “edge” off of GoPro and drone footage, and also useful to smooth out skin tones for beauty re-touching.

Editing

DaVinci Resolve’s editing functionality has definitely improved in version 14, and there are many additional features that support what BMD seem to be doing in terms of making Resolve offer the same toolset as other dedicated NLE’s. You can now open a separate floating bin window on both the Edit and Media pages, for instance, as well as perform a replace edit on an empty track, and set in/out points on the media pool thumbnails.

Previously, the playback speed has always been one of the biggest drawbacks to using Resolve for editing, especially when using a laptop outside of a normal post-production environment. With Resolve’s new speed enhancements, though, it looks like this problem has been solved – I’ve been using a 6 core Mac Pro without any playback issues, and if that’s not enough, there is always the option of using optimised media.

An important thing to note, of course, is that for now, editors still seem to be sticking with tried and tested NLE’s – partly because of their familiarity. If Blackmagic continue to develop Resolve down this NLE path, though, I do believe this will probably change as a new generation of editors embrace Resolve from the offline to finishing stages of post-production. There is a free version available after all, for anyone to try!

Fairlight Audio

When Resolve 14 was first released, this was Blackmagic’s big news. After acquiring Fairlight in 2016, with version 14 the development team announced they had integrated Fairlight into DaVinci Resolve to result in an entirely new audio page. Since it is a dedicated audio tool, the timeline is presented with “audio only” tracks, which can now be colour coded in the Edit page for easy identification (such as dialogue, music, FX etc). Each audio track on the Edit page is split into individual audio “lanes” in the Fairlight page – so a single stereo clip in the Edit page will be separated into its component channels in Fairlight.

This is huge – I do believe it to be the holy grail of post-production. Yes, you can argue that Resolve 14’s editing and Fairlight pages aren’t currently as feature-rich as its industry-standard, award-winning colour grading toolset. But that, to me, is minor – it’s something that will only improve for the future (if BMD’s Resolve development history is anything to go by). Keeping an entire project – editing, grading and audio mixing – within the same application makes complete sense. It means no more metadata getting lost, no more conforms that don’t work, and no more issues with speed ramps or frame sizing being interpreted differently from one application to another. And oh, did I mention that they have also dropped the price for the studio version from $999 to $299?

Written by Donovan Bush, colourist

FILM DIRECTOR SPEAK: Legend Manqele

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FILM DIRECTOR SPEAK: Legend Manqele

This month Screen Africa caught up with Legend Manqele, director and founder of Barleader Productions…

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND AND HOW HAS THIS SHAPED YOU AS A FILMMAKER? 

I come from a small family but growing up as a middle child I always felt like no one loved me (like most middle children, I suffered from middle child syndrome). So I think everything I have done in my career has been about making bold moves and the biggest statements, because as a middle child I know how to easily escape from all the eyeballs and go about my business which is meaningful to me.

WHAT LED YOU TO OPEN YOUR PRODUCTION COMPANY – BARLEADER PRODUCTIONS?

I was too much of an outsider! I needed a production house that understood that times were changing. I also look up to people like Retti from Burnt Onion – a young company doing great things – and I felt that I was ready to take on the world. I started my company with the hopes that other young creatives would also feel inspired to make bold moves in starting their own businesses!

WHAT KIND OF CONTENT DO YOU ENJOY CREATING? 

I enjoy creating all types of content…I hope I find myself with a library of content. I am always looking to reinvent myself in the content space. I have a fear of being boxed.

YOU’VE WORKED WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST MEDIA PERSONALITIES, INCLUDING BONANG MATHEBA ON HER RECENT REALITY TV SERIES – WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE?

Bonang is one of my favourite people in the world. She has a standard and I love that. “Working up” is a great challenge. I love her!

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?

We are working on a lot of international content including a film pilot in Australia.

WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION? 

My childhood is still fuelling a lot of my inspiration but I have to say the global community is really producing some amazing content.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CAREER CHALLENGE TO DATE? 

People pleasing is not a great thing to have to do as a director…I’m still working on this.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER THUS FAR?

The people who work at Barleader are truly a highlight. I love the Barleader family. I’m proud to have the opportunity to lead them.

TOP THREE FAVOURITE FILMS OF ALL TIME?

If I must: The Hours. Revolutionary Road. The Reader.

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM SHOOT LOCATION? 

Port St. Johns is the most beautiful place in the world.

ANY ADVICE FOR EMERGING LOCAL FILMMAKERS 

Be malleable and agile. It may hurt but just bend.

SA Eco Film Festival returns this week

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SA Eco Film Festival returns this week

This year the SA Eco Film Festival will be showcasing 15 films between 22 and 30 March in both Cape Town and Johannesburg.

When: 22 to 30 March 2018

Where: The Labia Theatre in Cape Town, The Bioscope Independent Cinema in Johannesburg and African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg

Booking is essential for free screenings while the ticket price for paid screenings is R50. Tickets are available from webtickets and the festival website.

Click here for the full programme schedule.

Click here for full film list with links to trailers.

 

 

Jünger Audio launches a groundbreaking audio processing platform at NAB 2018

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Jünger Audio launches a groundbreaking audio processing platform at NAB 2018

Utilising state of the art software infrastructure, the new AIXpressor platform takes flexibility and audio quality to an entirely new dimension.

At NAB 2018 (booth C3039), Jünger Audio will launch a groundbreaking audio processing platform that gives broadcasters the freedom and flexibility to choose exactly the right audio processing products for their facilities and projects.

Unlike previous Jünger Audio processors, the AIXpressor hardware unit is unique because it is not just a single product. Instead, it acts as a base for software-defined products that are created using Jünger’s new Flexible Audio Infrastructure flexAI.

This means that, simply by buying additional software licenses, broadcasters and post-production facilities can customise this versatile audio processing system to suit their demand for processing capabilities and channel count. The necessary hardware, however, scales by the actual demand in processing power and will no longer be the defining factor. For Jünger, flexAI is nothing less but a revolution as it enables software development on the go, without making compromises due to hardware limitations. The system is equipped to simply cascade additional AIXpressors or servers, whenever more processing power or media interfaces become necessary.

All software products created using flexAI will be licensed flexibly, which means that users can easily incorporate additional functionality, increase their channel count or may even be allowed to shift licenses between devices. Users who buy a software product license are free to decide exactly how many audio programmes they want to process and what type of processing they want to be installed.

At NAB 2018, AIXpressor will be released to the public as the main basis for products utilising the new flexAI software infrastructure. The 19” 1RU device is based on x86 processors and equipped with a comprehensive range of built-in interfaces, including redundant Audio-over-IP with full compatibility to AES67 and SMPTE ST2110, USB host and client interfaces as well as MADI, AES/EBU and analogue I/Os. The unit also has four slots for optional interfaces, all of which are compatible with Junger Audio’s existing D*AP series of audio processors. These include 3G/HD/SD SDI, MADI, Audinate DanteTM and many more. Additional interfaces will be available soon.

In conjunction with the new AIXpressor hardware, Jünger Audio has also developed a new optical connection called tieLight that can transmit up to 1152 audio channels in each direction. TieLight, which has very low delay and compensated latency, is utilised for cascading multiple devices and for setting up larger systems that require several processors. It is an inherent part of the AIXpressor and will be available as a PCIexpress interface card to be used in Jünger Audio’s upcoming line of servers.

“We are very excited about our new AIXpressor audio processing platform and see this as a major development for both Jünger Audio and the wider broadcast industry,” Jünger Audio’s senior product manager Friedemann Kootz says. “With flexAI, we can create new products independently from our hardware base and give our customers easy access to Jünger Audio’s renowned audio processing technology, which is already the mainstay of many of the world’s top radio and TV broadcasters, IPTV providers, music recording studios and audio post production facilities.”

For more information about AIXpressor as well as Jünger Audio’s established monitoring, codec and loudness management products, please visit NAB Booth C3039 or go to the Jünger Audio website.  www.jungeraudio.com

Filming of Ivan Botha’s directorial debut, Stroomop, kicks off!

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Filming of Ivan Botha’s directorial debut, <em>Stroomop</em>, kicks off!

Award-winning actor, screenwriter, producer and television presenter (Fliek Foendies on kykNET) Ivan Botha’s long-awaited directorial debut, Stroomop is currently being filmed and is set to come out in celebration of Women’s Day on 9 August 2018.

Botha is best known for his role in the Bakgat movie franchise, as well as for starring in two of the most successful South African box office hits, Pad na jou Hart and Vir Altyd, opposite Donnalee Roberts, who not only co-wrote and produced this inspirational movie, but who also plays the leading role. Ivan, who is always seeking new challenges, is looking forward to being in the director’s seat: “I am excited to be at the helm of Stroomop and look forward to working on it alongside the right team.”

An experienced film crew that includes, among others, the seasoned cinematographer Tom Marais and co-producer Danie Bester, has just started shooting this gripping adventure, which takes place in the Onseepkans area on the Orange River. “Tom and I met on the set of Bakgat 1 and promised one another that, when I got round to directing my first film, he would be there for me. Ten years on and here we are, on our very own adventure,” says Botha.

Describing the pristine Northern Cape jewel that serves as the setting for the project, Roberts says: “This part of the country has the indescribable ability to make you stand quietly… in awe… and to take your soul to go on an unforgettable journey.”    

Stroomop tells the story of five women being tossed about by life’s rough waters and drowning in their own lives. Together they not only have to fight tears, fears and pain, but they must also fight for survival in this exciting white river rafting adventure on the Orange River. The film offers hilarious laugh-out-loud moments that make you realise that sometimes you simply have to accept your circumstances and make the most of it. In fact, sometimes you will have to swim against the current to discover that you are more than enough and that you possess everything you need to overcome what the river of life may float your way.

The film boasts a strong cast; each of the actresses had to undergo training to not only be authentic on screen but also to be safe on the water. “My character finds herself in a situation where she must take the lead in rough waters, so it was crucial for me to be fully prepared for the challenges of filming on the river,” explains Roberts, who has won numerous awards, including Huisgenoot Tempo’s for Best Actress and Best Feature Film.

Meet The Characters

  • Donnalee Roberts plays Lana, a surgeon with a tragic past. She lives for her work and is passionate about saving lives because she was unable to save her own parents. However, when she loses this gift due to an old injury, her identity is challenged, and she is forced to rediscover herself. The actress, famous for her roles in Ballade vir ’n Enkeling, Pad na jou Hart, Vir Altyd, Klein Karoo and 7de Laan, holds a BA degree in Drama from the University of Pretoria as well as diplomas from the Performing Arts and Lifestyle Institute and the New York Film Academy. She is the co-owner of 17FILMS and an award-winning screenwriter and film producer.
  • Simoné Nortmann is Vivian, a data analyst living a lie. She has lost her passion for life and is searching for a new adventure. Nortmann made a name for herself as Nadia Croukamp in 7de Laan, for which she received a Royal Soapie Award for Best Newcomer. However, she is probably best known for her gripping portrayal of Irma Humpel in the film, Vir die Voëls, for which she won Best Actress at both the Huisgenoot Tempo’s and the Tallgrass International Film Festival. She can also be seen in the kykNET series, Hotel, and the movies Vuil Wasgoed and Wonderlus. The talented performer – who also possesses a talent for singing – has a BA degree in Drama from the University of Stellenbosch.
  • Adrie, played by Chanelle de Jager, has tons of potential, but she has lost herself somewhere between marriage and motherhood. She is looking for a way to recharge her batteries and to take care of her own needs for a while. De Jager has been working in front and behind the camera for the past twenty years.  Although acting has always been her first love, she is also a talented casting director and owns her own studio in Cape Town. She is also a keen scriptwriter and some of her film connections have been internationally renowned. Her most recent work includes the British series, Outlander, as well as The Widow, which will be released soon. Most people know her as Egoli’s Des du Pont but also featured in series like Die Boekklub 1&2 and Boland Moorde. The actress stars in two films and two series, which are all scheduled for release later this year.
  • Nixie is an introverted millennial hiding her pain behind false illusions in the form of filters and hashtags. She is very specific about who she spends time with and what she says, and does not have a good relationship with her mother. She feels lost and must decide what she wants to do with her life. Carla Classen holds an honours degree in Drama and Film Studies and is a talented actress and stage artist. In 2016, she won a Woordfees Award for her stage production, Howled and She Forgot to Say Sorry, and has starred in several other productions, including Bloodwedding, Hinterland, Stanley Washed Away, A Sense of Touch, Liewe Heksie en die Rotbende and Christine’s Room. The actress also made her television debut in 7de Laan earlier this year.
  • Diona is a strong-willed family lawyer, who has spent years helping other families but has neglected her own in the process. She does not need other people to feel worthy and shows her love by presenting events and solutions, but that is not what her daughter needs. Ilse Klink is a familiar face on the stage and the screen. She has starred in some of the country’s most popular television programmes, including Isidingo, Inkaba, Villa Rosa, Roer Jou Voete and 7de Laan and also features in the movie, The Path, due for release later this year. The star has won many awards, including an Avanti award for her role in Isidingo, a Naledi award as Best Actress for her role in the stage production Big Bang Blast, as well as a Fiesta for Best Actress in Kristalvlakte and another Naledi award – in the same category – in 2017.
  • Armand Aucamp, famous for his roles in Ballade vir ’n Enkeling, Die Boekklub 1 and 2 and Knapsekêrels stars as the river guide, Guy. He is joined by a number of other familiar faces.

Stroomop is a sincere and exciting drama about self-discovery, forgiveness and acceptance and will appeal to audiences of all ages. The film is being produced by 17FILMS and The Film Factory SA, in cooperation with kykNET, the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Distributed locally by Ster-Kinekor Entertainment, the film is due for release in cinemas nationwide on 9 August 2018.

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