For the duration of the festival, the NFVF will participate and host various workshops and training programmes that include Talent Campus' Meet the Experts; pitching sessions; DFM finance forum; strategies for film distribution and bursaries and training opportunities.
The NFVF CEO Eddie Mbalo, who will deliver a speech on the opening night, says, "We believe, through workshops, seminars and training programmes, DIFF has continued to ensure that NFVF's strategy of developing the local film industry throughout the country is realised. One of the major events of the festival, the Talent Campus is seen as an opportunity for local filmmakers to share expertise with their counterparts from around the continent."
On Saturday 24 July, it will host a conference aimed at filmmakers and the media. The conference will serve as an information sharing session, creating awareness of its programmes and departments and detail the benefits of the recently signed SA-French co-production treaty. In the evening, it will host an industry-networking event aimed at providing the DIFF delegates an opportunity to network with their counterparts from other countries.
Local films, shorts and documentaries supported by the NFVF will be screened at the festival. It supports the Durban Short Film Challenge through its production and development department, where young filmmakers are required to write a five-minute script to win a place in the challenge. The winners of this challenge will get an opportunity to attend the Sediba/Spark programme, where mentors in scriptwriting will sharpen their skills.
