ArtDept Launched

INTRODUCING ARTDEPT, A FIRST FOR SA

Together with a tech partner, local filmmaker Lauren Wilensky has created the first ever art department directory in South Africa.

The directory, aptly named ArtDept, can be found on artdept.co.za. According to Lauren, this directory is for everything art departmentrelated. It should be noted that this is not a crew agency but rather an information portal for the art department community.

“Please go and register, create your community profile and most importantly add a directory listing for yourself and/or your company. You can add pics, video, links to your website and social media profiles too. If you don’t see your category, mail us and we will add one,” Lauren added.

The site describes itself as a “one-stop for everything art department”, and was born out of a need for a shared pool of knowledge around this sector. “Whether you are crew, provide an art dept service or a vendor, you can create your own profile with links to your work, portfolio, website or catalogue,” ArtDept explains.

HOW IT WORKS

Signing up is as simple as one, two: 1. Register and/or login (and join the discussion) 2. Add yourself or company (or both) to the directory

Registration is mandatory – and free. After registration and login, new users can complete the entire add listing process to maximise their visibility in directory searches. Any user can make as many listing as they want in the directory, and each listing can be edited or deleted as needed. You can even add a listing for another crew member or vendor, but be sure to use their contact details and not yours. If your category or crew title is not listed on the site, you can send an email and ArtDept will create one.

MY FATHER THE MOVER WINS AT TRIBECA

A local film has won a coveted award at the 19 th annual Tribeca Film Festival, which was held online this year due to the pandemic.

My Father the Mover, a doccie by South African Writer/ Director/Producer Julia Jansch, won Best Documentary Short Film at Tribeca this year. The short tells the story of Stoan (a.k.a. Stoan ‘Move’ Galela), a dancer who uses African electronic Gqom beats to motivate kids in the township of Khayelitsha to jive through their hardship and find their superpowers. According to Julia, the film happened quite by chance. “I met Stoan through my coproducer, Mandilakhe Yengo. It was a random encounter as he was working behind the scenes as a choreographer on a series. We started chatting and I asked him how long he has been a dancer for. He answered by saying ‘I’m not a dancer, I’m a mover’. I was immediately intrigued.” Stoan invited an intimate crew into his home and his class. “The first time I met Julia we connected spiritually, and she understood my calling, and that made me trust her and our working relationship. I let her into my life and into my work,” he shares.

“I think stories and films have a huge responsibility,” she adds, “They can uplift, challenge perceptions, change priorities, and garner awareness. They can do this because they can move audiences. If ever there was a time that revealed the importance of movement, it is now. Movement can heal, transcend, transform. We will get through these times and we will move again.”

Julia began her career in development, working for FremantleMedia and RadicalMedia. Her short films have premiered at festivals around the world, and she is currently writing her first feature.