by Thinus Ferreira
South Africa's embattled National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) has a new council after the wholesale firing of the previous one in July by the country's minister of arts and culture, with business woman Saudah Hamid heading up the new 14-person team.
Gayton McKenzie did away with the previous NFVF council which was disbanded, along with the acting NFVF CEO Thobela Mayinje who was placed on "administrative leave" pending an investigation into "numerous allegations".
Lebogang Mogoera, a chief director in the department of arts and culture has been appointed as the latest acting NFVF CEO since July of the struggling agency that is supposed to fund, develop and market South Africa's struggling film and TV industry. The NFVF has been without a permanent CEO for years.
The NFVF is also responsible for mounting the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) which saw the 18th SAFTAs take place at Gallagher Estate at the end of October.
The limping NFVF has been beset by numerous problems and corruption over many years. Whenever corruption or bad management at the film funding body was investigated, rooted out and executives replaced, bad practises, corruption and fraud would return.
While filmmakers and producers have complained for a long time about the NFVF and its ineffective running and money-wasting, a few months ago Gayton McKenzie slammed the NFVF and noted that "there is a big problem at the National Film and Video Foundation".
He said "It can't be that all the people in the arts are complaining. There must be a problem there. We must address that problem. We are here to fix things."
The new 14-member NFVF council was now chosen after a five-person panel did interviews with 250 nominees over two weeks. Gayton McKenzie got the shortlist out of which 14 people were chosen to serve for three years until November 2027.
According to the department of arts, culture and sports the new NFVF council "represents a good mix of youth and experience, as well as racial and gender representation".
"I am confident that the
new council will make progressive and visionary decisions for the funding of
the audiovisual arts in our country that will start seeing major blockbusters
and significant television successes flowing more regularly within and beyond
our country," says Gayton McKenzie in a statement.
"I am also excited for what the future holds for film and video,
especially in light of exciting co-production agreements that we have signed
with partner countries such as Canada."
Along with Saudah
Hamid as chairperson, the latest NFVF council includes Andrea
Gordon, Simon Clarke, Omphemetse Mokgosi, Fulufhelo Tshikhudo, Tony
Ferreira, the film critic Leon
van Nierop, Mthokozisi Radebe, Siphosethu
Mthamzeli, Chad
Louw, film and theatre producer Nondumiso Madlala, Sydney
James, producer Nobuntu
Dubazana, and the documentary filmmaker Yazeed
Kamaldien.
