Delegate
registration for Durban FilmMart (DFM) is now open, with the continent's
premier film finance and co-production forum urging industry delegates to take
advantage of the discounted early bird registration. Now in its fourth edition,
the DFM takes place from July 19 to 22 and promises an exciting programme of
masterclasses and networking opportunities.
A joint
project of the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Durban International Film
Festival (DIFF), The Durban FilmMart is an African co-production market that
provides a platform for international experts, broadcasters, financiers and
filmmakers to meet and develop strategic partnerships that get films made. The
four-day event comprises a programme of Master classes, Africa in Focus panels,
networking functions, the DOC Circle Pitching Forum and the Finance Forum for
selected projects of the market. Delegates will also get to enjoy the selection
of films screening at the Durban International Film Festival.
“The
FilmMart objective is to facilitate the development of African film content and
to fuel business and employment opportunities within this sector on the
continent,” says Durban Film Office’s Toni Monty. “We have seen some strong
projects emerge from the Finance Forum programme into theatrical exhibition and
onto important international film festivals. We have also seen how the DFM has
become an important meeting point for film-makers from South Africa, Africa and
increasingly from beyond the continent to network and engage in meetings,
discussions, master classes and further develop their professional careers.”
The
Durban FilmMart programme features a range of masterclasses presented by leading
industry experts on a wide range of topics ranging from world trends in
co-production to finance, distribution, script development and new media. \
Africa
in Focus comprises a range of seminars and panel discussions featuring local
and international filmmakers experts, specifically dealing with salient issues
in African cinema.
DOC
Circle Pitching Forum is a high-level pitching event where the selected
documentary projects of the DFM as well those of as Talent Campus Durban's Doc
Station pitch to an audience of financiers, commissioning editors and
broadcasters as well as DFM delegates. This pitching forum is invaluable for
the development of new filmmakers. In addition, Durban FilmMart delegates have
access to a range of networking events attended by key industry professionals.
Delegates can also attend workshops, seminars and screenings in the festival.
World-renowned
film expert Clare Downs will present a scriptwriting workshop entitled Strategies for development: the Agony and
Ecstasy. Clare Downs is a founding member of the script analysis team for
EAVE and has worked in training, script development, producing and writing for
over three decades. She has been involved in many international development and
training programmes including the Southern African Producer training programme
AVEA (2000 -2005).
Filmmaker,
author, strategist and consultant John Reiss will present a transmedia
masterclass drawing from his critically acclaimed book Think Outside the Box Office -The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution
in the Digital Era. Reiss is the director of numerous films including the
documentaries Bomb It and Bomb It 2, which look at the subversive
and often controversial international subcultures around graffiti.
Presenting
a masterclass on co-production entitled The
Art of Working Together is Christoph Thoke, a German film and television
producer and president of Mogador Film, who has worked for leading
German/French broadcaster ARTE and German production companies including
Bavaria Films, Taunus Film and CineMedia. Mogador’s first film Lorna's Silence by the Dardene Brothers
was selected in competition for Cannes 2008 and screened at the Durban
International Film Festival.
Marketing and Publicity for Cinema: the
Mentality to Promote is the masterclass to be presented by film distribution and marketing
expert Alvaro Vega of Vertigo Films - Spain's leading distribution company
(recently incorporated into Wild Bunch). Vega has been involved in the
distribution of films for leading directors including David Lynch, Gus Van
Sant, Wong Kar-Wai, Mike Leigh and Sofia Coppola.
A number
of local, continental and international broadcasters, as well as various
government agencies, film commissions, and distribution agencies will be in
attendance, enabling delegates to establish contact and engage in one-on-one
meetings.
This
year the DFM partners and supporters include the International Film Festival
Rotterdam's (IFFR) CineMart, the International Documentary Film Festival
Amsterdam (IDFA), the Berlinale Film Festival, Worldview, and others. Attending
DFM this year, the Hot Docs Documentary Film Festival - North America’s largest
documentary film festival - through its Blue Ice Fund Group initiative will
continue to facilitate a financing and mentorship program for six African film
grantees, awarded earlier this year. New partners include Paris Cinema’s film
market Paris Project, who will select one project for their 2014 edition.
Independent Filmmakers Project, America’s largest independent film non-profit,
will select one DFM project to attend their lab for this year. ARTE returns to
award a cash prize to the best fiction project, while Festival des 3
Continentes – Nantes and the International Organisation of Francophone will
also be in attendance.
Renowned
South African film and television pitching coach, Howard Thomas of Busvannah
Communications will deliver four one-hour primers on proposal writing and
pitching, covering the areas of research, target audience, writing and
budgeting. These primers are aimed at beginner and intermediate producers
active in content producing and will form part of the Durban FilmMart and
Talent Campus Durban programme, with limited seats available to the public.
Following
the DFM, and running from July 23 to 26, is Wild
Talk Africa, Africa’s key film festival and conference for natural history
and wildlife film and television programming. “This is also a great opportunity
for delegates to stay on in Durban and take advantage of the valuable
opportunities in factual television-producing and broadcasting that Wild Talk presents.” says Monty.
Peter
Machen, Manager of the Durban International Film Festival, says: “This year
DFM’s has a really strong contingent of top quality experts and industry
representatives, which adds significant weight to the level of engagement that
will take place. We look forward to welcoming delegates and hope that they
seize the opportunity to network with the peers and experts in a meaningful
way, and that this year’s Durban FilmMart continues to stimulate the growth of
the industry on the continent.”
The 4th
edition of Durban FilmMart takes place from July 19 to 22 during the Durban
International Film Festival and is now open for delegate registration. Early
bird registration, which enables the delegate to be included in the industry
manual closes on July 2 and costs R1,250. Thereafter registration costs R1,750
and closes on July 18.
For more
information and to register visit www.durbanfilmmart.com
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