Cape Film Commission (CFC) shutting down after 15 years over a lack of money and support; 'we cannot afford the cost to continue with this service'.

The Cape Film Commission (CFC) is shutting down after 15 years over a lack of money and support, closing its door at the end of February, saying it's "impossible for the business to continue".

The closure of the Cape Film Commission with its 3 000 nationwide members comes as a damaging blow for Cape Town's film industry - ironically as Cape Town has rocketed to one of the top 5 international film destinations, sought-after for a growing number of TV and film productions and a hot locale for TV commercials and fashion shoots for international brands.

The CTC, established in 2000, promoted Cape Town and the Western Cape as a local and international filming destination and helped the TV and film industry with things like film permits, work visas, workshops, bursaries, festivals, international educationals and trade visits, helping with International Emmy awards judging and working with the government on issues like access to locations for filming and new technology and film legislation issues like the use of camera drones.

The shuttering of the CTC is due to the Western Cape provincial government and the City of Cape Town ending its grant funding and support to the non-profit organisation.

After the end of this relationship with the local government, an agreement signed with George last year for funding hasn't been enough to keep the Cape Film Commission's doors open. As the CFC is shutting down at the end of the month it won't be able to provide letters of support for work visa applications after 12 February.

"We cannot afford the costs to continue with the service," says Denis Lillie, CFC CEO, saying the commission has heard from many concerned and frustrated people in the industry about its impending closure.

"It is unfortunate that the CFC will disappear from the industry landscape especially as the brand associated with the local and international markets is now more prominent than ever".

"The R10 billion in economic investment [in the film industry] created many jobs and raised the profile of South Africa and especially Cape Town as a film making destination internationally," says Denis Lillie.

"Unlike the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng Film Commissions, the Cape Film Commission is a not for profit company, we have never received the level of funding that those departments have. We are the only official Film Commission in South Africa and only one of three in Africa, as recognised by the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI)".

"The government has had internal personnel changes and policy changes that we have no say in. We were not consulted by many of these policy decisions and therefore could not influence the process," says Denis Lillie. "This has left us in the situation we find ourselves".

"I am disappointed that certain government agencies made the decision to withdraw their support from what we do. We believe that with their support we could have created a much more sustainable industry with more jobs, more creativity and more opportunities."

"Last Friday was a very sad day for us when we advised the industry that we were closing."

"We have been lobbying and taking different courses of action for the past three years but with little response. Filmmakers can add their voice to that lobby to try and recover the situation, but that would need to be done in the next week," says Denis Lillie.

"I would suggest that concerned filmmakers should lobby their councillors and representatives of local, provincial and national government over this matter and insist on urgent action in further developing the South African Film Commission as an entity to provide the service the industry needs rather than just a funding body".

Flying camera drones banned with immediate effect in South Africa by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).

The use of flying drones with mounted cameras has been banned with immediate effect in South Africa by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).

This makes it illegal for any TV news operations, productions doing film shoots, people shooting documentaries, TV series using remote flying cameras or ad or film agencies wanting to film scenic promos.

SACAA issued an immediate prohibition on the use of flying camera drones in South Africa, with no further permits which will be issued.

SACAA says the ban of all so-called "unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's)" with cameras in South Africa is due to a lack of regulations guiding its use and that more time is necessary to understand its use, as well as to come up with an outline of how these camera drones could be incorporated into the civil aviation sector.

"There is ongoing global research in this area to overcome this deficiency," says Kabelo Ledwaba, SACAA communications manager.

"South Africa runs the risk of losing production activities to other areas who approve the use of camera drones," says Denis Lillie, the chief executive of the Cape Town Film Commission (CFC).

"The ban will not only affect feature films, but also tourism promotion agencies often looking for aerial shots."

SHOCKER! NFVF shocked at creation of South African Film Commission; says Cape Film Commission CEO 'hijacked' a process.

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is shocked at news over the apparent establishment of a South African Film Commission (SAFC) - but one not created by parliament and through the department of arts and culture as is currently underway.

The NFVF is upset with the the Cape Film Commission's (CFC) CEO, Denis Lillie, saying claims by him that the NFVF, the department of trade and industry, and the department of arts and culture provided permission to start such a commission is not true. The NFVF in a statement issued late Wednesday says that Denis Lillie "decided to hijack the process thereby misleading the industry".

Yesterday I reported on the surprising creation of the South African Film Commission (SAFC) which has been created and registered as an independent and non-profit organisation with the aim to help, serve and promote South Africa's growing film industry.

The newly created organisation was careful to explain that it will not replace the Gauteng Film Commission, KZN Film Commission, the Cape Town Film Commission, the Durban Film Office or other film promotion offices in South Africa but will work as a broad, national body to supplement on a national level what these existing offices are doing for film and television production work in South Africa.

Today the NFVF is reacting in anger, lashing out at Denis Lillie, who is the CEO of the Cape Town Film Commission, saying that the NFVF "has learned with great shock the news of the registration and establishment of the South African Film Commission by Cape Town Film Commission's Denis Lillie."

"The NFVF distances itself from the utterances of Denis Lillie, who in his statement, claims that he has been provided permission by the NFVF, department of trade and industry and department of arts and culture to start such a commission."

"In his statement to members of the Cape Film Commission, Denis Lillie suggests that the he has been having discussions with various agencies and entities across South Africa over the past 12 to 18 months."

"These included discussions with representatives from DAC, NFVF, the National Lotteries Board, the DTI and others and tabled a proposed South African Film Commission some time ago, and again at Cannes in 2012, with the NFVF CEO. He further states that he believes his commission would complete the NFVF and film commissions mandates."

"This statement is far from the truth and the NFVF would like to emphasise that it has never been and is not in talks with CFC and Denis Lillie regarding the establishment of the South African Film Commission with them."

The NFVF says in the statement that "the establishment of a South African film commission is the responsibility and falls under the ambit of the department of arts and culture and the NFVF as the agency of the department of arts and culture responsible for the film industry in South Africa."

The NFVF said the department of arts and culture is currently in the process of converting or restructuring the NFVF into a fully-fledged National Film Commission. 

"This process has commenced with the NFVF having successfully applied to register the trademark "South African Film Commission" and together with the department of arts and culture are currently following appropriate parliamentary channels to amend the relevant legislation."

"It is unfortunate that CFC and Denis Lillie have decided to hijack the process thereby misleading the industry," says Zama Mkosi, the CEO of the NFVF in the statement.

The NFVF says that the establishment of a South African Film Commission will be effected through an act of parliament and "is the sole responsibility of the department of arts and culture and not of an non-governmental organisation or any other private entity."

Denis Lillie says "although the NFVF state that our statements are far from the truth, these statements from the NFVF conveniently ignore discussions that took place between the Cape Film Commission and the NFVF over 12 to 18 months."

"They also ignore the discussions and email exchanges between the department of arts and culture ministry and the Cape Film Commission between June and October 2012 and beyond where the CFC initially tabled a proposal for a national film commission to complement the NFVF."

Dennis Lillie says the Cape Film Commission was "subsequently encouraged by the department of arts and culture to progress the proposal through interactions with the NFVF. These emails confirmed discussions the CFC had with the NFVF in June 2012 over the creation of a national film commission."

"Traditionally the CFC has worked with the department of trade and industry on film related matters as the department of trade and industry is the agency for economic growth, investment and job creation in the film sector."

"Our understanding from the NFVF mandate is that they are in part mandated to promote South African culture though film. The role of a Film Commission is partly to promote South Africa as a film making territory to both local and international filmmakers, hence the complementary process between both agencies."