Durban FilmMart (DFM) – the industry development program of the Durban Film Office and Durban International Film Festival – ended the 2018 edition with an awards ceremony. Eighteen official DFM film projects in development were presented at the Finance Forum, and Durban Talents hosted 16 young filmmakers, and 3 Talents Press.
Speaking at the DFM’s awards ceremony, Toni Monty, Head of the Durban Film Office and the Durban FilmMart, said, “As one of the most important, film industry events and film finance platforms on the continent, we are really pleased that we have grown the DFM substantially this year with 877 delegates attending. We had over 40 countries participating this year, of which 19 were from Africa. A total number of 52 projects were pitched to potential partners, financiers, filmmakers, producers, distributors and agents during countless meetings.”
The 2018 Durban International Film Festival continues until July 29.
2018 Durban FilmMart Awards/Grants:
The International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) awarded the most promising documentary project at the DFM, Cheese Girl, (South Africa) – Producer: Batana Vundla, Marion Isaacs, Director: Milisuthando Bongela with an opportunity to attend the IDFA Forum, one of the top gatherings for documentary filmmakers, producers, commissioning editors, funds, private financiers and other documentary filmmakers in Europe, in November.
The broadcast stream, Afridocs, that flights African and other international documentaries across 49 countries of sub-Saharan Africa on a weekly basis, gave a €2500 award, funded by the Bertha Foundation, to Zinder, The Seeds of Violence, (Niger) – Producer: Clara Vuillermoz, Ousmane Samassekou, Director: Aicha Macky.
The CineMart Award, sponsored by the co-production market of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, went to the fiction project, Nyanga / The Horn, (Zimbabwe) – Producer: Sue-Ellen Chitunya, Brett Michael Innes, Director: Brett Michael Innes. The project is given an opportunity to attend the Rotterdam Lab, is a five-day training and networking event for producers from all over the world.
Produire au Sud of Festival des 3 Continents (Nantes), awarded the fiction film Porta-Retrato, (Mozambique) -Producer: Aldino Languana, Osvaldo Lupini Bambamba, Director: Orlando Mabasso Jr. an opportunity to attend its developmental workshop programme, PAS, where they will be given tools, expertise, and opportunities to develop European networks.
Videovision Entertainment awarded the “Best South African Film Project” to Snake, (South Africa) – Producer: Paul Egan, Stanford Gibson and Mustapha Hendricks, Director: Meg Rickards. They receive a prize valued at R75 000, which guarantees its release once it is completed. The prize also includes marketing and distribution support from Videovision Entertainment.
Versfeld & Associates, publicity consultants awarded Nyanga / The Horn, (Zimbabwe) – Producer: Sue-Ellen Chitunya, Brett Michael Innes, Director: Brett Michael Innes the development of a press kit.
Sørfond awarded the project How to Steal a Country – Producers: Rehad Desai and Zivia Desai, Director: Mark Kaplan with an opportunity to pitch at the Sørfond Pitching Forum in Oslo later this year.
CineFAM-Africa Incubator Accelerator Program award to pitch at the Caribbean Tales Film Festival in Toronto, went to The Summit Club by Layla Swart
New awards this year include:
Hot Docs Blue Ice Award, a cash prize of 2000 Candian Dollars went to the documentary project The Master’s Plan – Producer: Hanne Phlypo and Director Yuri Ceuninck.
11th Talents Durban “Talents Press” Recognition Award went to Cornelia Glele.
Durban FilmMart Award for the Durban Talents Project Selected as a project for DFM 2019 went to When Shadows Move – by Aliki Saragas.