2023 DFM Programme Information
Friday, 21 July 2023
Presented in partnership with the Durban International Film Festival.
Start Time: 09:30
End Time: 10:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
As the South African film and television industry continues to navigate the current climate, including infrastructure issues, restarting the industry, and a global financial crisis, while it continues to expand with new voices emerging every day, this panel will look at the state of the South African film industry and initiatives by film commissions and institutions key to the South African industry as they continue to work to make South Africa a pillar of the global film industry.
Start Time: 09:30
End Time: 10:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Victor Senna (KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission)
Phakamisa George (Eastern Cape Development Council)
Onke Dumeko (National Film and Video Foundation)
Monica Rorvik (WESGRO)
Kagisho Bapela (Industrial Development Corporation)
Mak Mogoba (Gauteng Film Commission)
Moderator: Teboho Pietersen (Insight Creatives)
Watch Session:
SA in Focus State of the South African Audio Visual Industry
The Durban FilmMart’s selection of animation storytellers have the opportunity to pitch their projects to co-producers, sales agents, broadcasters, and film funds. This session includes public pitching as a culmination of one-on-one meetings with decision makers, and personalised mentorship leading up to the market. It serves as a platform for networking, fostering collaborations and securing funding for African films and to facilitate the growth of the African film industry, promote cultural exchange, and amplify diverse narratives from the continent.
Start Time: 10:00
End Time: 13:30
Duration: 3h30m
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 1-2
Moderator: Isaac Mogajane (Diprente)
The DFM in Conversation will serve as the FilmMart’s keynote conversation, a one-on-one session where experts from various fields of the film industry unpack their journeys, lessons learned, and the ethos that drive their work.
In this session with Tshepiso Chikapa Phiri, CEO and founder of Known Associates, we follow her unique career path in the media industry, from being in front of the camera to producing numerous successful fiction, factual, and episodic productions. She has also been involved in the purchase of the country’s biggest servicing company, working on international projects such as The Woman King, and recently securing a multi-picture licensing deal with Amazon Prime. Here, she shares her unique journey and growth as she joins the group of the continent’s most successful women film professionals.
Start Time: 10:45
End Time: 12:15
Duration: 1h30m
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Tshepiso Chikapa Phiri (Known Associates Entertainment Pty Ltd)
Moderator: Nadia Denton (BEYOND NOLLYWOOD)
Watch Session:
Presented by The National Film and Video Foundation and Sheer Publishing.
This masterclass offers firsthand experience from industry leader Sheer Publishing on the inner workings of licensing music for film. The session will cover and introduce the audience to copyright within the music business. It further uses this knowledge as a catalyst to educate music users on the various protocols, rights holders, and usage details necessary to secure a piece of music in a film or audiovisual production. This will include music supervision, master and publishing rights, locating rights holders, usage detail negotiations, and, lastly, contractual work. The session will cover the various music types one can utilise within a film, namely commercial music, production music, and commissioned music.
Start Time: 10:45
End Time: 12:15
Duration: 1h30m
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
Zweli Sisilana (SHEER PUBLISHING)
Kgotso Masithela
Paul Hepker
Mark Engels
Moderator: Shiro Mwendwa (Sheer Publishing)
Watch Session:
The Durban FilmMart and The African Real Collective have partnered to co-curate discussions around documentary filmmaking that are pertinent to the African Film Industry. The African Real Collective (ARC) is the brainchild of an alliance of documentary organisations working within the African continent, the diaspora, and worldwide. Its aim is to create and nurture strong links among the filmmaking community.
The African Real Collective collaborates with African storytellers from every corner and persuasion of the continent, uniting to share knowledge and increase opportunities for the multiplicity and diversity of African voices and narratives to rise. In this session, we bring together documentary filmmakers from across the continent to discuss the process of collaboration in the documentary space. We explore why collaboration is crucial, not only in connecting the film community but also in connecting the continent.
Start Time: 12:30
End Time: 13:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Amil Shivji (Kijiweni Productions)
Hicham Falah (FIDADOC)
Toni Kamau (We are not the machine)
Moderator: Mohamed Saïd Ouma (Documentary Africa)
Watch Session:
Durban Does Docs: Cross Continental Collaboration Barriers, Catalysts -Successes
The Durban FilmMart, in partnership with the Writers Guild of South Africa, co-curates a session for film professionals from the country that is pertinent to the South African industry. As South Africa becomes a source for new content in the global market space, the demands on writers from across the film, episodic, and factual landscape are increasing. This session will bring together writers for film, television, and factual content to have a discussion around the pros and cons of different types of writing while still maintaining an authentic voice in the global marketplace.
Start Time: 12:30
End Time: 13:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
Start Time: 13:30
End Time: 14:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Exhibition Hall (Great Ilanga)
The Durban FilmMart’s selection of documentary storytellers have the opportunity to pitch their projects to co-producers, sales agents, broadcasters, and film funds. This session includes public pitching as a culmination of one-on-one meetings with decision makers, and personalised mentorship leading up to the market. It serves as a platform for networking, fostering collaborations and securing funding for African films and to facilitate the growth of the African film industry, promote cultural exchange, and amplify diverse narratives from the continent.
Start Time: 14:30
End Time: 18:00
Duration: 3h30m
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 1-2
Moderator: Don Edkins (STEPS)
John Giwa Amu is a film producer known for his work in the sci-fi thriller genre, including notable films such as The Machine, Little White Lies, Don’t Knock Twice, The Call Up, and The Party. He co-manages Red and Black Films, a production, distribution, and financing company, alongside writer/director Caradog James, as well as the video game company Good Gate Media Ltd. In this Masterclass, John Giwa Amu will share his lessons and insights on accessing alternative financing. He will emphasise the value of diversifying thinking and approaches, showcasing how they can create new avenues for filmmaking.
Start Time: 14:30
End Time: 15:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Masterclass presented by TRACE Studios.
In the roaring vortex of (mis)information that bombards us daily, how do you know what’s authentic and what is not? And how do you make your voice heard above the din? How do we craft stories that rise above the mundane without sacrificing originality and authenticity? The solution: finding your own voice – the voice that makes you uniquely YOU. This Masterclass will teach participants the tools they need to discover their own voice. Once they find that voice, and as such their storytelling identity, they will learn how to craft stories that resonate with conviction and lucidity.
Start Time: 14:30
End Time: 15:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
Beverley Mitchell (TRACE Studios)
Watch Session:
Masterclass: Presented by TRACE Studios – Finding Your Voice: Towards Authentic Storytelling
Presented by Locations Africa.
The writer crafts an amazing story with fabulous twists and turns, taking the reader and ultimately the viewer on a trip of a lifetime. Then the location scout needs to find each and every one of those sites. How practical are the choices of locations in your story? Should they be practical to find? How can you ensure your story is a feasible one for the scout to find?
Start Time: 15:45
End Time: 16:45
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
As the industry continues to bring new voices and professionals into the industry, while continuing to reach new audiences, representation beyond the industry becomes critical—beyond behind the camera but equally on screens. In the space of exhibition, bringing professionals from all walks of life to show authentic voices and stories becomes even more critical. In this session, we bring together programmers and professionals with representation as their ethos to discuss the importance of programming in the development of the industry.
Start Time: 15:45
End Time: 16:45
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Presented by the Durban Film Office.
A session for emerging film producers. The session will explore the necessary skill set and why it is important to understand business compliance as a producer. It will also highlight helpful organisations that every producer starting out should know, as well as provide insights on how to find good partners to strengthen a producer’s key creative team.
Start Time: 17:00
End Time: 18:00
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Happiness Mpase (HD N3twork)
Watch Session:
End Time: 18:00
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
End Time: 19:00
Duration: 1h
Venue: Exhibition Hall (Great Ilanga)
Saturday, 22 July 2023
Start Time: 9:30
End Time: 10:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Ryan Solovei (Viu South Africa)
Farzana Wadee (Viu South Africa)
Moderator: Thandi Davids (StoryScope)
Watch Session:
The Durban FilmMart, in partnership with the Independent Black Filmmakers Collective, co-curates a session for film professionals from the country, focusing on topics pertinent to the South African industry.
The IBFC has identified a need for a programme that is geared towards the development of new indigenous voices in South Africa. This is a 3-month programme for 7 Producer/Scriptwriter teams with a solid concept to develop which will include 4 feature films and 3 series formats. Participants would be teamed up with experienced script consultants, script editors, directors and creative producers to develop and refine their concepts – including strategic training, expert guidance, and a collaborative process to ensure each participant develops a product with solid global impact and a pitch deck. The programme will culminate in a pitching session to a panel of sales agents, distributors, streamers and networks.
Start Time: 9:30
End Time: 10:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
Maganthrie Pillay (Magan Global)
Teboho Pietersen (Insight Creatives)
Tracey Lee-Rainers (STORY OASIS)
Moderator: Bianca Isaac (Figjam Entertainment)
Watch Session:
SA in Focus: The Independent Black Filmmakers Collective: Fiction Development Programme
The Durban FilmMart’s selection of fiction storytellers have the opportunity to pitch their projects to co-producers, sales agents, broadcasters, and film funds. This session includes public pitching as a culmination of one-on-one meetings with decision makers, and personalised mentorship leading up to the market. It serves as a platform for networking, fostering collaborations and securing funding for African films and to facilitate the growth of the African film industry, promote cultural exchange, and amplify diverse narratives from the continent.
Start Time: 10:00
End Time: 13:30
Duration: 3h30m
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 1-2
Moderator: Lesedi Oluko Moche (Olu & Lime pty ltd)
The Durban FilmMart, in partnership with the Documentary Filmmakers Association, co-curates a session for film professionals from the country, focusing on topics pertinent to the South African industry. Finding the creative language in a film starts with the first thought of the story, the conversations with characters, and the lens through which the action is captured. How it connects with the audience relies a great deal on crafting the narrative in post-production. In this panel of documentary director and editor teams, we unpack creative strategies that support the tough final frontier of filmmaking.
Start Time: 10:45
End Time: 12:15
Duration: 1h30m
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
Masterclass Presented by Netflix.
The images we create to tell our stories hold the potential to trigger emotions, stir associations and evoke the world of our characters. The smarter the effort placed in enriching those images – the stronger the connection between our characters and audience will become. In this session we will explore: the elements that make up successful or even ‘iconic’ visual styles, key moments to enrich and foster your image-making throughout the production process and how creating positive cycles of idea-sharing between artists from early development to final grading is a key to compelling, polished visuals that draw audiences in.
Start Time: 10:45
End Time: 12:15
Duration: 1h30m
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3 – 4
Speakers:
Edmond Laccon (Netflix)
Ndanu Kilonzo (Netflix)
David Karanja (Netflix)
Marc Baleiza (Netflix)
As the world continues to looking for content from the African continent, the animation industry continues to struggle with issues around authentic voices and characterisation across the film mediums. Unfortunately, incidents still occur in international platforms and festivals. In this panel discussion, we bring together filmmakers and organisations to unpack why the discussion is important for creating a more diverse industry as content continues to reach new audiences.
Start Time: 12:30
End Time: 13:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
The Durban FilmMart and The African Real Collective partner to co-curate discussions around the documentary filmmaking that are pertinent to the African Film Industry. The Africa Real Collective (ARC) is the brainchild from an alliance of documentary organisations, working within the African Continent, the diaspora and worldwide, to create and nourish strong links among the filmmaking community.
The African Real Collective works with African storytellers from every corner of the continent, uniting to share knowledge and increase opportunities for the multiplicity and diversity of African Voices and their narratives to rise. In this session we bring together documentary creators, development platforms, and exhibition platforms to discuss the documentary landscape. Unpacking what measures exist and can be built upon to create a more dynamic and diverse ecosystems that not only creates a space for filmmakers to grow and show their work, but to develop the documentary community on a holistic level.
Start Time: 12:30
End Time: 13:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
In 2022, the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Netherlands Film Fund (NFF) established a co-development scheme called Thuthuka. This scheme aimed to support projects that have the potential for high cinematographic quality and appeal to cinema audiences in both countries, as well as international cinema audiences. As part of this initiative, four projects were selected at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
This announcement and networking function will serve to highlight the progress of the fund and provide updates on further developments.
Start Time: 13:30
End Time: 14:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Exhibition Hall (Southern Sun Elangeni Great Ilanga)
The film industry continues to expand with new voices and professionals from across the continent but the funding space is not growing at the same rate. With new demands, we bring together film professionals, with a particular interest in working with the African film industry, who have found alternative models and accessing financing outside of traditional pathways. In this panel we will unpack the alternative models and ways of accessing private equity financing and how it can play a vital role in developing the African film landscape.
Start Time: 14:30
End Time: 15:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Presented by DW Akademie and the Durban FilmMart Institute.
As the African film industry continues to evolve with new ideas and voices becoming integral parts of the industry, it is crucial to address the need for mentors who possess a nuanced understanding of the continent. Recognizing this, the Durban FilmMart and DW Akademie, in collaboration with Berlinale Talents, et out to create a programme and resources to develop a training system for developing new mentors on the continent. In this session, we will bring together the institution and film professionals who played key roles in developing the program. They will share insights on the importance of the program and shed light on the organic and collaborative process involved in its creation.
Start Time: 14:30
End Time: 15:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
The Durban FilmMart selection of official projects will have the opportunity to take one-to-one meetings with co-producers, sales agents, broadcasters, and film funders. It serves as a platform for networking, fostering collaborations and securing funding for African films. The sessions aims to facilitate the growth of the African film industry, promote cultural exchange, and amplify diverse narratives from the continent.
Start Time: 15:00
End Time: 18:00
Duration: 3h
Venue: Southern Sun Maharani Congella and Umgeni
Cinematic content has always fulfilled our desire for entertainment; but sometimes, it can often mean more than just providing pleasure. Throughout the history of cinema, whether fiction or documentary, films have carried a deeper meaning, serving as allegories or tools for change. In this panel, we bring together social justice activists and filmmakers to discuss the importance of cinema as a tool for social activism. We explore how the medium can be used to reach and engage with audiences in a different model, while also serving as an important tool for engaging with history.
Start Time: 15:45
End Time: 16:45
Duration: 1hr
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
End Time: 16:45
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Ben Amadasun (Netflix)
Helen Kuun (Indigenous Film Distribution)
Benjamin Cowley (Gravel Road Distribution Group)
Mayenzeke Baza (AAA Entertainment)
Moderator: Teboho Pietersen (Insight Creatives)
Watch Session:
Navigating Africa’s Content Distribution Landscape with Netflix
Start Time: 17:00
End Time: 18:00
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Dana Sims (Creative Artists Agency)
Effie T Brown (GameChanger Films)
Colin Gayle (African Creative Agency)
Yvette Gayle (African Creative Agency)
Moderator: Steven Adams (Alta Global Media)
Watch Session:
Presented by NEFTI Africa
This special event will feature the screening of short films by three finalists of the first annual NEFTI Africa Short Film Competition, followed by the announcement of the competition’s winner.
The NEFTI Africa competition offered selected filmmakers the opportunity to create a short film in 30 days with a $3000 budget and compete for a spot as one of the three finalists. This year’s competition attracted 10 contestants who pitched their short film ideas via Zoom to a panel of judges. The three finalists will showcase their films, and the winner will be awarded the $5,000 grand prize.
Following the screening, there will be a cocktail networking function.
Start Time: 18:15
End Time: 20:00
Duration: 1h45m
Venue: Southern Sun Maharani Tugela Room
Sunday, 23 July 2023
It is absolutely amazing to see how technology is impacting the film and TV industry, both locally and internationally, where every part of the chain is touched by technological innovation. The question arises: How do we stay active in the evolving symbiosis with technology?
In this session, we will engage in an in-depth discussion about AI and its implications for filmmakers. Does AI have the potential to increase the efficiency of the filmmaking process? What are the challenges and threats it presents? We will take a closer look at the pros and cons of integrating AI into filmmaking.
Start Time: 09:30
End Time: 10:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Lisa Russell (Create2030)
Antoinette Engel (Electric South)
Vulane Mthembu (Goethe-Institut)
Moderator: Tracey Lee-Rainers (STORY OASIS)
Watch Session:
Presented by NEFTI Africa.
Following the success of the annual competition established by NEFT Vodka and the International Emerging Film Talent Association, 2023 saw the first annual NEFTI Africa competition – aimed at discovering and showcasing underrepresented filmmakers from developing countries who are facing geographical, financial and logistical limitations. In this session, competition founder Paul Robinson and the 2023 winners host a discussion on how to create your story, synopsis, and pitch to the competition.
Start Time: 9:30
End Time: 10:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
The Durban FilmMart selection of official projects will have the opportunity to take one-to-one meetings with co-producers, sales agents, broadcasters, and film funders. It serves as a platform for networking, fostering collaborations and securing funding for African films. The sessions aims to facilitate the growth of the African film industry, promote cultural exchange, and amplify diverse narratives from the continent.
Start Time: 9:30
End Time: 13:30
Duration: 4h
Venue: Southern Sun Maharani Panini Room
Start Time: 10:45
End Time: 12:15
Duration: 1h30m
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Presented by the KwaZulu -Natal Film Commission.
Animation SA has identified KZN as the next province with animation growth potential. As such, KZN Film Commission in partnership with Animation SA are developing a 5-year Animation growth strategy for the province. Animation SA has partnered with Red Ibis Education, a company specialising in research, development and education within the South African audiovisual media industry, whose members share a long history with animation production, development and education. The goal of the launch is to present the strategy to KZN stakeholders at DFM to provide insight into the strategy and set the stage for partnerships and participation in the growth of animation education, production and audience development.
Start Time: 10:45
End Time: 12:15
Duration: 1h30m
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
As documentaries continue to become a critical source of content in the realm of streaming and television, with the industry gravitating towards true crime and factual documentaries, the space for creative documentaries becomes limited. However, creative documentaries have played an important role not only as a storytelling method but also in highlighting life outside of news-based documentaries. In this session, we bring together established programmers to discuss the importance of programming creative documentaries, their role in the industry and audiences, and how to develop this often-forgotten part of the industry.
Start Time: 12:30
End Time: 13:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
Start Time: 12:30
End Time: 13:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Tutu Bongani Miya (Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Limited)
Watch Session:
Unpacking the IDC’s Strategy for the Media & Audio-Visual Sector
Start Time: 14:30
End Time: 15:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
Tshepiso Chikapa Phiri (Independent Producers Organisation (IPO) Chairperson)
Jahmil XT Qubeka (IPO Deputy Chairperson)
Azania Muendane (Independent Black Filmmakers Collective (IBFC) Co-Chair)
Bertrand Moullier (International Federation of Film Producers)
Representative of the Producers Guild of America (PGA) Associations (FIAPF) Senior Advisor International Affairs)
Moderator: Thami Ngubeni (IPO Executive Committee member)
Watch Session:
SA in Focus: The Benefits of Establishing the Producers Guild of South Africa
The funding space continues to be a space of great demand as the film industry continues to expand with new voices and professionals from across the world. With more funds becoming accessible to filmmakers, we look at how the funding space needs to adapt to the expanding industry, while interrogating some of the issues with working regions who often have a contentious past where these funds originate from.
Start Time: 14:30
End Time: 15:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Jon-Sesrie Goff (Ford Foundation)
Lerato Mogoatlhe (Africa No Filter)
Emad Eskander (Red Sea Film Foundation)
Aïcha Bahri (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie)
Dominic Davis (Sundance Institute)
Moderator: Tiny Mungwe (STEPS / CTRL ALt Shift)
Watch Session:
Talking Cents: Beyond Funds – Navigating the Funding Power Dynamics
The Durban FilmMart selection of official projects will have the opportunity to take one-to-one meetings with co-producers, sales agents, broadcasters, and film funders. It serves as a platform for networking, fostering collaborations and securing funding for African films. The sessions aims to facilitate the growth of the African film industry, promote cultural exchange, and amplify diverse narratives from the continent.
Start Time: 15:00
End Time: 18:00
Duration: 3h
Venue: Southern Sun Maharani Panini Room
As interest in the African industry continues to grow, with cross-collaboration becoming more frequent, there is a desire for an online resource that covers the industry in terms of education and serves as a platform for projects and collaboration. In this session, the Durban FilmMart Institute will discuss their new online portal, FilmMart.africa, and engage with key stakeholders about how this new tool will benefit the African and global industry.
Start Time: 15:45
End Time: 16:45
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
Fibby Kiora (Mucii Pictures)
Menzi Mhlongo (Durban FilmMart Institute)
Jane Mote (The Whickers)
Claire Diao (Sudu Connexion)
Moderator: Marion Schmidt (DW Akademie)
Watch Session:
Presented by Amazon
Start Time: 15:45
End Time: 16:45
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Presented by the National Film and Video Foundation and the Nigerian Film Corporation.
CoProduction Corner is a series of discussions that focus on co-production opportunities within the continent and beyond. Here, we bring together national film bodies and filmmakers as they discuss not only the benefits of collaborating in the regions but also the philosophical connections and reasons for collaboration.
This session will feature the Nigerian Film Corporation, which is responsible for the development of the film industry in Nigeria. They produce films for both domestic consumption and export, and aim to encourage local talent through training, financial support, and related matters. The organisation will discuss available initiatives for collaboration, including financial incentives and structural support, while creating a space for engagement with the international film community.
Start Time: 17:00
End Time: 18:00
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Watch Session:
Presented by TikTok.
The TikTok masterclass discussion will focus on using the platform as a storytelling medium to enhance and grow your content and the impact that TikTok has had within the film industry. We all have innate storytelling in us, as a born storyteller, TikTok presents the opportunity to tell your story. The session will focus on the best practices, guiding content strategy and growing your account and engagement.
Start Time: 17:00
End Time: 18:00
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Vivian Chuene (TikTok)
Session:
TikTok as a Storytelling Medium and its Influence in the Industry
Start Time: 18:00
End Time: 19:00
Duration: 1h
Venue: Exhibition Hall (Great Ilanga)
Monday, 24 July 2023
With the emergence of episodic content becoming the most consumed and discussed medium of cinematic storytelling in the last couple of years, the success has been evident for anyone to see. However, with attention spans becoming shorter and the desire for new products growing every day, how can the production meet the needs of the market? In this session, we bring together film professionals involved in the creation, development, and exhibition of the episodic medium to discuss this avenue, share some of the successes, and explore what can be done to sustain this area of filmmaking.
Start Time: 9:30
End Time: 10:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
Mandla Dube (Pambili Media)
Francesco Capurro (Series Mania)
Cécile Gérardin (Canal+)
Lala Tuku (South African Broadcasting Corporation)
Moderator:Yalezo Njuguna (Afriquan Film Podcast)
Watch Session:
Episodic Content in the Age of Consumption
End Time: 10:30
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Basiami Segola (Basieme Segola)
Nomathemba Thusi (The Star World)
Nono Mncwango (Nsiba Films)
Moderator: Zanele Mthembu (Sisters Working in Film and Television)
Watch Session:
SA in Focus: Sisters Working in Film and Television
The Durban FilmMart selection of official projects will have the opportunity to take one-to-one meetings with co-producers, sales agents, broadcasters, and film funders. It serves as a platform for networking, fostering collaborations and securing funding for African films. The sessions aims to facilitate the growth of the African film industry, promote cultural exchange, and amplify diverse narratives from the continent.
Start Time: 9:30
End Time: 13:30
Duration: 4h
Venue: Southern Sun Maharani Panini Room
Presented by GIZ (The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH).
The University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) in collaboration with the Tshimologong Precinct and Fak’ugesi Festival has been undertaking research in the field of digital creative industries intermediaries over the last few years. This session will cover the leading data gathered around this research giving an understanding of the current landscape while indicating a roadmap for interventions to strengthen the intermediary landscape moving forward. We will also highlight an intermediary success story from the animation industry indicating the importance of intermediary roles for the digital creative industries.
Start Time: 10:45
End Time: 11:45
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
Eduardo Cachucho (Fak’ugesi Festival and Digital Lab Africa)
Sakhile Mogale (University of the Witwatersrand – Digital Arts)
Kirsten Khan (University of the Witwatersrand – Digital Arts)
Moderator: Lesley Donna Williams (Tshimologong Precint)
Watch Session:
Intermediaries in Africa, Now and Beyond
The DFM in Conversation will serve as the keynote session for Durban FilmMart. It will feature a one-on-one conversation with experts from various fields of the film industry, where they will share their journeys, lessons learned, and the guiding principles behind their work.
Philippe Lacôte, is a film director from Côte d’Ivoire. He is most noted for his 2014 film Run, which was a Lumières Award nominee for Best French-Language Film at the 20th Lumières Awards, and his 2020 film Night of the Kings (La Nuit des rois), which was a winner of the Amplify Voices Award at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. Both films were selected as Côte d’Ivoire’s submission to the Academy Awards for the Best International Feature Film Oscar respectively. In this conversation, Lacôte will discuss his journey to becoming one of the most prominent filmmakers in Francophone West Africa, his experience in building an international audience, and his recently announced upcoming film for Amazon Studios.
Start Time: 10:45
End Time: 11:45
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Watch Session:
Presented by the Film and Publication Board.
The amended version of the Films and Publications Act, 1996 (Act No. 65 of 1996), came into operation on 1st March 2022 – in line with the proclamation published in the Government Gazette by the President. The FPB classifies films, games, and certain publications through the provision of age ratings and consumer advisories. This ensures that consumers and particularly parents and guardians, are informed of what may be contained in media so that children are not prematurely exposed to harmful content. Recent amendments to the Act empower the FPB to deal with complaints relating to the distribution of unclassified and prohibited content, private sexual photographs and films, and films and photographs depicting sexual violence and violence against children. This masterclass provides details on the FPB mandate, including instruments being developed, such as the accreditation framework for classification systems and authorities and how it will deal with complaints lodged by the public.
Start Time: 12:00
End Time: 13:00
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
Presented by MultiChoice and Showmax.
MultiChoice and Showmax executives will talk you through how to pitch your series to Showmax, Mzansi Magic, M-Net, kykNET, Africa Magic and more. Series on Showmax were the biggest winner at the 2023 AMVCAs and the 2022 SAFTAs and Kalasha Awards, while Reyka was nominated for two International Emmys, Spinners became the first African series selected at CanneSeries, and Recipes for Love and Murder and Donkerbos were both selected for Berlinale Series Market Selects, among other recent accolades.
The panel will also explore Mzansi Magic’s epic Shaka ILembe and Showmax’s partnership with Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky and its pending relaunch, to be powered by Peacock’s globally-scaled technology.
Start Time: 12:00
End Time: 13:00
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
Flavia Motsisi (MultiChoice)
Lucia Meyer-Marais (MultiChoice)
Lufuno Lefowa (Multichoice)
Mauro Black (MultiChoice Studios)
Merveline Ferris (M-Net)
Moderator: Sipho Ngwenya (Showmax)
Watch Session:
Start Time: 13:00
End Time: 14:00
Duration: 1h
Venue: Exhibition Hall (Great Ilanga)
Presented by GIZ (The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH).
As animation continues to grow and become an important facet of the African film industry, the industry is grappling with the challenge of becoming more diverse and generating opportunities for professionals across the gender spectrum. In this session, we bring together professionals from across the continent and the globe who are working to create a more diverse and inclusive industry for women-identifying film professionals.
Start Time: 14:00
End Time: 15:00
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 5
Speakers:
As the global market shifts and the exhibition landscape undergoes changes, the demand for content continues to increase. In this masterclass with producer Todd Brown of XYZ Film, we will analyze the evolving landscape and its impact on the industry. We will explore how these changes affect the operations of traditional funding bodies and discuss strategies they need to adopt in order to keep up with the shifting dynamics moving forward
Start Time: 14:00
End Time: 15:00
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers:
As Africa continues to become a source of content in the international market place, more professionals are crossing over into the mythical Hollywood system. In this session, we are bringing together international producer Steven Adams, and international talent Dana Sims. Here they will unpack and share the journey, how to navigate the space as a professional from outside the system and how to continue to grow while maintaining an authentic voice.
Start Time: 15:15
End Time: 16:15
Duration: 1h
Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Suite 3-4
Speakers: