Themed "Disrupt" for its 12th edition, the Durban FilmMart is back on track for its virtual multi-day event kicking off on Friday 13 August after the annual South African film market known as DFM and considered Africa's leading film market, experienced real-world disruption and got postponed in July following the days of unrest, violence and looting in KwaZulu-Natal.
The 12th Durban FilmMart, with principal funding from the Durban Film Office and Ethekwini Municipality. has a jam-packed programme.
It spans from in-depth conversations with film industry professionals, to unpacking the world of documentary filmmaking, filmmakers talking about various filmmaker processes, sessions highlighting Lusophone African voices, looking at the state of South Africa's cinema industry, the role of film critics, advances in sound, the plight of writers, copyright, animation, how digital opportunities in sales and distribution are helping access, and several more interesting topics.
Also participating this year are the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, South Africa's Film and Publications Board (FPB), International Emerging Film Talent Association, Institut Francais – South Africa, Wesgro, the Canadian High Commission, the Wits School of Arts Film and Television, Sunshine Cinema and the MultiChoice Talent Factory.
Organisations like the Documentary Filmmakers Association (DFA), Documentary Association of Europe, Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), International Documentary Film Festival, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Independent Producers Organisation (IPO), Namibia Film Commission, Netflix, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, Rotterdam Cinemart, South African Guild of Actors, SWIFT, Trace Studios, and the Writers Guild of South Africa (WGA) are also participating.
"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, Durban FilmMart Institute acting general manager.
"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."
Under the theme "Disrupt! The shape of stories to come" the Durban FilmMart will highlight the best that the African continent has to offer in this year's virtual event, while also looking at the various challenges and opportunities that the film industry is facing, especially given the ongoing issues surrounding the global Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The 12th Durban FilmMart once again has a pitch and finance forum where financiers, funders, investors and programmers can explore various African projects in development and the 2021 programme will present 30 projects as the official DFM selection, with 45 projects in the Story Junction selection.
