NFVF launches new strategy

Various stakeholders will be attending the launch of the Foundation's new strategy which is planned for the new year. Eddie Mbalo, NFVF CEO, says that a figure of R200-million per annum would be needed to create NFVF capacity during their growth stage. This would bring about the critical mass required to create the desired societal impact as mandated by the NFVF Act of 1997.

"The realisation for the need to build capacity in the cultural industries is commonly shared across South African social, political and economic spectrums. What is required now is commitment," said Mbalo.

The NFVF's Annual Report states that "it is a national moral imperative to create platforms for ordinary South Africans to bear influence in the expression of their own images, thereby deepening democracy and creating prosperity."

Investments into the film sector need to be done in line with national policy on Foreign Direct Investment which aims to make South Africa attractive for investment inflows, said Mbalo, adding that local investment will be done in terms of "demand pull and supply push".

The new strategy also calls for a restructuring of the industry. Mbalo says that the first step is to ensure that the aggregate measures (gross revenue) of the industry are integrated. The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) puts film into three categories: transport, storage and communication, however Mbalo says that this is officially part of the sector for community, social and personal services, including recreational services, and that Statistics South Africa would need to help in this regard.

The NfVF is also considering the establishment of a Human Capital Development (HCD) Education and Training Programme to develop the local skills base. A National Film School would be part of this plan which would see the NFVF working with the the Department of Education and the Department of Labour to develop programmes for sustainable growth. All training should legally subscribe to the National Qualification Framework.

The NFVF is also proposing development of Sectoral Information Systems, including a Geographic Information System (GIS) of all locations and facilities in the country. The database would be accessible both locally and from overseas. This initiative would call for collaboration between Statistics South Africa, DTI, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, provincial and local government and the film industry.

Speaking about the Integrated Marketing Campaign and research that is also on the NFVF's agenda, Mbalo said that LSM 5,6 & 7 are accepted as the core market for film for the industry in South Africa, and that the challenge was to include all LSMs by identifying segment by segment appropriate product and services in order to stimulate demand.

The NFVF would also like to see the establishment of a South African Film Portfolio, aligned to specific global market segments, which would reflect the cultural diversity of the South African population. "South Africa needs to produce legendary stories through the creation of its symbolic heroes, icons and myths."