South African winner at Durban FilmMart

Iwana Chronis and Jenna Cato Bass, winner of the Hubert Bals Fund Award in the ‘Specialist Projects’ category for ‘the most promising African project.

Bass won 5000 Euros towards script and project development, for 'the most promising African project presented at the DFM' from 80 projects submitted from South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zambia and Burkina Faso, with contributions in both feature film and documentary genres.

The jury comprised Matthew Plouffe (Focus Features/USA), Peace Anyiam-Osigwe (Africa Film Academy/Nigeria) and Iwana Chronis (Hubert Bals Fund/Netherlands). "Although the jury's decision was unanimous," says Chronis, "it was a tough choice because all the projects have promise in some way. This film is fresh, innovative and original as well as having commercial promise, that could appeal to South African, African and international audiences alike. We felt that the prize would really make a significant difference to this project."

DFM driving African content

The DFM is reportedly the larger of the two co-production markets on the African continent and it attracted 185 delegates from 16 countries who hailed it as a 'resounding success'. "The main aims were that it would be a key driver in raising the visibility of film content from Africa and encourage project collaboration between African film-makers from different African countries," says acting CEO for the Durban Film Office (DFO) and joint-organiser of the DFM, Toni Monty.

"In addition, it has given African film-makers the opportunity to pitch film projects to leading financiers, funding organisations, sales agents and internationally-reputed directors and producers, in order to form alliances for future collaborations."

"We hope that as a result of these partnerships DFM will become a 'feeder' of African product to other international festivals and markets such as CineMart (Rotterdam), International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) and others."

Positive feedback from international participants

"As a result of the meetings and connections made here we hope that film financiers will be successful in identifying fundable African projects that will ultimately find their way to the big screen," says Peter Rorvik, director of the Centre for Creative Arts and Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) and joint organiser of the DFM. "Feedback from the funders and financiers in attendance is that the standard of the projects was very high and the producers and directors were well prepared, as a result of the input they had received from the master-classes and one-one meetings with the specialist speakers."

"The DFM promises to be a further catalyst for growth in the region by becoming one of the key events of the South African and African film industry and a focal point to interface with global parties and stimulate interest and activity in the city and the province," Rorvik continues.

According to Marit van den Elshout, the DFM's international liaison person from CineMart Rotterdam, the DFM/DIFF partnership brings an important business component to the existing Durban International Film Festival. "It provides a focal point for international players to interface and engage about global trends affecting and ultimately impacting on how Africa accesses the global marketplace. Running a film festival and co-production market in tandem is essential to the success of a market of this nature for the long-term," van den Elshout emphasises.

"We are extremely fortunate to have had the support, in cash and in kind and co-operation of our local role players in order to make this event such a success," says Monty. "From the support of the eThekwini Municipality, to Tourism Durban, SABC, CineMart and the Hubert Bals Fund of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Microsoft, TIKZN, IDFA and The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF).