The Durban
FilmMart (DFM), the industry development programme of the Durban Film Office
and the Durban International Film Festival, wrapped up on June 20 with an
awards ceremony at the Tsogo Maharani Hotel in Durban.
“DFM is considered one of Africa’s most important film
finance platforms and industry gatherings, and this year around 550 film-makers
from around the globe, with a significant representation from Africa, attended
the festival for four days of pitching, forums and networking sessions,” says
Toni Monty, Head of the Durban Film Office. “Over 600 meetings were held, in a
robust and very engaging event this year.”
An integral part of the DFM is the finance and co-production
forum, which this year had 10 features and 9 documentary films selected for
intense mentoring and pitch sessions to financiers and distributors, and other
industry representatives.
Over the years, the DFM has developed key relationships with
a variety of industry partners that have seen the value of supporting and
developing African content for both continental and global markets. These
partners have engaged with projects over the four days, and a number of grants
and awards were provided to projects with the aim to support their further
development.
The Awards/Grants:
The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program award for
the documentary film project that demonstrated potential for strong
storytelling craft, artistic use of visual language, originality, feasibility,
and relevance went to Hatim’s Dream (Uganda - Producer:
Nathan Magoola, Director: Matthew Bishanga). This project receives a cash award
of $5000 for further development.
Afridocs, the broadcast stream that sees African and other
international documentaries screened across 49 countries of sub-Saharan Africa
on a weekly basis, gave a €3000 grant to Testament (Kenya, Producer:
Meena Nanji, Directors: Meena Nanji and Zippy Kimundu).
The CineMart Award, sponsored by the co-production market of
the International Film Festival Rotterdam, went to the fiction project, Disco Afrika (Madagascar, Producer:
Razanajaona Ambinintsoa Luck, Executive Producers: Herizo Rabary and
Randriamantsoa, Director: Razanajaona Ambinintsoa Luck) which is given an
opportunity to attend the Rotterdam Lab, a five-day training and networking
event bringing together producers from all over the world.
The International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam
(IDFA) awarded the most promising documentary project at the DFM, Wizard
of Zim (South Africa, Producers: Lesedi Oluko Moche and
Carolyn Carew, Director: Samora Sekhukhune) with an opportunity to attend the
IDFA Forum, the largest and most influential meeting place for documentary
filmmakers, producers, commissioning editors, funds, private financiers and
other documentary stakeholders in Europe, in November.
Produire au Sud of Festival des 3 Continents (Nantes),
awarded the fiction film Headland (South Africa, Producer:
David Horler, Director: Elan Gamaker) an opportunity to attend its
developmental workshop program, PAS, where they will be given tools, expertise,
and opportunities to develop European networks.
The Restless Pitch award, is a one-on-one consultation for
the project by Restless Talent Management who provide development services such
as image-building and positioning, project packaging, PR, and advises its clients
on film sales, distribution and promotion. This was given to the project On
the Bus by Nadine Cloete. Restless Talents also gave a
special mention to the project Nama by Kelly-Eve
Koopman.
Videovision Entertainment awarded the “Best South African
Film Project” to Abnormal Loads (South Africa, Producer: Elias
Ribeiro, Cait Panesgrouw. Director: Neil Coppen) a prize valued at R75,000,
which guarantees its release once it is completed. The prize includes marketing
and distribution support from Videovision Entertainment.
Versfeld
& Associates, publicity consultants will develop publicity material and
advise on publicity profiling through the development two projects – The
Mango Tree that Danced with Sea Breeze (South Africa/ Kenya,
Producer Lunghi Zondi and Philippa Ndisi-Hermann, Director Philippa
Ndisi-Hermann) and Inga, Inge (Zimbabwe,
Producer Veronique Doumbe, Director Tsitsi Dangarembga).
Sørfond awarded the project Un Fils (Tunisia,
Producer: Habib Attia, Director: Mehdi M Barsaoui) with an opportunity to pitch
at the Sørfond Pitching Forum in Oslo later this year.
The International Organisation of La Francophonie awarded a
grant of 5000 Euro for the Francophone project Disco Afrika (Madagascar,
Producer: Razanajaona Ambinintsoa Luck, Executive Producers: Herizo Rabary and
Randriamantsoa, Director: Razanajaona Ambinintsoa Luck).
“It is
through these partnerships that DFM projects are able to develop further along
the path to completion, so we would like to thank all our partners for their
support,” says Toni Monty. “For independent filmmakers, the mentorship and
support given by partners during the DFM, enables them to take their projects
to the next level paving the way for the creation of a fully fledged product,
which hopefully one day will return for exhibition at the Durban International
Film Festival.”
For more
information about the DFM go to www.durbanfilmmart.com
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