Trade associations quit film industry

The CPA and SAAP together represent around 70% of the economically active film production sector in the Western Cape and the production interests of both local and international multinationals and advertising agencies.

CPA represents 45 production companies with a collective annual turnover of R1 billion per year while the SAASP has a membership of 30 companies and generates over R500 million per annum in foreign investment in Cape Town.

The two associations cited a number of reasons for their resignations, which were expressed in a unanimous vote of no confidence in the CEO and Board of the Cape Film Commission (CFC) at a Film Commission Board meeting on Wednesday 23 February 2011.

The Cape Film Commission is an agency, funded jointly by the City of Cape Town and the Provincial Government of the Western Cape, that is mandated to promote and develop the film sector in the region and has an operating budget of around R10 million per year.

The reasons

Some of the reasons cited for the resignation of the two associations were the Commission's refusal to take up matters which adversely affect the industry in favour of costly events and unnecessary international marketing trips; the Commission's history of mismanagement, poor corporate governance and compliance; the Commission's role as a gatekeeper rather than an enabler of the industry and recent moves by the Board and CEO to silence the industry's voice by implementing spurious protocols which prevent accountability and transparency.

According to some industry representatives, the CPA and SAASP have tried over the years to engage with the Commission to deal with problems facing the industry with little success.

A vote of no confidence

The industry's vote of no confidence has come as a result of a strong culture of denial and self promotion that exists within the Commission which has compromised the sustainability of the industry which has been identified as one of the key economic growth drivers in the province.

Gavin Levy, resigning board member of SAAP says, "I accepted nomination to the board in the belief that I could add value to the Commission by sharing my 23 years of experience with the board, and give hands-on and effective input on the challenges facing industry. My experience has shown me that I can add very little value to the Commission and that my time would be better and more constructively spent on industry's behalf without the prohibitive hackles of a Commission with is uncommunicative and non-responsive to industry".

CPA's executive committee member and seat on the CFC Board for over two years, Skip Margetts comments, "Every recommendation I've made to improve the situation has been rejected by the Commission's CEO but supported in direct consultations with the City".

CPA chairperson, Peter Carr concurs "Instead of promoting the industry, the Film Commission's actions are placing its future in jeopardy and that is something we simply cannot continue to ignore or accept."