Seventh edition of Talents Durban in July

A skills sharing, development and networking platform for emerging filmmakers from Africa, it is presented in collaboration with the Berlinale Talents programme of the Berlinale Film Festival with support from the KZN Film Commission, German Embassy, Goethe Institute and Gauteng Film Commission.

Along with the Durban FilmMart, which is a co-production between DIFF and the Durban Film Office, it forms part of the DIFF industry programme.

40 filmmakers from 10 countries across the continent including South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Madagascar, Tunisia and Namibia will be in attendance. The programme consists of master classes, in depth discussions with critically acclaimed film professionals from across the globe, hands-on training programme as well as networking opportunities for selected participants.

Master Classes

Talents Durban participants will be able to participate in a co-production master class with French producer Denis Vaslin. Vaslin is a producer of documentary and fiction and his titles include 40 Days of Silence, Solo, The World Belongs to Us, The Hum of Holland and Snackbar. He heads up a Dutch production company Voyla Films and co-owns a French production company Madra Films.

Australian documentary development expert, Julia Overton will present a Documentary Finance master class on Documentary Financing. Overton is a Development and Investment Manager at Screen Australia where she is instrumental in assisting filmmakers with getting their projects produced with local or international support. Overton has been involved in the development of several critically acclaimed films including The Snowman, A Good Man, Forbidden Lies, First Australians, Contact and Salt.

Talents Durban participants will also have access to a master class with pitch expert Stefano Teadly, a South African-born, Italy-based producer, director and pitch expert. Teadly has produced and directed numerous films including A World of Pasta, Doctor Ice, Coffee Please and Tea for All and the series Food Markets - In the Belly of the City. Recent works produced include Mostar United, Vinylmania and Char, No Man's Island. Teadly is a graduate of the EAVE programme and director of the Italian workshop, Documentary in Europe, has chaired EDN and is a national coordinator for INPUT. He also tutors film development and production at numerous universities and organizations including ; Biennale Cinema College, Cannes Film Market, Films de 3 Continents - Produire au Sud, Media Business School,Med Film Factory, Scuola Holden, TFL-Torino Film Lab, ZELIG Film School.

The above master classes will also be open to Durban FilmMart delegates.

Last year's Talents Durban

Hands-on training

Talents Durban will also feature a hands-on training programme including Doc Station, Script Station and Talent Press.

Doc Station selects three documentary projects in development for coaching and mentoring towards participation in a public pitch at the DFM's pitching forum - The African Pitch. Participants are given mentoring prior to the pitch and during preparations at the festival. After the pitch, they are given advice from mentors on how to proceed with their projects.

Script Station is a script development programme for short films, which pairs four participants with script editors who assist in clarifying story and getting to an advanced draft of their script.

Talent Press is presented in cooperation with Fipresci, an association of national organisations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world which lobbies for the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests. The programme invites four critics to cover the films and events of the Durban International Film Festival for online and print publication.

Talents Durban participants

Abdellatif AMAJGAG (Morocco)
Aidan Whytock (South Africa)
Alexander Melck (South Africa)
Bahaaeldin Elgamal (Egypt)
Caroline Doherty (South Africa)
Christiaan Kritzinger (South Africa)
Diana Keam (South Africa)
Donovan Orr (South Africa)
Emma Bestall (South Africa)
Fatma Azibi (Tunisia)
Frances Bodomo (Ghana)
Francis William Nicholson (South Africa)
Harold Holscher (South Africa)
Henok Birhanu (Ethiopia)
James Walsh (South Africa)
Jozua Malherbe (South Africa)
Kulanen Ikyo (Nigeria)
Manqoba Nkosi (South Africa)
Marcus Hebbelmann (South Africa)
Mark Middlewick (South Africa)
Miklas Simeon Manneke (South Africa)
Mohamed Siam (Egypt)
Monica Obaga (Kenya)
Morokwe Kaizer Mokgobu Mokgobu (South Africa)
Mustafa Aiman (Egypt)
Ntuthuko Qwabe (South Africa)
Ofonime Inyang (South Africa)
Oribhabor Kelvin Aigbokhaevbolo (Nigeria)
Penelope Tshilwane (South Africa)
Perivi John Katjavivi (Namibia)
Roger Young (South Africa)
Saskia Schiel (South Africa)
Shane Vermooten (South Africa)
She Mulinya (Kenya)
Sitraka Randriamahaly (Madagascar)
Susan Wanjiru (Kenya)
Terhemen Agbedeh (Nigeria)
Timoteo Edzeani Doh (Ghana)
Udoka Oyeka (Nigeria)
Willem Grobler (South Africa)
Zolani Ndevu (South Africa)

Continent of Contrasts

"The Durban International Film Festival welcomes these filmmakers to the industry programme and are proud to present them as the future of African cinema," says DIFF festival manager Peter Machen. "The diversity of voices in this selection echoes the theme of this year's Talents Durban - Continent of Contrasts/de Contraste - inspired by a revered elder of African cinema Djibril Diop Mambéty whose 1968 short films was entitled Contras'city (City of Contrasts). We hope this crop of Talents at DIFF will follow in the footsteps of giants of African cinema."

For more information, go to www.durbanfilmfestival.co.za.