Deadline: March 31, 2014
The 35th Durban International Film Festival
(DIFF), hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal,
with support from Berlinale Talents, has announced the opening of applications
for 7th Talents Durban taking place from July 18 to 22.
This year’s Talents Durban’ theme Continent of Contrast/ de Contrastes is
an ode to the godfather of African cinema, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s, first film Contras'city (City of Contrast).
Celebrating the 45th anniversary of the film, the 7th Talents Durban looks to
bring film makers from across the continent to draw inspiration from Africa’s
long tradition of story-telling.
Breaking away from the stereotypical and
homogenous narrative Africa, this year’s edition of Talents Durban aims to
highlight the truth that this continent is home to a myriad of cultures,
colours, stories. The 7th Talents Durban looks not only to highlight the
stories of Africa, but create a culture of Africans telling their own stories.
Now in its 7th edition, Talents Durban
looks to continue its proud history of acting as a launching pad for filmmakers
from Africa. Understanding the unique needs and challenges facing film makers
on the continent, Talent’s Durban looks to provide film makers with the tools
to enable their careers to thrive in the international film industry.
The programme provides the selected
participants with a unique opportunity to meet with international industry
professionals, experts and mentors in various aspects of the filmmaking
business through participation in a five-day programme of master classes,
workshops and industry networking events.
Running parallel to the 35th Durban
International Festival programme, this year’s Talent Campus Durban will offer
three hands-on training programmes: Doc Station which will focus on
documentary-making, Talent Press which is dedicated to film criticism and
Script Station which will supports story development.
Doc Station will offer three selected
Talents the opportunity to refine and polish documentary projects for pitching
at the 5th Durban FilmMart’s DOC Circle. Meanwhile, Talent Press will mentor
four African journalists in the art of film criticism with access to all the
screenings of the 35th Durban International Film Festival, creating reviews
that will be published on numerous platforms. Script Station will offer the
opportunity to writers to develop their stories while pitching their ideas to a
panel of industry experts. Talents will also have access to the networking
events available during the film festival.
Applicants for the 7th Talents Durban are
completed through an online application process before the closing date of March
31, 2014. Application forms and full regulations available at www.durbanfilmfest.co.za
Applications and materials which arrive
after March 31 will not be considered. Neither will incomplete applications.
Successful applicants will be informed via email and the website by April 21, 2014.
Talent’s Durban is presented in partnership
with Berlinale Talents with support from the German Embassy of South Africa,
the Goethe-Institute of South Africa, and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of
Economic Development and Tourism. Through the international programme, with a
networks that extends to Talents International events in Berlin, Buenos Aires,
Guadalajara, Sarajevo and Tokyo, as well as Durban, participants are initiated
into a global community of filmmakers and connected via a wide social network
platform operated through the Berlinale.
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