DFM Pitch and Finance Forum
Presented at the DFM annual market
Each year, through an open application process and two independent selection panels, the Durban FilmMart Institute selects 20-30 official African fiction and documentary projects in development to present to a panel of potential co-producers, sales agents, broadcasters and film funds. The Pitch and Finance Forum consists of public pitching, one on one meetings with decision makers and individual mentorship leading up to the market.
DFM 2025 Official Projects
Animation

Aisha Qandicha
(Morocco)
Director:
Fatima Mahdar

Aisha Qandicha
(United States)
Producer:
Alyssa Harden

Au Nom Du Roi Njoya (In The Name of King Njoya)
(Cameroon)
Director & Producer:
Claye Edou

Crocodile Dance
(South Africa/Nigeria)
Co-Director:
Shofela Coker

Crocodile Dance
(South Africa/Nigeria)
Co-Director:
Ingrid De Beer

Crocodile Dance
(South Africa/Nigeria)
Co-Producer:
Nadia Darries

Kamaroza
(Egypt)
Co-Director:
Ahmad Abdelhameed

Kamaroza
(Egypt)
Co-Director:
Islam Mazhar

Kamaroza
(Egypt)
Producer:
Nouran Abdallah

KINTUADI: SIMON KIMBANGU
(Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Director:
Benny Lusakueno

KINTUADI: SIMON KIMBANGU
(Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Producer:
Giresse KASSONGA

Mboudgui
(Cameroon)
Director:
Bienvenu Wanso-Tissala

Mboudgui
(France)
Co-Producer:
Betty Sulty-Johnson

Mboudgui
(Cameroon)
Co-Producer:
Lamissa Ouattara

Nunu Rhu (The Girl With Wings)
(South Africa)
Director:
Clare Louis

Nunu Rhu (The Girl With Wings)
(Canada)
Co-Producer:
Sabrina Roc

Nunu Rhu (The Girl With Wings)
(South Africa)
Co-Producer:
Ameera Faber

Tribe
(Zimbabwe)
Director:
Tendayi Nyeke

Tribe
(South Africa)
Producer:
Debbie Crosscup
Documentary Features

Akal
(Morocco)
Director:
Basma Rkioui

Akal
(Morocco)
Producer:
Karim Debbagh

Climbing the Mountains
(Algeria)
Director and Co-Producer:
Sabrina Chebbi

Climbing the Mountains
(Algeria)
Producer:
Kenji Accard

Climbing the Mountains
(Algeria)
Co-Producer:
Oualid Baha

Golden
(Zimbabwe)
Director and Co-Producer:
Rumbi Katedza

Golden
(Zimbabwe)
Producer:
Ingrid Martens

Kivu
(Democratic Republic of Congo)
Director:
Elise Sawasawa

Kivu
(Democratic Republic of Congo)
Producer:
Christian Bitwaiki

Plastic Atlantis
(Cape Verde)
Director:
Samira Vera-Cruz

Plastic Atlantis
(Cape Verde)
Producer:
Pedro Soulé

Samaa Gafa (Dry Sky)
(Sudan)
Director:
Ibrahim Omar

Samaa Gafa (Dry Sky)
(Sudan)
Producer:
Aya Yusuf

The Salt of the South
(Tunisia)
Director:
Rami Jarboui

The Salt of the South
(Tunisia)
Producer:
Ramzi Laâmouri

Un/Settled
(South Africa)
Director:
Sydelle Willow Smith

Un/Settled
(South Africa)
Producer:
Mehret Mandefro

Vuka
(South Africa)
Director:
Matthew Robinson

Vuka
(South Africa)
Producer:
Rehad Desai
Documentary Series

Planet Carnival
(South Africa)
Director:
Kurt Orderson

Planet Carnival
(South Africa)
Co-Producer:
Luana Rocha

Planet Carnival
(South Africa)
Executive Producer:
Thandi Davids

Retour à Thiaroye (Return To Thiaroye)
(Tunisia)
Director:
Emilien Abibou

Retour à Thiaroye (Return To Thiaroye)
(Tunisia)
Co-Producer:
Dhia Jerbi

Retour à Thiaroye (Return To Thiaroye)
(Tunisia)
Co-Producer:
Manon Lavaud

Retour à Thiaroye (Return To Thiaroye)
(Tunisia)
Co-Producer:
Victor Thomas
Fiction Features

Al Asas (The Guardian)
(Algeria)
Director:
Muhannad Lamin

Al Asas (The Guardian)
(Algeria)
Producer:
Lynda Belkhiria

Bupya (Renewed)
(Rwanda)
Director:
Claire Sheila Birungi

Bupya (Renewed)
(Rwanda)
Producer:
Oge Obasi

Bupya (Renewed)
(Rwanda)
Co-Producer:
Dipo Abdul Osiyemi

Corruption Is An English Word
(South Africa)
Director:
Zoe Ramushu

Corruption Is An English Word
(South Africa)
Producer:
Rea Moeti-Vogt

Dowar Alqamar (The Sunflowers of the Moon)
(Tunisia)
Director:
ismaël

Dowar Alqamar (The Sunflowers of the Moon)
(Tunisia)
Producer:
Sarra Maali

Le Sanglier (The Boar)
(Senegal)
Director:
Mamadou Socrate Diop

Le Sanglier (The Boar)
(Senegal)
Producer:
Yanis Gaye

'n Doop om Stilte (Baptism of Silence)
(South Africa)
Director:
Kanya Viljoen and Emilie Badenhorst

'n Doop om Stilte (Baptism of Silence)
(South Africa)
Producer:
Casey Diepeveen

Nomvula (She Who Brings the Rain)
(South Africa)
Director:
Sibusiso Khuzwayo

Nomvula (She Who Brings the Rain)
(South Africa)
Producer:
Kethiwe Ngcobo

Space Maasai
(Tanzania)
Director:
Priscilla Marealle

Space Maasai
(Tanzania)
Producer:
Wilson Nkya

STERO
(Kenya)
Director:
Millan Tarus

STERO
(Kenya)
Producer:
Juliana Kabua
Fiction Series

High Flyers
(South Africa)
Director:
Ian Gabriel

High Flyers
(South Africa)
Producer:
Gabe Gabriel

The Second Coming
(South Africa)
Director:
Michael James

The Second Coming
(South Africa)
Producer:
Siyabonga Xaba

VigilAunties
(South Africa)
Director:
Loren Loubser

VigilAunties
(South Africa)
Producer:
Dominique Jossie
2024 Awards
CASH AWARDS: | ||
Organisation | Name of Award | Winners |
Known Associates, Inner City Films, Circle Blue Entertainment, | Known Inner Circle Award | Acts of Man (South Africa) – Producer: Sean Drummond and Director: Sheetal Magan |
Red Sea | Red Sea Film Fund Award X2 | Londoner (Nigeria) – Producers: Pamela Drameh and Sarudzayi Marufu and Director: Babatunde Apalowo |
Africa AI (South Africa) – Producer: Amílcar Patel and Directors: Amílcar Patel and Chris Kets | ||
Game Changer | Game Changer Films Award | The Moon Can’t Run (South Africa, Zambia) – Producer: Shveta Naidoo and Director: Naishe Nyamubaya and Coproducer: Niza Lou Waldburger |
Canal + | CANAL+ Development Grant | Children of Honey (Tanzania, United Kingdom) – Producer: Natalie Humphreys and Director: Jigar Ganatra |
TRT | TRT Award | Dear Tarkovsky (Tunisia) – Producer: Asma Chiboub and Director: Firas Khoury |
MTN Group | MTN Group Digital Award | The Moon Can’t Run (South Africa, Zambia) – Producer: Shveta Naidoo and Director: Naishe Nyamubaya and Coproducer: Niza Lou Waldburger |
International Documentary Association | IDA Supported Artist Award | Children of Honey (Tanzania, United Kingdom) – Producer: Natalie Humphreys and Director: Jigar Ganatra |
Sisters in Cinema | Sisters in Cinema Sustainability Award | The Conservationist (Zimbabwe) – Producer and Director: Rumbi Katedza and Producer: Siza Mukwedini |
National Film and Video Foundation | Best Fiction Grant | I’m Coming For You (Cameroon) – Producers: Alice Abah and Jean-Marie Gigon and Director: Cyrielle Raingou |
National Film and Video Foundation | Best Non-Fiction Grant | We Had The Moon! (Mauritius) – Producer and Director: Pamella Eduoard |
Best Animation Grant | Monster Nanny (South Africa, Zimbabwe) – Producer: Kaya Kuhn and Director: Tafadzwa Hove | |
Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Fund | Hot Docs-Blue Ice Docs Award | My Father Killed Bourguiba (Tunisia) – Producer: Sarra Ben Hassan and Director: Fatma Riahi |
The Whickers | The Whickers Bursary Award | We Had The Moon! (Mauritius) – Producer and Director: Pamella Eduoard |
PROGRAMME PARTICIPATION: | ||
Organisation | Name of Award | Winners |
IFFR Pro | Rotterdam Lab Award | Jua Kali (Kenya) – Producer: Joash Omondi and Director: Yasmin Hassan |
DOK.fest München and IEFTA | The DOK.fest München Award With support from IEFTA | A Girl and a Gun (South Africa) – Producer: Antoinette Engel and Director: Arya Lalloo |
Dok Leipzig and IEFTA | The DOK Leipzig Award With support from IEFTA | Africa AI (South Africa) – Producer: Amílcar Patel and Directors: Amílcar Patel and Chris Kets |
Sorfund | Sørfond Award | Benimana (Ivory Coast) – Producer: Samantha Biffot and Director: Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo |
Miradas Doc | Miradas Doc Award | A Girl and a Gun (South Africa) – Producer: Antoinette Engel and Director: Arya Lalloo |
Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival and IEFTA | Special GZDOC Invitation With support from IEFTA | Bitter Seed (Algeria, France) – Producer: Antoine Goldet and Director: Camélia Gadhgadhi |
FIDA DOC | The FIDA DOC Award | How Many Nights How Many Days (Egypt) – Producer: Kesmat Elsayed and Director: Alaa Dajani |
Movies that matter and IEFTA | Movies that Matter Award With support from IEFTA | We Had The Moon! (Mauritius) – Producer and Director: Pamella Eduoard |
Vision du reel and IEFTA | Visions du Reel Award With support from IEFTA | We Had The Moon (Mauritius) – Producer and Director: Pamella Eduoard |
Fak’ugesi | Fak’ugesi Residency Award | Oarona (South Africa) – Producers: AJ Pitre and Thandiwe Mlauli and Director: Thandiwe Mlauli and Coproducer: Simangaliso Sibaya |
Hidden Hand Studio | The Hidden Hand Studios presents: The Hidden Talents Award | The Legend of Hyena Man (Tanzania) – Producer: Mathew Valerian and Directors: Elshadye Berhanu and Joshua Faber |
MENTORSHIP: | ||
Organisation | Name of Award | Winners |
OIF-ACP -EU | OIF-ACP-EU award | Londoner (Nigeria) – Producers: Pamela Drameh and Sarudzayi Marufu and Director: Babatunde Apalowo |
Torino Lab and IEFTA | TFL Next Award supported by IEFTA | Numalali (My Voice, My Void) (Guatemala) – Producers: Alberto Rodríguez Collía and Kurt Orderson and Director: Kimeshree Munsamy |
2021 Winners
Application Information
Animation Applications are now CLOSED.
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