The Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI) will welcome a
delegation of Canadian film professionals to this year's market that takes
place from October 9 to 12, 2026. The delegation's presence, presented in
partnership with the High Commission of Canada Trade Office in South Africa, is
anchored by a dedicated speed-meeting session connecting Canadian filmmakers
with DFM delegates.
Magdalene Reddy, Director of the Durban FilmMart Institute,
says: “Canada has long been one of South Africa's strongest co-production
partners, and this delegation builds on a relationship with the Canadian High
Commission that we've been growing year on year. South Africa's co-production
treaty with Canada gives our filmmakers real, practical access to Canadian
financing, expertise and markets, and vice versa. Durban FilmMart exists to be
that meeting space; a hub where international delegations like this one can sit
across the table from African producers and turn shared interest into actual
projects.”
SPEED MEETINGS: MEET THE CANADIAN FILMMAKERS
Presented in partnership with the High Commission of Canada
Trade Office
Durban FilmMart delegates will have the opportunity to meet
selected film professionals from Canada, with the opportunity to finance,
distribute, co-produce and collaborate. The Canadian delegation brings together
an award-winning, genre-spanning group of 17 producers, writers and directors
working across documentary, fiction, animation and factual formats - with
slates spanning genre and elevated-genre features, impact-driven documentary,
BIPOC-led storytelling and international co-production, from across Canada.
Alex Bogomolov is
CEO/Producer, at Apsis Pictures (British Columbia) an independent production
company handling full-cycle development, financing, production and delivery for
genre and elevated-genre features.
Amy Miller is a
Producer, with Wide Open Exposure Productions, who has for more than two
decades, produced bold documentaries investigating the political,
environmental, historical and cultural forces shaping the world, screening at
150+ international festivals. The company is now focused on expanding
international collaborations through documentary co-production.
Annette Clarke is
a Producer, at Ruby Line Productions Inc, and a National Film Board of Canada
veteran who has produced or co-produced 100+ films.
Chibie Louis-Okoye
is Founder/Producer, at Colo Studios who is also a media entrepreneur whose
work is shaped by spirituality, Africa and social themes. She produced KOFA
(2024), which debuted at Number 1 in Nigeria on Amazon Prime Video and won Best
Feature Film at AFRIFF.
Danilo Reyes is
Founder/CEO, Blue Maroon Media, and is also an actor and musician striving to
diversify the voices and faces on screen. An alumnus of Reelworld's BEP
Producer's Program and the CMPA Producer Mentorship Program, Danilo is
currently developing a slate of television series and feature films.
Feven Ghebremariam,
Eritrean-Canadian filmmaker is Founder/CEO of Zantana Media who is working at
the intersection of cinema and community engagement, whose work explores
diaspora, colonial legacy and belonging. Feven is a co-founder of Black on
Black Films, a collective supporting Black filmmakers in Quebec.
Ian Mark Kimanje
is a Producer at Film Garage Studios that develops premium documentary and
impact-driven content connecting culture, identity, science and social change,
with relationships spanning Canada, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and the
US.
Katia Café-Fébrissy
is Producer/President, KaFé Productions Inc., a bilingual production company
dedicated to telling bold, intimate stories that amplify fresh and
underrepresented voices.
Nicholas Tabarrok
is President & Producer, Darius Films (Ontario). He is a prolific film and
television producer whose company, Darius Films, has offices in Los Angeles and
Toronto. His company has produced over 40 feature films which have premiered at
the most prestigious film festivals and have been sold around the world. He has
worked with cast including Ethan Hawke, Woody Harrelson, Kurt Russell, Nicolas
Cage, Ron Perlman, Dennis Quaid, Snoop Dogg, Matt Dillon, Harvey Keitel, Noomi
Rapace, Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth, Sam Bee, Andrew Dice Clay, Sandra
Oh and others. Highlights of some of his productions include The Baker, Stockholm, Art Of The Steal, The
Padre, Weirdsville, Defendor and The
Calling. Nicholas is also active in television and has sold series to
Canada’s CBC, Corus and Bell as well as ABC, BBC America, Hulu and Sky
Atlantic.
Nina Dube is Trade
Commissioner, High Commission of Canada Trade office in South Africa. The
Canadian Trade Commissioner Service helps Canadian export-ready companies
navigate the complexities of international markets. Representatives from the
Canadian Trade Office will be available throughout Durban FilmMart to
facilitate introductions, support networking opportunities, and explore
potential partnerships and co-production opportunities between Canadian and
South African industry stakeholders.
Patricia Sims is
the President/Producer at CanazWest Pictures which has produced award-winning
documentaries and factual series for CBC, Discovery Channel, ARTE, NHK and
others. Patricia is also the Founder of World Elephant Day, a global awareness
campaign reaching over 2 billion social media impressions.
Roble Issa is
Producer, Gobez Media Inc.an Ethiopian-Canadian production company creating
documentary, fiction and digital content rooted in Africa and its diaspora.
Recent projects include Finding Sally
and the Emmy-nominated Made in Ethiopia,
with work screened at Cannes, TIFF, Tribeca and FESPACO.
Samantha Kaine is
an activist, mentor and speaker; founder and CEO of IMPACT (Independent Media
Producers Association of Creative Talent). She is a Jamaican-Canadian producer
working at the intersection of AI, cultural policy and economic inclusion.
Samantha leads IMPACT's accelerator programmes supporting Black mid-career
producers across Canada and the diaspora, and serves on the AI Committee of the
Coalition for Diversity of Cultural Expressions. IMPACT is also a co-partner of
the 2026 Canadian delegation to DFM.
Sarlota Csete is
Director, Mentorship, International Development & Board Secretary (CMPA
(Canadian Media Producers Association). Sarolta leads international development
initiatives at the CMPA, fostering global partnerships and co-production
opportunities for Canadian producers. A co-partner of the Canadian delegation
to DFM 2026, the CMPA is Canada's leading advocacy organization for independent
producers, dedicated to helping Canadian producers establish international
partnerships and bring their content to screens around the world.
Shane LaTouche is
Founder/CEO, Toronto Black Media Productions, a producer and cultural creative
focused on projects for Black and Caribbean communities. He also volunteers as
Executive Director of the Toronto Black Media Association.
Shannon Walsh is
Producer/Director at Last Songbird Productions, and is an award-winning
filmmaker and Guggenheim Fellow producing documentary and fiction features,
shorts, VR works and music videos centred on bold, underrepresented
voices.
Sylvester Ndumbi
is Founder/Producer, at Simba Creative, and leads an award-winning production
company creating scripted, documentary and unscripted content for global
audiences, with 15 years of Canadian broadcast credits and productions screened
at UN events worldwide. Simba Creative is actively expanding its international
co-production slate.
The Canadian delegation's presence at Durban FilmMart
demonstrates, a growing interest in building sustainable co-production pathways
between the Canadian and South African audio-visual industries, with
opportunities spanning documentary, fiction, genre and digital content.
For more information on Durban FilmMart, visit https://durbanfilmmart.co.za/
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