Technology

One of the richest cities in the world, if not the richest thanks to its oil exports, is to invest in film productions over the next five years.

MultiChoice South Africa, has acquired a controlling stake in Smart Village, a South Africa’s multi-play service provider offering a converged multimedia service to multi-dwelling units, retail and gated communities, over fibre optic networks.

Pinewood Studios, the UK’s largest movie-production facility, is committed to the expansion of its facilities which will include a number of back-lot permanent sets - a castle, Venice canal, an Italian lakeside, plus typical city streets from New York, Los Angeles, Paris and London.

The African pay-TV service GTV (Gateway TV) has expanded its total investment capital in African Pay TV to $200 million with a $35 million injection.

The National Organisation for Reproduction Rights in Music in Southern Africa (NORM) has issued a multi-million rand summons against Exact Mobile.

Akin Omotoso’s Jesus and the Giant, Anthony Fabian’s Skin, Francois Verster’s Sea Point Days and Steve Jacob’s screen adaptation of Nobel Prize winning author JM Coetzee’s Disgrace are the four South African films that will screen at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) which takes place in Canada from 4 to 13 September.

The new South African film, Jerusalema (directed by Ralph Ziman), took fourth spot in the top 10 at the local box office in its opening weekend (29 to 31 August), making a respectable R374 102.

BBC Worldwide Channels have awarded Red Bee Media the contract to provide playout services for four new channels launching in Africa, as part of the broadcaster’s ongoing expansion.

Mandla Langa and Hannelie Bekker have been appointed Joint Chairs for the 2009 judging panels of the third South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs).

A recent article in Mobile Entertainment has named Emma Kaye as one of the top 50 women in the mobile industry today.