The 1st Southern African Documentary Co-production Forum - ''Matching projects and broadcaster''

Encounters and Sithengi have designed a programme of events leading up to the DCF. These are to assist African filmmakers develop their projects and create opportunities to pitch for a co-production deal to an international panel of broadcasters, producers and distributors.

Submission Deadline for Preliminaries: Monday 7 July 2003

Sithengi and Encounters will register all proposals for any documentary over 24 minutes received by the entry deadline. Dependent on the volume of submissions there may be a selection process for the Preliminaries.

These Preliminaries, in which filmmakers have 5 minutes each to pitch their proposal to a Selection Panel, will be held in Cape Town and Johannesburg during the 5th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival 2003, Cape Town 20-29 July; Johannesburg 1-7 August.

The Selection Panel consisting of a broadcaster, distributor and producer, will make recommendations, and put forward between 10-20 projects for further development.

Filmmakers selected at the Preliminaries may avail themselves of the Consultations and the Pitching Workshop. They will then be required to submit a Treatment and a Budget.

These proposals will be considered by South African broadcasters, who may make an offer on, or write a letter of intent for, a project for co-production.

In the last week of September filmmakers will be invited for Consultations with the Selection Panel.

In November there will be a two-day Pitching Workshop prior to the 8th Sithengi Southern African International Film & Television Market, Cape Town 13-16 November.

At the Pitching Workshop an expert will advise filmmakers on their presentations and on the international commissioning editors and broadcasters who will be attending the DCF.

A finite number of proposals will be slated for the DCF. Those that are selected from the Preliminaries and which have been through the Consultation and the Pitching Workshop will be in line for an opportunity to pitch at the DCF.

All African filmmakers who have proposals (which must consist of a Treatment, Budget, CVs), but who have not been through the Preliminaries, Consultations and Pitching Workshop, are not excluded from the DCF. However, to be considered for the DCF these proposals must have secured a minimum of 20% of the submitted budget, and the attachment of their local broadcaster is beneficial.

In Brief:
7 July: Deadline for proposals over 24 min, 2 page proposal, 1 page CV. All submissions registered, those selected put forward to Preliminaries.
21 July - 9 Aug: Preliminaries take place during 5th Encounters Festival in CT, JHB & DBN.
1 September: Deadline for Preliminary selections to submit Treatment & Budget.
22 September: Deadline for ALL other submissions from SA and Africa.
22 - 27 September: Consultations in JHB and CT.
11 - 12 November: Two - day Pitching Workshop in CT.
13 - 16 November: 8th Sithengi Southern African Film & TV Market.

* There are two criteria, or limitations, for the DCF. The first criterion is time. There are limits on the number of slots available for Preliminaries, Consultations, Pitching Workshop and the DCF. The second criterion is quality. Encounters and Sithengi have developed this programme to assist filmmakers to prepare their pitch to a panel of international co-producers.

TO APPLY FOR THE DOCUMENTARY CO-PRODUCTION FORUM, VISIT WWW.SITHENGI.CO.ZA

For further information contact:

SITHENGI
Tel: + 27 21 430 8160
Fax: + 27 21 430 8186
Email: info@sithengi.co.za
www.sithengi.co.za

ENCOUNTERS
Tel: + 27 21 448 0608
Fax: + 27 21 448 1065

AFTER 17 JUNE 2003
Tel: + 27 21 426 0405
Fax: + 27 21 426 0577
Email:
www.encounters.co.za