Deadline: May 2, 2016
In co-operation with Berlinale Talents at the 37th
Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), Talents Durban opens submissions this
year to 15 African writers and directors with fiction, documentary and hybrid
projects in development.
For the first time, the re-conceptualised initiative
includes high quality projects of all media formats, such as film, television
series, web series and content for mobile platforms. In order to build on
sustainable networks, the call-for-entry is also aimed at alumni of Talents
Durban who participated in any previous editions of the programme and now want
to come back to work on a project.
As before, Talents Durban will again host mentorship and
hands-on training for five emerging film critics. The Talent Press programme is
a co-operation with FIPRESCI and the Goethe-Institut.
Talents Durban has also announced a new partnership with
REALNESS, a South African residency programme where five African screenwriters
are invited for a seven-week residency to develop a new draft of their original
feature screenplay. These five screenwriters will also be participating in this
year's edition of Talents Durban and benefit from the international networks of
the Durban FilmMart.
Talents Durban will take place from June 17 to 21 as part of
the 37th Durban International Film Festival which will be held from
June 16 to 26. The overall 20 selected participants from across Africa will be
given a chance to forge relationships in an intensive five-day programme of
one-on-one project consultation and industry networking activities with
renowned mentors and professionals in the fields of production and
distribution.
The 9th edition of Talents Durban runs under the
motto Degrees Of Separation: Connecting People and Story. Film has
always had the almost magical ability to connect people with story.
“Whether that be one as familiar to you as a simple tale of
romance or whether it be as far removed as life on other worlds, film blurs the
borders of yours and transforms human existence into something that is shared,”
say the organisers.
Talents Durban aims to connect African screenwriters,
directors and film critics to recognise, explore and celebrate both the
differences and similarities that make this connectedness through film and
media possible. More than ever before, the re-designed programme will focus on
quality content itself and delve into the adage of Africa having many stories
to tell. Talents Durban aims to address and rectify the reality where these
stories are often not told by those who have lived these experiences and what
this does to either further separate or connect emerging audiences.
With access to the DIFF screenings and through participating
in conversations with experts from around the world, Talents Durban seeks to
span the gaps that separate through one of the most important aspects of the
programme, collaboration; as the collaborative process opens the doors of
creativity and opportunity.
Applications can be done online at http://www.berlinale-talents.de/bt/durban/ap/info/index
Or visit www.durbanfilmfest.co.za
The deadline for application is May 2, 2016. For more
information contact 031 260 2506 or talentsdurban@gmail.com
Talents Durban is an initiative of the Durban
International Film Festival in cooperation with Berlinale Talents, and is
supported by the KZN Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the German Embassy in South Africa, the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, the Goethe-Institut South Africa and the
Gauteng Film Commission.
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