Returning film producers seek to improve African filmmaking

At the IFFR, they participated in the CineMart, reportedly one of the oldest and largest co-production and finance film markets in the world. They were recipients of the CineMart Rotterdam Lab Award presented at 2011 Durban FilmMart, being awarded accreditation, accommodation and transportation to CineMart, an incubator for producers of new projects that runs concurrently during IFFR.

Peter Rorvik, Noxy Mavundla and Toni Monty

Durban Film Office's Toni Monty said, "It is a positive development to see Durban FilmMart project filmmakers unite in promoting a culture of knowledge sharing with the ultimate goal of creating world-class cinema in Africa."

The producers are particularly excited about sharing their newly acquired skills with filmmakers in their respective communities in the hopes of advancing the quality of African cinema. They believe that a united stand toward innovative and homegrown strategies aimed at marketing and distributing local films throughout the continent would put African cinema on par with global standards.

Production insights

Mavundla, who co-produced This Boy with David Max Brown, said that the experience had afforded her "top-notch" exposure and invaluable training which she would put to good use in future projects.

"The Durban FilmMart was an eye-opening experience and attending Rotterdam Lab has stretched me in terms of my knowledge and my skills. I definitely know more now than I did before attending and I can't wait to apply my knowledge to the industry in order to make and tell better stories," said Mavundla.

Inspired by her humble beginnings and love of classic African stories such as Sarafina and Shaka Zulu, Mavundla, who was previously unemployed, is now the CEO of Bancamile Film Productions in Richards Bay and a successful young filmmaker in her own right. She is part of several business and entrepreneurial programmes and is a mentee under Brown, who is also her business partner.

Her goal is to share her knowledge and experiences by mentoring young filmmakers, particularly those who are interested in producing. "I want my stories to have meaning and to impact, motivate and challenge people to believe in themselves and live their dreams just as I am living mine," she said.

James Tayler

Pan-African collaboration

With a passion for "telling African stories," Tayler will use his experience abroad to further drive film developmental projects aimed at African filmmakers. With a host of "pan-African collaborations" under his belt, his interests lay in developing African films with a goal of one day creating a travelling pan-African film festival and mentorship and residency program for filmmakers.

The Boda Boda Thieves, co-produced by Donald Mugisha of Uganda, is currently in pre-production and is best described by Tayler as a "melting-pot of creative influences" between South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Egypt. Tayler is also co-founder of the production collective Yes! That's Us, a working partnership between himself and Mugisha, as SA production company Switch Media in Cape Town where he is based.

"It is my objective to try and understand other countries' film industries with the view to understanding what makes a film production company sustainable. I think we can learn a lot from each other and take little bits to apply to each of our unique situation," says Tayler.

Developing Rwanda film

For Rwandan producer Karekezi, founder of Karekezi Film Productions, developing quality filmmaking skills is fundamental to the success of his relatives. The film industry in Rwanda is still considered infantile and many filmmakers make the mistake of creating commercial films that lack artistic flair, said Karekezi, whose film Imbabazi (The Pardon) is already is post-production.

Joel Karekezi

"We need to teach them to make good quality and professional films. We also need to work together to develop our film industry in convincing others to take us seriously," he said.

He plays his part by teaching screenwriting at the Kwetu Film Institute and works as a film mentor at the Maisha Film Lab, an annual non-profit training initiative for emerging East African filmmakers. "African filmmakers are ambassadors of Africa - I am ready to help them tell their stories through co-production in my quest to continue to create professional African films," said Karekezi.

"Great sense of camaraderie"

Peter Rorvik, director of the Centre for Creative Arts and the Durban International Film Festival reiterated that a "great sense of camaraderie" amongst African filmmakers would bode well for the industry. "We are taking the initiative to stimulate film production in Africa and creating opportunities for African filmmakers."

The third edition of Durban FilmMart takes place from 20-23 July 2012 during the Durban International Film Festival and is open for documentary and fiction project submissions. The deadline for project submissions has been extended until 29 February 2012

For more on the Durban FilmMart and how to submit your project, go to www.durbanfilmmart.com or email az.vog.nabrud@trammlifnabrud.