Big Fish makes big waves in SA film industry

Also earning kudos at Bafundi was ‘Spiderman and Romeo', a nine-minute film directed by Sifiso Khanyile that was nominated by the students as one of the best films screened at the festival. Both films were submitted under Little Pond Production Trust, a production company set up nine months ago primarily for former Big Fish students. The trust provides a mentored environment where they are given both physical and mental space to produce their film ideas.

The Bafundi success joins the recent platinum award received in recognition of excellence for technical innovation, capacity building and sustainability presented by Minister Z. Pallo Jordan . It adds to the growing number of accolades received by the school, including several films being included in the annual Encounters Documentary Film Festival and the Mail & Guardian Merit Award - Investing in Education that it received in late 2006.

At the time of the Mail & Guardian Award, Big Fish was known as the Film and TV Unit at Monash SA but in early 2007 that closed down and transformed as a separate legal entity into the Little Pond Production Trust and later the Big Fish School of Digital Filmmaking, relocating to Auckland Park. Under the continued guidance of Dr Melanie Chait it now occupies a unique position in the South African tertiary education environment.

Says Chait, “The recent accolades given to our graduates at the Bafundi Film Festival are not only an outstanding achievement for the filmmakers involved but is extremely rewarding to the whole Big Fish team. This particular programme of mentored productions has only been in existence for nine months and the fact that our filmmakers are already making their mark shows overwhelmingly that our accelerated, intensive approach to training, with mentoring of productions at a higher level, is proving very successful.”

Tutor

Aside from its ability to produce award-winning filmmakers, what sets Big Fish and Little Pond apart is its commitment to work with top industry professionals to tutor and mentor students at entry, intermediate and advanced levels. What's more, Big Fish is rigorous in its commitment to updating and creating developmental training interventions to meet current and future industry needs.

Big Fish is also an NGO, entirely funded by a range of different bodies including the Department of Arts and Culture, MAPP-SETA (Media, Advertising, Publishing Printing and Packing Sector education and Training Authority), the National Film and Video Foundation, the City of Joburg, MultiChoice and others. Says Chait, “Quite simply this means that talented students who would never have been able to afford the private courses on offer are now given the chance to thrive creatively - and ultimately find meaningful employment.”

The latter is backed up by statistics: over 85% of Big Fish's students have found employment in the film and TV industry and some 15 % have become self-employed. The significance of these numbers is even more impressive when breaking down the demographics of participants: 95% are black, and there is usually an equal split between male and female.

“The difference that Big Fish and Little Pond are making in the advancement of South Africa's film and TV industry, is that our main purpose is to provide access to industry training for those usually denied due to lack of funding. By incorporating a new genre of filmmakers into the industry, we are also providing audiences with access to a plethora of different stories from film makers with very different backgrounds and therefore different stories to tell.” Chait says.

“The skills our graduates are learning are also helping them to become socially responsible filmmakers. But more than that, the impact Big Fish has on the lives of individuals is enormous - with our high level of post-course employment and the creativity that is nurtured in all our students, we are trying to ensure our graduates will become Big Fish in the SA film and TV Industry.”