Durban FilmMart to Host Virtual Summit

DURBAN FILMMART MOVES ONLINE

Africa’s premier film industry event, the Durban FilmMart, will take place online for its 2020 edition.

Durban FilmMart 2019 award winners

Delegates engage in multiple educational sessions at Durban FilmMart annually

Durban FilmMart, scheduled to take place in the last week of July, will now have new dates in August and will be hosted as a virtual summit. This will still incorporate most of its programmes, including Talents Durban in partnership with the Berlinale Talents.

“As we move the DFM into a virtual space, we are delighted to announce that we are also extending the submission deadline for both DFM Projects and Talents Durban,” explains Toni Monty Head of the DFM and Durban Film Office. “While nothing quite replaces the face-to-face pitch and the networking that the DFM provides, we are excited about the prospects of involving many more filmmakers with creative works in development into this year’s edition.”

In order to accommodate the new dates, the Durban FilmMart extended all deadlines for submissions to 15 May 2020. Those who had already submitted their projects and pitches and wanted to make changes were also allowed to do so during this time.

The exact event date and the format of the virtual programme is yet to be announced.

A RENEWED DURBAN TALENTS PARTNERSHIP

DFM announced a new partnership with Talents Durban when applications opened for the 2020 edition. Talents Durban is a five-day talent development programme presented in Durban for the past 12 years in cooperation with Berlinale Talents – an initiative of the Berlin International Film Festival.

Up to 20 emerging African filmmakers and film critics are selected to attend the programme. Talents Durban comprises workshops and seminars by industry experts with opportunities to connect with a global network of film industry professionals and benchmark their work against African and global trends.

“Through discussion with the Berlinale Talents and the Durban International Film Festival, in which Talents was

WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE PROSPECTS OF INVOLVING MANY MORE FILMMAKERS WITH CREATIVE WORKS IN DEVELOPMENT INTO THIS YEAR’S EDITION.

previously housed, we felt that as an industry facing programme, that it was a logical fit for it to be incorporated into the Durban FilmMart,” Toni explains.

Christine Tröstrum, Project Manager of the Berlinale Talents commented, “With our shared aim to create again more synergies in project development and promotion, we are sure that the intensified collaboration will provide some excellent opportunities for the participants.”

The DFM also announced the appointment of Menzi Mhlongo as the Manager of the programme. “The framework for the Talents Durban programme remains the same,” says Menzi. “This is just an operational shift, and we will continue to support emerging talents from the continent – with a special attention to promoting a community of filmmakers to inspire growth and expansion of African cinema.”