Durban FilmMart 2021 back on track

After being disrupted by the civil unrest that affected parts of South Africa, Africa's premier film industry event, the Durban FilmMart, is back on track to host its virtual event this August.

The 12th edition of the Durban FilmMart which was initially meant to take place between 16-25 July will now take place from 13-22 August 2021.

“We are glad that we were able to overcome the challenges that the riots in parts of KwaZulu-Natal presented us to get the Durban FilmMart back on track so that we can once again showcase the best of African filmmaking,” says Magdalene Reddy, acting general manager of the Durban FilmMart Institute.

“Despite the disruption we faced, our programme for the virtual event remains largely unchanged and we look forward to providing African filmmakers the platform to network with an international market,” Reddy said.

Under the theme, 'Disrupt! The shape of stories to come', the Durban FilmMart will highlight the best the continent has to offer while interrogating the challenges and opportunities the film industry faces.

This year the DFM has a programme comprising 100 speakers over 40 sessions. Highlighted streams in the Industry programme include:

DFM Conversations – In-depth conversations with prominent film industry professionals
Durban Does Docs – Unpacking the world of documentary filmmaking
Talents Filmmaker Talks – Interrogating stories, messaging and filmmaking processes
Engage – Highlighting Lusophone African voices in the traveling think-tank programme
Animation @ DFM – Explore animation as a dynamic driving force within the continent’s creative industries
Content Shop: New Pathways – How digital opportunities in the areas of training, sales, distribution and festival strategy facilitate inclusivity and access.

The Pitch and Finance Forum offers financiers, funders, investors and programmers an opportunity to fully explore African projects in development. The 2021 programme will present 30 projects as the official DFM selection and 45 projects in the Story Junction selection. Story Junction is the presentation of projects from partner programmes – Talents Durban, Hot Docs Blue Ice Docs Fund Fellows and a spotlight on selected Lusophone African projects.

Delegate registration is now open at http://www.durbanfilmmart.co.za/Delegate-Registration.aspx.