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DURBAN – In the last nine years, the Durban FilmMart (DFM) has become Africa's premier film finance forum and fertile ground for foreign producers, commercial agents, financiers and market leaders. ;industry. Variety has maintained with Durban Film Office and DFM Toni Monty about the growth of FilmMart, its challenges and the way South African and African filmmakers can help the film. industry to claim a greater share of the global market. 19659002] Industrial Development Corp. (IDC), which has invested nearly R1 billion ($ 75 million) in the South African film industry since 2012, has strengthened its partnership with the Durban FilmMart this year and has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Video Foundation (NFVF) this week for the Emerging Black Filmmakers Transformation Fund. Is there anything else you would like to see emanated from government agencies – or private companies – to develop DFM and the South African film industry?
South Africa is obviously very lucky. We have so many agencies in South Africa that support the industry, and they engage with the industry regularly, in terms of their policy direction and their political structures. We are very lucky. You go to most other places in Africa, and you tell them what we have, and they are completely astonished. We have commissions in every province, we have a national funding agency, we have the IDC, and we have the discount [Dept. of Trade & Industry]. As a country, we are very, very lucky to have that kind of support.
In Relation
I think all of these agencies need to get closer to the field. I think there are attempts to do this, but I think all government agencies need to work harder to fully understand the needs of filmmakers and the needs of the industry. Sometimes they can be like pbading ships at night, which is really unfortunate, because the opportunities are lost.
Distribution remains a huge challenge for South African and African filmmakers. DFM of the year. The government, to its credit, invests heavily in the production of local feature films, but these films often have a hard time getting noticed. What do you think the government or the industry could do differently, so that the projects we see developing at the DFM are not just done, but find the widest possible audience?
Overall, as in Africa, many channels and distribution opportunities. I think the missing link for us, especially in South Africa, is that most projects are heavily funded by the government, and that they revolve around this idea of being on the ground and of understand the needs of filmmakers. and understand the "product placement". The filmmakers would kill me if they heard me speak like that! [Laughter] How to place this product on the market? First, there are too many filmmakers who do not understand. Second, government agencies do not have enough foundation in this area either. And thirdly, I do not think there is enough conversation and understanding between government agencies and filmmakers. I think it's something that needs to be sorted out.
It's almost like a situation where we say, "Let's produce movies, let's see the numbers," but then we do not see those numbers. things through. We must make more effort in this space. It comes down to understanding the market. This comes down to understanding the local box office, to understand the local audience. If we look at festival participation for local films, it's not always great. There is no desire to tap into local content, and there is certainly work to be done in this area. It starts at the beginning: what do you produce for the local market? Is this satisfied by a request? And how do you get to the local market? If you're talking about integrating it into the global market, is there a demand? Do we really understand the rhythms of the global market to understand whether or not this has an opportunity in this space? We just need to pay more attention to this space and the way we put these movies on the market.
Speaking to producers and sales agents this week, it seems that the great strength of the DFM is undoubtedly the best talent. A pool on the continent for African filmmakers – a place to meet emerging and established filmmakers and producers, and find exciting projects in development. But buyers do not usually come to Durban to buy finished products. As one sales agent said: "This is not the end of the sale [at the DFM] it's the end of the discovery." Do you think that can or should be changed ?
It is a development process. When we started nine years ago, we received about 160 nominations from all over Africa every year, and when you look at most of these projects, it was very clear where support for African filmmakers was needed. And that's what we focused on. But absolutely, we want to move into a space where Durban will be the space to come to exchange titles. But it was developmental. In a sense, the industry has not been quite ready for that – not in droves. Of course, there are filmmakers in South Africa and Africa who are doing very well for themselves. But when we look at this as a collective, there is a lot more development that is required. We think that the market has matured in the last nine years, that we are moving towards a new space, where we can re-examine the model and ask ourselves: "So, what is the next step?" And that's all in fact exciting space. We are ten years old next year, and we are looking to launch some initiatives that will talk about the next step for Durban FilmMart.
There is a growing number of film markets scattered across the continent. Discop has expanded to Zanzibar, and soon to Lagos. Cape Town gives Cape Town Intl. Market and Film Festival (CTIFMF) a redesign this year. How can these markets work together to ensure that they cannibalize each other, but that they complement each other and work toward the growth of the pan-African film industry? ?
There is always a potential to become very competitive. cannibalize the other. But I think at this point we are all talking to each other and figuring out how we can work together, rather than against each other, and how we could eventually complement each other. Cape Town is literally brand new. They have ideas, in terms of strategy and direction, and we have discussions. I think we have the opportunity to work together. At the end of the day, [CTIFMF market director] Elias Ribeiro worked a lot on the development of filmmakers. That's what Durban FilmMart offers. He takes it to heart, and we take it to heart. Hope we will find a synergistic existence. You do not have to fight on a particular space.
Aside from this year's challenges, the festival has suffered in recent years due to a lack of continuity; last year, Chipo Zhou became the seventh director of DIFF in six years. What can the Durban Film Board and other festival partners do to ensure more stability in the future?
Obviously, it's very important to us – not just from Durban FilmMart's point of view, but from Durban Intl. The film festival is incredibly important for the city of Durban. We certainly work with the [University of KwaZulu-Natal] who is essentially the guardian of the Durban International Airport. Film Festival. They are aware of the challenges. The university itself is a big bureaucracy, and the wheels are spinning slowly. Discussions have been going on for a few years. I think we're coming to a point where there is an understanding of what's going to happen in the future, and I'm pretty confident that these things are going to be dealt with in the coming months, in terms of what is the way forward for the future. festival
The festival requires constant leadership, and we see that this has not been the case in the last two years. At this point, I think it's clear that steps must now be taken and that this can not continue as well. We hope and anticipate this by the 40th edition of Durban International Airport. Film Festival [in 2019] that these arrangements will have been finalized. I can say with certainty that Durban Intl. The Film Festival has too much value for the city for the city not to find another way to move forward. There will be positive news in the coming months that will bring confidence to the industry that things are going forward in a positive direction.
On the picture: Toni Monty
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