Durban FilmMart gets new intl partner

The Durban FilmMart (DFM), Africa's premier film finance and co-production forum, which takes place from 19-22 July 2013, welcomes Produire au Sud, the film development programme of the Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes, France as new partners.

The Festival des 3 Continents is an annual film festival which has been held since 1979 and is focused on film that is created and originates from Asia, Africa and Latin America. Produire au Sud is a workshop programme within this festival which focuses on the development of film co-productions, and aims to familiarize young producers who are based on these continents with a variety of important tools and international co-production techniques.

A joint project of the Durban Film Office and the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa, the Durban FilmMart comprises a finance forum, master-classes and Africa in Focus workshops. Eight documentary - and 11 feature projects have been selected for this year's Finance Forum and these film-makers will pitch their projects to a panel of financiers and producers. The directors of two of the feature projects at DFM will be awarded the opportunity to further develop their projects at Produire au Sud, in the framework of a dedicated residency, named "Produire au Sud (PAS) Script Studio" which guarantees them two script consultations with internationally experienced script consultants.

"The Produire au Sud workshop was created in 2000, in order to support the creation of a network of young producers from the three continents and lay the foundations for lasting cooperation between European film professionals and emerging professionals from the South," says Guillaume Mainguet, head of the Produire au Sud workshop.

"This is the first year we are awarding two projects from the DFM with travel and accommodation to Produire au Sud. This is a significant partnership for both DFM and Produire au Sud, as we both have a vision to stimulate the development of new work on the African continent. By aligning ourselves with the DFM, we are able to further channel projects from Africa into another forum to be developed and fine-tuned."

"It is also apt that this partnership has formed during the France-South Africa Seasons, which is supported by the National Arts Council in South Africa and the Institut Francais," says Mainguet.

"And we are pleased to announce that another project, Hhola Hhola (recently retitled), directed by Madoda Ncayiyana and produced by Julie Frederikse, of Vuleka Productions in Durban, which was also on the official selection of the 2010 Durban FilmMart, has already been selected for Produire au Sud Script Studio as part of the Seasons. Madoda and Julie were also participants in the Produire au Sud workshop in Nantes in 2004 with their film project iZulu Lami (My Secret Sky)."

"With our objective to facilitate the development of African film content and fuel business and employment opportunities in the industry, this partnership is a welcome addition to the growing importance of the DFM and the value it provides filmmakers," says Durban Film Office's Toni Monty.

"We have seen over the four years of the DFM, how projects move from strength to strength as filmmakers are able to engage, network and develop their work.
We have no doubt that the Produire au Sud workshop award will add enormous value to opportunities the DFM provides."

The 4th edition of Durban FilmMart takes place from Friday, 19 July until Monday, 22 July 2013 during the Durban International Film Festival.

For more, go to www.durbanfilmmart.com.