M-Net rewards film & television students for creative work

Industry players, finalists from various tertiary institutions and media attended the event that showcased the winners of the 2002 EDiT competition. Last year, ten entry proposals were selected to be made into television programmes. Students (in conjunction with their lecturers) were encouraged to defy commonly held notions of genre and to broker deals to achieve the best product with the awarded budget. An independent panel of film and television industry luminaries judged the final productions. The ten films were screened on M-Net earlier this year.

Producer/Director Lungi Dumalo and producer Sifisile Ngwenga from the WITS TV school walked away with the major prize: Best Project for 6 Numbers - the tragic tale of a young girl who wins the lottery, but cannot claim the prize because she is underaged. She and her family then fall victim to a money-hungry shopkeeper who goes to extreme lengths to get his hands on the winning ticket.
The WITS TV school received R75 000 to plough back into their programme that produced the winning entry this year.

Dumalo and Ngwenga also scooped the R7 500 award for Best Screenplay for 6 Numbers.

Dumalo also shared the R7 500 prize for Best Director with Dane Maxwell from the Durban Institute of Technology. Maxwell's entry was a magazine-style programme called Home Takeover where a team of DIY specialists and interior decorators get 48 hours to re-model and decorate a room or two in the home of unsuspecting occupants.

The R2 000 award for Best Technical Contribution went to Steve Lehili, Ronel Odendaal and Suzette Bornman from Potchefstroom University for the superb cinematography in the documentary Mama Imfene. This doccie tells the story of Rita Miljo who has devoted her life to protecting and rescuing orphaned, injured and traumatised chacma baboons. Miljo, commonly known as Mama Imfene, founded CARE (Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education) in 1989 and today, at the age of 71, she still runs this centre.

M-Net also recognised the finalists with four merit awards in the following categories:

Best Performance:

Makgano Mamabolo for her portrayal of Elicia in AFDA's entry called Camera Boy - a reality programme, which aims to give a fresh and new perspective of life through the camera.

Best Dramatised Inserts:

Danie Bester from AFDA, also for Camera Boy.

Best Editing:

Leanne Palmer of the Durban Institute for Technology for Home Takeover.

Merit Award for Production Value:

Rohaan Claassen from Pretoria Technikon's Cinema and Television School for Ubuso - a short film about and old man and his grandson living on an isolated farm in the Drakensberg Mountains. It's a story about the hope and dreams of an old man regarding his only grandchild's aspirations to become a veterinarian. These dreams are ruined by a terrible accident, shattering the lives of these two people forever.

Bongiwe Selane, Commissioning Editor: M-Net Local Productions remarks: "The Edit awards mark a wonderful achievement for all who entered the EDiT initiative. I am impressed by the entries and commend the great team spirit and genuine commitment to the philosophy behind the project. The evolution of a skilled talent pool is critical for the advancement of the South African film and television industry."

Selane said the positive response to this project from institutions, professional bodies - the lecturers and students alike - and the industry itself, has been overwhelming. "In the long run, broadcasters, viewers and the industry at large will reap the benefit of product delivered from a well trained, highly skilled and representative body of young producers of film and television product," she said.

"Having made a film that has been broadcast on M-Net is a major bonus for any student entering the tough world of film and television. We trust that the students will pick up the gauntlet and continue to explore new frontiers of creativity in television. We look forward to working with the participants as professional filmmakers in South Africa and we hope to see provoking, innovative, new and fresh ideas in the future," she continued.

Independent producer and Edit judge, Brent Quinn, comments: "M-Net should be applauded for taking the initiative with a project of this nature. Our industry is in need of genuine opportunities to develop skills and gain experience in production. The financial and skills investment in the younger generation of filmmakers stands to benefit the wider industry as a whole. I encourage all institutions across the nation to enter this valuable project and gain from the opportunities it presents."

At the event, M-Net also announced the call for entries to the fourth phase of the initiative, EDiT 2003. Programme proposals, in any genre, may be submitted as entries. The closing date is 02 May 2003. For entry packs and more information contact: Bongiwe Selane (011) 686 7413 or e-mail: .

The History of EDiT:

In a pioneering move, M-Net launched the EDiT project in 2000. EDiT, a learner-based initiative, was conceived to provide students with the opportunity to produce a short format television programme. M-Net awards R25 000 towards the production of each of the ten selected projects. As a major player in the African broadcasting arena, M-Net recognises the critical imperative to invest in the development of hard skills of promising filmmaking talent.

The project encourages boundless creativity and provides students with the rare opportunity to produce a programme within real-life television commissioning conditions. Through partnership with industry oriented educational institutions and professional associations, Edit seeks to identify gifted learners and enhance their production portfolio.

Working closely with their relevant educational institutions or professional associations, students were tasked with creating and executing programme concepts that are refreshing in approach and technically competent.

Since inception in 2000, the project boasts around 30 short format television programmes ranging from short film drama, documentary, game-show, reality programme and entertainment.

EDiT was designed in synergy with the Skills Development Act, SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority) objectives and the Employment Equity Act. The key tenants of the project are to provide lifelong access to learning and skills development, empowerment and equitable gender and race representation.