(2019
StoryLab Group)
Deadline:
April 24, 2020
The Durban FilmMart has announced a new
partnership with Talents Durban, as applications open for the 2020 edition.
Talents Durban is a five-day talent
development programme, which has been presented in Durban, South Africa for the
past 12 years in co-operation with Berlinale Talents, an initiative of the
Berlin International Film Festival. This year’s Talents Durban edition is
scheduled to take place from July 16 to 20, 2020.
Up to 20 emerging African filmmakers and
emerging film critics are selected to attend the programme. Talents Durban comprises workshops and
seminars by industry experts with opportunities to connect with a global
network of film industry professionals, and benchmark their work against
African and global trends.
“Through discussion with the Berlinale
Talents and the Durban International Film Festival, in which Talents was
previously housed, we felt that as an industry facing programme, that it was a
logical fit for it to be incorporated into the Durban FilmMart,” said Toni
Monty, current Head of the DFM.
Christine Tröstrum, Project Manager of the
Berlinale Talents commented, “Talents began in Durban ahead of the creation of
the DFM 13 years ago. The Talents programme and the DFM have both now evolved
into solid vital industry initiatives on the African continent. With our shared
aim to create again more synergies in project development and promotion, we are
sure that the intensified collaboration will provide some excellent opportunities
for the participants.”
The DFM also announced the appointment,
Menzi Mhlongo as the Manager of the programme for the 13th edition in 2020.
“Menzi Mhlongo has been the Project Manager of Talents since 2017, and brings a
wealth of institutional knowledge to the table, providing programme stability
and excellent curatorial experience,’ said Toni Monty.
“The framework for the Talents Durban
programme remains the same,” said Menzi Mhlongo. “This is a just an operational
shift, and we will continue to support emerging talents from the continent –
with a special attention to promoting a community of filmmakers to inspire
growth and expansion of African cinema. I am very excited about working more
closely with the industry through the platforms that the DFM provides.”
The Talents Durban programme comprises a
Storytelling Lab for three features, three shorts and three TV/Web series
currently in development; a Doc Lab in which three Talents Durban with
documentary projects are given expert mentorship and can pitch their projects
at the Durban FilmMart’s African Pitching Forum; the Animation Lab which is
open to screenwriters and animation directors with animation projects and
Talent Press which offers mentorship for three emerging African film critics and
journalists
The Talents will also be able to
participate and interact within the formal DFM (17-20 July) programme with the
expected 1000 delegates in attendance this year.
Applications for Talents Durban are now
open online via http://www.berlinale-talents.de/bt/durban/ap/info/index.
Talents Durban will cover participants’
accommodation, airfare, and market accreditation. Deadline for application is April
24, 2020. Selected projects will be announced mid- May 2020.
Talents Durban is one of seven Talents
International initiatives around the world formed by Berlinale Talents. It is
an initiative of the Durban FilmMart in cooperation with Berlinale Talents,
with support from the Durban Film Office, the Gauteng Film Commission, the
International Emerging Film Talent Association, and the Namibia Film
Commission.
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