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| IN THIS ISSUE
38 SEEING IS BELIEVEING
26 A SUCCESSFUL 40TH DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
40
18
A WHOLE LOT OF FIRSTS FOR RUGBY WORLD CUP
BUDDHA IN AFRICA PROVIDES A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON CHINESE SOFT POWER IN AFRICA
NEWS |
ADCETERA |
DFM 2019 |
VIRTUAL REALITY |
Another glittering Silwerskerm
Advertising Week lands
Celebrating a decade of
The Lost Botanist and the
Festival sees Poppie Nongena win big ........ 3
on African shores......................................... 10
Durban FilmMart.......................................... 24
power of virtual reality............................... 34
SkyPixel and DJI launch global
PromaxAfrica announces
short film contest........................................... 4
2019 speaker line-up................................... 12
The Awards/Grants..................................... 25
The future is immersive............................. 36
NFVF-funded film Knuckle City set to shine at Toronto
The SA Film Academy: A bridge
DIFF 2019 |
VFX |
between education and employment...... 14
A successful 40th
Seeing is believeing ..................................... 38
International Film Festival............................. 4 Thabang Moleya and Stevel Marc bag key roles in Africa’s biggest co-production to date,
FILM | Screen Africa sits down with Herman Binge, producer
The Professionals............................................ 6
of Ander Mens..................................................... 16
SundanceTV Shorts competition
Buddha in Africa provides a unique perspective on Chinese
winner debuts on DStv in September....... 6 AfricaCom Awards 2019 – entries now open............................................ 7 Africa Post Office chooses EditShare........ 8
soft power in Africa..................................... 18
FESTIVALS & EVENTS | Establishing the Garden Route as a premier film destination..................... 20 Ladima Foundation hosts Women’s Film
Durban International Film Festival ......... 26 DIFF goes to Hilton Arts Festival ........... 27
BROADCAST TECHNOLOGY | A whole lot of firsts for Rugby World Cup........................................ 40
TELEVISION | Inside the making of e.tv’s Isipho.............. 28
REGULARS |
IBC 2019 REPORT |
Social: Screen Africa Golf Day 2019 ....... 42
IBC CEO Michael Crimp
Marketplace................................................... 44
on IBC2019................................................... 30
Upcoming Events......................................... 44
POST-PRODUCTION | Speaking to South African audiences....... 32
Festival Network training in Rwanda...... 22
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FROM THE EDITOR
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This month we welcome a new season, warmer days and a busy few months ahead for our industry. First on the list is the annual IBC Show – the world’s most influential media, entertainment and technology show – taking place later this month; then we’re gearing up for the 2019 Jozi Film Festival, scheduled to run from 3-6 October; on 7 November is the much-anticipated Promax Africa; followed by DISCOP Africa’s 2019 Johannesburg edition. We’ve got our hands full here at Screen Africa as we’ll be reporting on all of these events in the months to come – stay tuned! Let’s get into the issue… In our Film section this month, we caught up with Ander Mens producer Herman Binge. Binge, of Marche Media, is a well-respected South African director and producer, with more than 39 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Screen Africa spoke to the legendary producer about what went down behind the scenes of Quentin Krog’s new dark action comedy, Ander Mens. Also under Film, director Nicole Schafer shares with us what went into the making of her award-winning documentary Buddha in Africa. Set in a Chinese Buddhist orphanage in Malawi – against the backdrop of China’s increasing influence on the African continent – the film documents Malawian teenager Enock Alu’s journey and the inner battle he faces as he is torn between the contrasting worlds of his traditional African culture and the Buddhist value system that he was raised within. Read all about it on pages 18 – 19. And if you missed the recent Durban International Film Festival and the 10th Durban FilmMart, head over to pages 24 – 27 to find out exactly what went down at this year’s momentous events. Many in our industry are currently preparing for the annual trip to IBC – taking place this year from 13 to 17 September at the RAI, Amsterdam. Once again, Graham Grier, a member of the Screen Africa sales team, will be heading over to Amsterdam to network and represent the publication. If you’re attending IBC this year, you’ll be pleased to know that pages 34 – 36 feature an interview with IBC CEO Michael Crimp where he talks about what visitors to this year’s show can expect. As always, our October issue will feature a full report back, covering everything that went down at this year’s event; those of you making the trip to IBC this year please feel free to contact us and share your experience with us – we’d love your input. Ian Dormer close out the issue with a piece on the upcoming broadcast of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan – not to be missed on pages 40 to 41. Until next month! – Chanelle Ellaya
THE TEAM EDITOR
Chanelle Ellaya is a writer and a journalist. She completed her BA Journalism degree at the University of Johannesburg in 2011. While writing is her passion, she has a keen interest in the media in various capacities. Chanelle is an avid social networker and a firm believer in the power of social and online networking. Between writing and tweeting, she finds time to feed her love for live music.
SUB-EDITOR & FEATURES WRITER David Cornwell writes fiction, films and features for a variety of publications. His debut novel, Like It Matters (Umuzi, 2016), was long-listed for the 2017 Sunday Times Fiction Award and the 9mobile Prize for Best African Debut.
JOURNALISTS
Lara Utian-Preston is a passionately committed marketer and strategist with a focus in promoting African content and events. Two decades of working across Africa have provided her with insights and experience that she puts to work for the projects she manages. In 2006, Lara founded, and still personally manages, Red Flag Content Relations, a full service below-the-line agency that also focuses on African entertainment and lifestyle brand marketing, strategy, and publicity.
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Ian Dormer was born in Zimbabwe and has been in the TV business since the 1980s, having served in various positions at the SABC, M-Net and SuperSport. Ian currently works and resides in New Zealand.
Gezzy S Sibisi is a journalist and photographer with experience in print, broadcast and digital media. Her portfolio of work includes working as a lifestyle reporter as well as contributing business and education articles to The Times, Sowetan and Daily Despatch publications. As a freelancer she has worked on content development for corporate newsletters, community newspapers, blogs and educational websites.
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ANOTHER GLITTERING SILWERSKERM FESTIVAL SEES POPPIE NONGENA WIN BIG The ninth annual kykNET Silwerskerm Film Festival was held from 21 to 24 August 2019 at the Bay Hotel in Camps Bay, Cape Town.
A scene from Poppie Nongena
Clementine Mosimane from Poppie Nongena with her Best Actress Award
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n the nine years since the Festival’s inception, more than 160 short and feature films have been produced, with some of these garnering international recognition. “The Silwerskerm Film Festival’s focus has been, and will always be, the South African and Afrikaans film industry,” said Karen Meiring, head of Afrikaans Channels at M-Net – and attendees of this year’s edition of the festival had the opportunity to watch a variety of locally-produced short and feature films, as well as to attend panel discussions featuring luminaries of the South African film and television industry. Three international experts were also welcomed to the Festival this year: Dorothee Wenner of Berlinale, Peter Cowley of Spirit Digital Media in London and internationally-known South African-born actor Arnold Vosloo, who was in town for the premiere of Griekwastad, his first Afrikaans-language film in more than 30 years. The Silwerskerm Film Festival’s award ceremony took place on Saturday 24 August, with June van Merch and Bennie Fourie as presenters. Tobie Cronjé was honored as this year’s Silwerskerm Legend for his contribution to the film industry, while the big winner was Poppie Nongena, which scooped a total of 12 prizes, including Best Feature Film, Best Script, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
SHORT FILMS BEST SHORT FILM Oedipus: Die Musical – ‘n Dokumentêr BEST SCREENPLAY Luan Jacobs – Hoe om ‘n perd te teken BEST DIRECTOR Stefan Benadé – Oedipus: Die Musical – ‘n Dokumentêr BEST ACTOR Luan Jacobs – Hoe om ‘n perd te teken BEST ACTRESS Ansu Visser – Binnelandse Sake BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Ludwig Binge – Oedipus: Die Musical – ‘n Dokumentêr BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Ilse Oppelt – Janneman BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Idelette Jordaan en Nadine Minnaar – My Gelykenis BEST EDITING Canya Cruywagen – Oedipus: Die Musical – ‘n Dokumentêr BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER Janhendrik Burger – My Gelykenis BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP Charné Burger – Oedipus: Die Musical – ‘n Dokumentêr
BEST COSTUME DESIGN Juanita Ferreira – Die Begrafnis BEST SOUND DESIGN Wesley Ayliffe – Binnelandse Sake WEB SERIES Deur die Blare PEOPLE’S CHOICE Fiela se Kind SCRIPT SEARCH Gerhard Marx – Asem Reginald Hufkie – Kinderhuis kind Nico Steyn – Skrop
BEST ACTRESS Clementine Mosimane – Poppie Nongena BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Chris Gxalaba – Poppie Nongena BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Nomsa Nene – Poppie Nongena BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Chantel Carter – Die Verhaal van Racheltjie de Beer BEST EDITING Eva du Preez – Poppie Nongena
BLITSFILMS Ilka de Beer – Cry/Huil Melanie Tait – Ligspoor
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHER Vicci Turpin – Poppie Nongena
FEATURE FILMS
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Kyle Shepherd – Fiela se Kind
BEST FEATURE FILM Poppie Nongena
BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP Gale Shepherd – Poppie Nongena
BEST SCREENPLAY Christiaan Olwagen en Saartjie Botha – Poppie Nongena
BEST COSTUME DESIGN Sylvia van Heerden – Poppie Nongena
BEST DIRECTOR Christiaan Olwagen – Poppie Nongena BEST ACTOR Stian Bam – Die Verhaal van Racheltjie de Beer
BEST SOUND DESIGN James Olivier, Richard West and Simon Ratcliffe – Poppie Nongena BEST ENSEMBLE CAST Poppie Nongena
SEPTEMBER 2019
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NEWS
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SKYPIXEL AND DJI LAUNCH GLOBAL SHORT FILM CONTEST DJI and SkyPixel, the world’s most popular aerial photography community, recently announced a global short film contest inviting users to submit their cinematic stories shot with camera and gimbal products.
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ntries for the 2019 SkyPixel Short Film Contest are now open until 14 October, welcoming submissions from all types of creators, from hobbyists to social media users and professional videographers around the globe. The 2019 SkyPixel Short Film Contest consists of three storytelling categories: Big Moments Start Small, Make Your Move and Adventure Starts With You. There is no restriction on the type or brand of equipment participants use, and they can submit as many videos as they wish. A total of 100 winners can win a range of prizes totalling $48,600 USD in categories including Recommended
Films, Best Editing, Best Story, Nominated Entries, People’s Choice Prize as well as This Week’s Most Popular, sponsored by partners SanDisk and WD brand from Western Digital Corp. This year’s Best Short Video winners will each receive the new Ronin-SC Pro Combo, an
Osmo Action as well as a WD 2TB My Passport Wireless SSD. Winning entries will also be broadcast on the SkyPixel website as well as to DJI’s millions of fans and followers across its social media platforms. “DJI has redefined how people capture stable video for all of life’s moments. The compact size, portability and powerful imaging system of our Osmo and Ronin series have also made it possible for anyone to take their creativity and inspirations to the next level,” said Basile David, director of Brand and Content Partnerships at DJI. “With this contest, we hope to encourage more people to embrace and share their own creative way of storytelling.” Since 2014, the SkyPixel online community has attracted 16 million professional aerial photographers and content creators from more than 140 countries, growing into the largest aerial photography community today. Over the past five years, SkyPixel has received over 150,000 submissions, becoming a go-to
Entries for the 2019 SkyPixel Short Film Contest are now open until 14 October, welcoming submissions from all types of creators, from hobbyists to social media users and professional videographers around the globe.
platform for original aerial masterpieces and extraordinary footage powered by other gimbal products focusing on various themes.
THE SHORT FILM CONTEST CONSISTS OF THREE CATEGORIES: • Big Moments Start Small: Create a video showcasing the small, lightweight design of your camera device and your best cinematic scenes. Users are recommended to include at least 10 seconds of behind-the-scenes clips of their product, such as DJI Osmo Pocket or other devices. • Make Your Move: Create a video showcasing the stabilised footage from your device. Users are recommended to include at least 10 seconds of behind-the-scenes clips of their product such as DJI Osmo Series or other devices. • Adventure Starts With You: Create a short, cinematic narrative film to showcase your creative skills and visual effects. Users are recommended to include at least 10 seconds of behind-the-scenes clips of their product such as the DJI Ronin Series or other devices. Video submissions should not be longer than three minutes in length. Interested participants can head over to skypixel.com to enter. Award-winners will be announced on 31 October 2019.
NFVF-FUNDED FILM KNUCKLE CITY SET TO SHINE AT TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL The National Film and Video Foundation, in partnership with its African partners through the African Hub, will be attending the 44th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), taking place from the 5th to 15th September 2019 in Toronto, Canada.
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et to make its international debut is Knuckle City, directed by Jahmil XT Qhubeka. The film explores inherited toxic masculinity and the underbelly of the fighting world. It’s a riveting exploration of the psychology of a fighter from the Mdantsane township, known as the boxing mecca of South Africa. This film will be flying the South African flag high during its screening at the acclaimed film festival. TIFF is dedicated to presenting the
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A scene from Knuckle City best of international and Canadian cinema and creating transformational experiences for film lovers and creators of all ages and backgrounds. On offer at the festival will be screenings, lectures, discussions, festivals, workshops, events, professional development and opportunities to meet, hear and learn from filmmakers from Canada and around the world. It is undoubtedly one of the premier destinations for the convergence of film culture internationally. Commenting on the selection of Knuckle City at TIFF, NFVF CEO Makhosazana Khanyile said: “It has been
absolutely riveting to watch the amazing reception this film has received thus far. From being the opening night selection at the Durban International Film Festival to now being the official selection for TIFF, it truly is nothing short of remarkable. It is a hard-hitting, gritty and gripping tale as well as a true reflection of what South African filmmakers are capable of, when given the right support structures.” Director Jahmil XT Qhubeka is no stranger to TIFF, having successfully screened two films there previously: Of Good Report in 2013 and Sew the Winter
to My Skin in 2018. This year, however, will be the first time that Qhubeka’s much-anticipated Mdantsane-based film will be in the official selection under the Contemporary World Cinema category. The NFVF will also be presenting a united African front at TIFF at The African Hub, alongside Nigeria and Kenya. The hub will offer participants the opportunity to engage funding bodies as well as facilitate discussions around the importance of co-productions, financing models, audience development and content promotion on the African continent. This year’s attendance at TIFF also represents a monumental achievement for NFVF, having been able to coproduce over 20 films under the Canadian co-production treaty. The NFVF will look to further expand collaboration by matchmaking South African and Canadian producers through the Canadian Media Fund (CMF) and Telefilm partnerships. This will also see filmmakers get the opportunity to participate in the Caribbean Tales Incubation, which was sponsored by the NFVF at the Durban International Film Festival.
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NEWS
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THABANG MOLEYA AND STEVEL MARC BAG KEY ROLES IN AFRICA’S BIGGEST CO-PRODUCTION TO DATE, THE PROFESSIONALS Shot in Dublin and Johannesburg, action series The Professionals is being hailed as Africa’s biggest co-production to date, with a combined budget of 27 million US dollars.
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epicting the high-risk lives of Private Military Contractors (PMCs), the series is an official Ireland – Republic of South Africa co-production with primary locations in both countries. The action adventure series will see South African talent play a big part both behind and in front of the camera with director Thabang Moleya (Happiness is a Four Letter Word, Jacobs Cross) taking charge of two key episodes. Brendan Fraser (The Mummy), Tom Welling (Smallville), Elena Anaya (Wonderwoman) and Saïd Taghmaoui (American Hustle) are set to star in the new action-adventure series, supported by Ken Duken (Inglorious Basterds), Lisa Loven Kongsli (Force Majeure), August Wittgenstein (Das Boot) and local artists Stevel Marc (Of Good Report), Tanya van Graan (Zulu), Kai Luke Brummer (Origins) and Nic Rasenti (Outlander), who will be regulars on the 10-episode first season. The series will also feature a host of other South African actors: of note is newcomer Jazzara Jaslyn, who made a strong impression with the sales agent Telemunchen. Set against a backdrop of international
espionage and corporate sabotage in the 21st Century’s privately-funded space race, The Professionals stars Tom Welling as a hardened former counter-intelligence officer, Captain Vincent Corbo. After their advanced medical satellite explodes on deployment, billionaire futurist Peter Swann and his fiancée – medical visionary Dr. Graciela Davila – turn to Corbo. Corbo assembles a team of experienced professionals to investigate the incident. They learn that any combination of Swann’s business rivals, corrupt governments officials, and a shadowy crime syndicate could be behind the attack and represent a continued threat. Financing for the series has been arranged by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Cofiloisirs with the support of IFCIC, Aperture Media, Tele München Group and Viaplay. South African funding has played a major role, with the IDC making the single largest investment and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) pre-approving the rebate application. IDC’s head of media and audio visual, Maijang Mpherwane, comments: “Bringing film and television production to South Africa is a goal of the
government and we are tremendously excited that The Professionals is shooting throughout our country.” Spier Films (uCarmen eKhayelitsha, The Salvation, Of Good Report, An Act of Defiance, The Harvesters), led by its directors Micheal Auret and Lwazi Manzi, is Thabang Moleya the South African co-producing company in the first high-budget television series to be shot job creation, attracting Foreign Direct under the South Africa/Ireland coInvestment and fostering good production treaty. “We are extremely international relations through cultural proud to demonstrate the strength of diplomacy,” says Auret. co-production and the promises that it “It is particularly gratifying to walk on brings to the South African film industry set and see a diverse representation both and our economy at large. I would like to in front of and behind the camera. To see thank my colleagues Jeff Most of Most our stars holding their own with Media in the US, as well as Latvia and international stars, and to be able to do Tristan Orpen Lynch of Subotica in what any other big studio does is an Ireland, for believing in this model and in exciting exercise that I can assure my the ability of the South African jurisdiction colleagues can be undertaken by anyone to deliver on its mandates. Most of all, we who has the ambition and grit to survive thank the Industrial Development it. I truly hope that what we are doing Corporation and Department of Trade here will embolden others to do the and Industry for their unwavering same,” adds Manzi, producer on The commitment to the project as a tool for Professionals.
SUNDANCETV SHORTS COMPETITION WINNER DEBUTS ON DStv IN SEPTEMBER Kate D’hotman’s awardwinning zombie comedy, Life’s a Drag, will have its South African premiere on the SundanceTV channel (DStv channel 108) on Sunday, 29 September at 8.45pm.
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escribed as “a hilarious reimagining of a world in the grip of a zombie apocalypse”, the short film centres around a depressed zombie named Bob (Damon Berry), as he tries to keep his cool while
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Joe Vaz and Damon Berry in a scene from Life’s a Drag managing a dead-end job and the antics of his obnoxious boss (Garth Breytenbach). Hlubi Mboya and Joe Vaz also star in the short as fellow zombies.
D’hotman, who is a member of SWIFT (Sisters Working in Film and Television) and who has extensive experience in television commercial production,
comments: “SundanceTV Shorts was the first competition we entered, so it was a huge surprise to win, and it [has] inspired me to really take the marketing of the film to the next level and enter more festivals.” In addition to winning the SundanceTV Shorts competition, Life’s a Drag has been slated for the Shnit International Film Festival in Cape Town this October and has already made Official Selection at Atlanta Shortsfest, the Jozi Film Festival, Seoul International Film Festival in South Korea and the Women’s Comedy Film Festival, Atlanta, where D’hotman was also nominated for Best International Director. So be sure you tune into SundanceTV (DStv channel 108) to catch the South African premiere of Life’s a Drag and follow the channel on Facebook for more updates.
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AFRICACOM AWARDS 2019 – ENTRIES NOW OPEN The AfricaCom Awards this year will see the return of old favourites and the addition of several new categories, all exemplifying Africa’s digital progression.
course meal and live entertainment, with former Springbok rugby great Bryan Habana who will emcee the evening. PCCW Global, who supported the event in 2018, confirmed their involvement for 2019, saying: “PCCW Global is delighted to sponsor the AfricaCom Awards which recognise the sterling works performed by companies and personalities that are developing solutions and products to improve connectivity that will drive Africa into the fourth industrial revolution. Good luck to all who enter.”
AWARDS CATEGORIES FOR 2019 ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Previous AfriCom Award Winners
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ntries are now open for organisations to submit their best work conducted or implemented over the past 12 months. The deadline for entries is 4 October 2019. The annual event not only recognises the achievements of the best organisations, solutions, products and
people in the telecommunications and technology sector, but is also an ideal opportunity for networking with established and emerging industry players. This year, under the theme of Enchanted Forest, over 450 guests to the awards ceremony will enjoy a three-
• Connecting the Continent Award (new) • Delivering Excellence in Customer Service • “Everything as a Service” – Best Cloud or Application Solution (new) • Changing Lives Award • Best Digital Entertainment Innovation • Security Product or Service of the Year (new) • Best Network Management Software (new) • Best Connected Consumer Device (new)
• Best Innovation for Enterprise (new) • Most Innovative Service “The Business of Tomorrow” • Government Leadership Award (new) In addition to the above, accolades will also be bestowed on the CXO of the Year and Enterprise CXO of the Year, both of which are voted for by the industry. The CXO of the Year will be an Africa-based telecoms, ICT and enterprise leader, who is prioritising telecoms innovation, embracing disruptive technology and elevating the continent’s digital economy. In 2018 the award was presented to Abdikarim Mohamed Eid, CEO of Telesom. The Enterprise CXO of the Year Award celebrates an enterprise leader who excels at prioritising telecoms innovation, embracing disruptive tech and elevating the continent’s digital economy. In 2018 this prestigious accolade went to Priya Thakoor, Chief Digital Officer for Coca-Cola South Africa. The 2019 edition of the AfricaCom Awards are sponsored by PCCW Global and Intelsat who also support the Changing Lives Award. The event will take place in Cape Town at The Lookout on Wednesday, 13 November 2019, followed by the after party.
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TECHNOLOGY NEWS
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AFRICA POST OFFICE CHOOSES EDITSHARE As many freelance editors will report, one of the hardest and most exciting aspects of the so-called “gig economy” is that they have to go wherever the work is. Africa Post Office (APO) was partially born out of founder and chief editor Franki Ashiruka’s desire to settle down in one place but, more importantly, to bring the creative industry and opportunity to Nairobi, which – as she sees it – will become the post-production hub of Africa.
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rior to opening APO in February 2017, Ashiruka had been working as a freelance editor with wellestablished global media houses including Channel 4 (UK), Fox International Channels (UK), 3D Global Leadership (Nigeria), PBS (USA) and Shadow Films (SA). In Kenya, Ashiruka worked with a number of production houses including Quite Bright Films, Fat Rain Films, Mojo, MultiChoice, Zuku, Content House and Ginger Ink Films, meaning she was already well-entrenched in the local creative community when she founded APO. “When we first opened, our workload was predominantly comprised of big brand commercials. However, due to shrinking budgets in the ad industry, the commercial work has steadily declined, freeing us up to sink our teeth into an exciting mix of documentaries, short films, feature films and multiple television series,” says Ashiruka. “We are now incredibly fortunate to be able to select projects that align with our beliefs and passions, and we believe that this has partially contributed to our success.” APO is a complete, end-to-end post-production house, consisting of offline and online editing suites running 24 hours a day, offering colour grading, animation, visual effects, motion graphics and compositing. “We have a proven track record of successful delivery on hundreds of film and video projects for an
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Evans Wenani
extraordinarily diverse range of clients and collaborators, including major corporate entities, NGOs, advertising and PR agencies and television stations. We also have plenty of experience mastering according to international delivery standards and we maintain the most thorough database of the post production community in Kenya.” One aspect of the business that was a bit intimidating for Ashiruka was selecting the right tools for APO’s workflow. As with any post-production house, an organised workflow is absolutely critical for quality output. For APO, this has been
Franki Ashikura
greatly streamlined and simplified with the implementation of the EditShare EFS 200 shared storage nodes. Ashiruka brought these on board so that the APO team could access footage from anywhere, in any edit suite. She adds, “The rate at which APO has grown over the last two years has required us to add an additional overnight shift in order to make sure we’re able to hand off projects on time. The introduction of the EditShare system made this additional shift possible. All projects start with ingest directly into the EditShare server. Once the footage is there, the entire team can share projects and collaborate in real time at any stage of the post process including colour grading, visual effects, editing, audio fine tuning etc. This means that we
can get on with the things we’re good at without having to sweat over the tedious back-end mechanics.” Prior to centralising APO’s content, projects lived on individual hard disks. This meant that if Ashiruka was editing and needed her assistant to find a scene or a clip or that needed VFX, she would have to export individual clips to different workstations. This created workflow redundancies and increased potential for versioning issues which is something APO couldn’t afford to be weighed down with. “The remote capabilities of the EditShare system were very appealing as well. Our business partner who oversees colour grading is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and from there he can access the footage on the server and grade it while the client reviews with us in Nairobi. Flow media asset management also helps in this regard. We’re able to effectively organise and index clips, graphics, versions, etc. into clearly marked folders so there is no confusion about what media should be used. Collaboration among the team is now seamless regardless of their physical location,” says Ashiruka. She concludes: “Another reason for choosing EditShare was its scalability. We didn’t want to purchase a shared storage environment that we’d quickly outgrow and, conversely, we didn’t want to spend astronomical sums of money on a solution that was overkill in terms of storage bandwidth.”
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“Many of the positive
PHOTO COURTESY PRO
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Advertising Week Africa will be held in October
ADVERTISING WEEK L ANDS ON AFRICAN SHORES Wole Soyinka, renowned author and Nobel Laureate
One of the world’s biggest advertising festivals is coming to the continent: Advertising Week Africa is launching 28-31 October 2019, at the IFOX precinct in Johannesburg, as South Africa becomes the first country in Africa to play host to the global megaevent which brings the ‘ad shapers’ together with the ‘insight drivers’, the ‘story crafters’ and the ‘culture builders’.
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his is the sixth city destination for Advertising Week, billed as the “premier event for marketing, brand, advertising and technology professionals”, following on from New York, London, Tokyo, Mexico City and Sydney. The whole point is to bring the industry in one room – brands and agencies both – to network, debate and learn. New York is the original home of Advertising Week, where it was launched 16 years ago. The flagship event annually hosts the greatest minds in advertising and marketing in the AMC Loews Lincoln Square hub. London was the entry into
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cultural shifts that we have seen in art, music, entertainment and film originate from Africa. It’s the perfect time to provide the international platform to share authentic African stories and showcase thought-provoking marketing and technological innovations sweeping the continent. It’s an exciting opportunity to bring internationally-recognised professionals together with emerging talent to exchange ideas about how this vibrant continent is shaping global trends.
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Tosin Lanipekun
Europe and the event is now in its seventh year in that city. What makes the South African event particularly special is the emphasis placed on the empowerment of youth in the industry and the awarding of internships at the event for young people from previously disadvantaged communities. This is a win for an industry which is notorious for lacking in diversity, particularly since brands and advertising messages have the power to influence social discourse and mirror society. A stated objective of launching Advertising Week into Africa is to give African advertising talent and creativity a global platform to showcase Africa’s unique craft and storytelling and to influence the next-generation of thought leadership across the global marketing and advertising industry.
AFRICA’S TIME Advertising Week CEO, Matt Scheckner, said: “Many of the positive cultural shifts that we have seen in art, music, entertainment and film originate from Africa. It’s the perfect time to provide the international platform to share authentic African stories and showcase thoughtprovoking marketing and technological innovations sweeping the continent. It’s an exciting opportunity to bring internationally-recognised professionals together with emerging talent to exchange ideas about how this vibrant continent is shaping global trends.”
Globally, Advertising Week is built on a “foundation of inspiring and forwardthinking thought leadership.” #AWAfrica plans to hold over 75 seminars and workshops with in-depth and inspirational content from brands, agencies, tech companies and influencers in society. The specific thought leadership tracks for the Johannesburg inaugural event include storytelling, brand purpose, data, innovation and media and entertainment. Tosin Lanipekun, the Executive Director of Advertising Week Africa, is a former architect, educated in Nigeria, before he segued into a Digital Media Master’s degree at London Metropolitan University. He believes Advertising Week Africa is the perfect platform to host “authentic conversations” about home-grown innovation and doing business on the continent. “My partners and I felt like the advertising and marketing industries in Africa needed a cohesive, credible and global platform to galvanise around. We approached a few global event owners with the goal of partnering with them. Advertising Week stood out from day one, as we were welcomed with open arms. It’s been an exciting journey co-creating the African event.”
GLOBAL KEYNOTES The launch team are hoping to attract 4,000 industry folk to the four-day event, with a line-up of thought leaders from Africa and around the world (about 200 in
total), over 100 curated events and the daily Global Keynote Series, where global icons will share their perspectives on brands, cultural iconography, technology, trends, opportunities and industry impact. The #AWLearn workshops offer learning experiences to sharpen skills. Among the inaugural #AWAfrica edition’s confirmed speakers are: • Jean Marie Dru – Chairman, TBWA Worldwide • Lolu Akinwunmi – Group CEO, Prima Garnett, Africa • Wole Soyinka – Renowned Author and Nobel Laureate • Faheem Chaudry – Managing Partner, MC Saatchi Abel, SA • Colleen DeCourcy – Co-President and Chief Creative Officer, Weiden + Kennedy • Enver Groenewald – Africa Director: Media, Marketing & Enterprise Digital Transformation, Unilever • Thebe Ikalafeng – Founder and Group CEO, Brand Leadership • Monique Nelson – CEO, UWG • Ikechi Odigbo – Managing Director, DDB Lagos • Asha Patel – Head of Marketing, Google SA • Boniswa Pezisa – Group CEO, Net#work BBDO – Louise Marsland
7 NOV 19 the maslow hotel ENTER the
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PROMAXAFRICA ANNOUNCES 2019 SPEAKER LINE-UP The Promax awards represent excellence in the global media and marketing space, and are regarded as the most prestigious awards for creative endeavour in the field. On 7 November, leading South African and African creatives working in on-air marketing, branding and the design of video content will come together under one roof for the 2019 edition of the Promax Africa conference and awards. Award-winners will be announced at the close of the annual conference, which will take place at The Maslow Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg on the same day.
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elivering on its promise to inspire and challenge creatives year after year, the Promax Africa conference programme will once again present informative, original and alternative sessions helmed by leading players in the global media industry. “It’s become everyday speak. Change, morph, reposition, rebrand, relaunch, reinvent. The eternal brand story! But how do you do it, and do it well? How do you make sure that it’s relevant for your entire audience? The answers are in the Promax Africa 2019 Re.Invent line-up. In one exciting day you can find inspiring perspectives on our industry with lightning-bolt sessions to spark ideas, solutions and of course, all possible ways to Re.Invent,” said Promax Africa chairman, Elouise Kelly in her 2019 letter. “Each session, from the Keynote address, to the multiple discussion forums, are designed to provoke, challenge, teach and invigorate. Join some of the most creative thinkers, from different corners of the world and harness their insights to chart a future focused, trailblazing reinvention journey. It’s, quite frankly, unmissable!”
PROMAX AFRICA 2019 SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
With a background in TV promotions, branding and marketing, Tim Hughes is global expert in creative brand strategy and founder of The Brief Doctor. Hughes previously ran strategy for Discovery UK’s in-house creative agency and is a lifetime achievement award-winner and former chairman of Promax UK. In his session, The Brief Doctor: Your Prescription for Better Creative, Hughes will teach delegates how to jump-start their briefs and resuscitate collaboration in order to deliver Promax Gold-winning creative.
Hunt will present two sessions at this year’s Promax Africa conference: the first, titled New Best Practices 2019, is his annual Promax keynote in which he explores the best practices that are disrupting and transforming our industry. This year Hunt takes a deep dive into the opportunities for competing with and against both linear and streaming services. Hunt’s second session, New Ad Sales Initiatives 2019, will look at the strategies, tactics, creative and most importantly, the success or failure of 6-second commercials, 30-second pods, LCI (Limited Commercial Interruption), JAZ (Just the A and Z), 2 x 20 (2 minutes of commercials/hour by 2020), Prime Pods with AI, Prediction Pods, Future Now, Absolute As, Shoppable Ads, Non-stop programming, and brand integrations.
GAVIN STRANGE
LEE HUNT
MICHAEL MORGAN
Raised on cartoons, video games and movies, Michael Morgan became a professional Animator in 2000, working in Video Games, Television/ Commercials and VFX Films. Morgan will present a session titled Animate Your World, where he’ll discuss his journey in the world of Animation and Visual Storytelling.
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TIM HUGHES
Lee Hunt is founder of Lee Hunt LLC, a New York-based consultancy focusing on brand strategy, on-air architecture, competitive analysis and personnel training for television networks and media companies around the world. A strategist, trainer, and industry thought leader, Hunt’s success in launching and positioning channel brands, in addition to his pioneering work in audience management have set many of the standards for our industry.
Gavin Strange is a Director and Designer for UK creative studio Aardman Animations by day and by night he indulges in all manner of passion projects under the alias of JamFactory – from filmmaking to illustration, toy design to photography. Strange’s accomplishments include author of motivational book Do Fly and co-founder of the contemporary design store ‘STRANGE’ with his wife. In his talk, Graft, Craft and being Daft, Strange will share his stories and methods behind getting the most out of your time, conveyed via the medium of bright colours and animated GIFs. His presentation will focus on finding the energy and making the time to create things that matter.
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SAMIRA GERIN-SINGH
TEBOGO “LEPITO33” MOGOLA
With more than a decade’s worth of experience on the frontlines of African entertainment content and creative production, SAFTA-winning creative Tebogo “Lepito33” Mogola is the former Senior Creative Manager for Viacom Africa and Co-Director of Sneaker Exchange. In his session titled World Gold, Mogola – who is currently a partner at Don’t Look Down Productions – will showcase creative genius, inspirational thinking and straight-up insanity that should supercharge your work for the next 12 months.
direction, VANDAL combines the physical and digital worlds to enhance human experience and bridge the gap between art, advertising, digital media, content and culture. He further oversees executive curation of the VANDAL Art Gallery in Redfern, Sydney. Rademeyer’s session, Augmented Reality is the Future of Advertising, will explore the idea that the future of advertising, art, entertainment, content and culture is in augmented reality. Showcasing impressive examples and case studies, the session will demonstrate how augmented reality alters human behaviour and will shape the future as never seen before.
NOKULUNGA NCUBE
discussion titled The State of our Art. The panel will feature five inspiring women who will offer their differing views on what is happening in the local and global market-place, and how this is driving each of them to find new answers to old questions. Between them, they offer views from international channel marketing and on-air, local channel and local content marketing as well as Pay TV platform and content discovery marketing perspectives; on how their unique points of view and skill-sets are rising to the challenge of the ever-evolving industry and viewer landscape.
Emile Rademeyer is Creative Director and Digital Placemaking Strategist at VANDAL in Sydney, Australia. Under Rademeyer’s
BRON SCHULTZ
PIPPA TSHABALALA
EMILE RADEMEYER Currently the marketing head of department for local interest channels: Mzansi Magic, 1Magic, Mzansi Wethu and Channel-O, at M-Net South Africa, Nokulunga Ncube sets the portfolio brand strategy, drives viewer acquisition, retention and key partnerships for the channels. Having previously worked at Ogilvy, JWT and Lowe Bull, Ncube began her career in advertising where she cut her teeth as a brand and communication strategist. She then moved on to brand management within the FMCG sector, working at Tiger Brands and Brasil Foods. Ncube will speak as part of a panel
Samira Gerin-Singh is the Head of the On Air and Creative Services department for FOX Networks Group Africa, responsible for National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, FOX, FOXlife and FOX Sports brands on the continent. She is a local and international award-winning creative, with over 14 years of experience working both in creative agencies and broadcast networks as a promo producer and later creative director. Gerin-Singh has spoken at the Promax conference in New York in 2018, as well as at the Promax Africa conference in 2017 and 2018. This year she will present as part of The State of Our Art panel discussion.
Pippa Tshabalala is the On Air Manager for Viacom International Media Networks Africa, where she oversees the On Air team, producing promos and graphics for all the African brands. Tshabalala has a diverse background in television, animation, video games and academics, having worked as a lecturer, television presenter, magazine editor and a content and promo producer. Her accolades include speaking at TEDxSoweto, being named as one of Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans and being listed on BrandSA’s 40 under 40. Tshabalala will speak as part of The State of Our Art panel discussion.
As Content Discovery Manager at DStv, Bron Schultz works within the newly formed Content Discovery team defining and delivering new ways to guide customers to the content they prefer by personalising customer journeys across all available platforms. Previously, Schultz has worked as an Executive Creative Director, winning awards both locally and internationally and leading multi-awardwinning teams to stretch their imaginations and problem-solving abilities to deliver ground-breaking campaigns. At the Promax Africa 2019 conference, Schultz will speak on The State of Our Art panel. – Chanelle Ellaya
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TRAINING
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Whether a secondary or tertiary education graduate, entering the film industry poses dynamic challenges mastering the life, occupational and entrepreneurial skills required to survive and thrive in this arena – especially given South Africa’s historic legacy.
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here is no substitute for hands-on, experiential, ‘learning-by-boing’, in-service training experience under mentorship – offered through the SA FILM Academy (SAFA) on local and international productions. Formerly known as F.I.L.M., the non-profit SA FILM Academy focuses on those vital life, occupational and entrepreneurial skills required – mostoften working with expensive, sophisticated, hi-tech equipment under relentless time and budgetary pressures and in the company of seasoned, hard-bitten industry professionals. Given its unrivalled geographic, architectural and natural diversity and world-renowned, professional film crews, the South African film and TV industries at large and the Western Cape industry, in particular, have enjoyed a sustained surge in local and international productions in the face of increasing global competition. The advent of streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and HBO has just stirred the creative cooking pot. To retain and grow this international reputation, keep pace with this growth and development and to continue to provide a diverse, representative, globally-competitive trainee, intern, crew and Head of Department resource base, there needs to be sustained skills development and a constant infusion of emerging, committed, professional talent. Besides offering a bridge between education and employment and a window of opportunity to people entering the industry, SAFA’s main foci are film industry social, economic and environmental transformation through human resource development.
THE FILMGRO DRIVING ACADEMY – DRIVING GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT One of the biggest impediments to employment and career advancement in the film and television industries, especially for people from disadvantaged communities, is lacking a drivers licence – or access to the resources to obtain one. At Atlantic Film Studios, a hub of film and television studio production, the SA FILM Academy – together with sponsors, 14 | SCREENAFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2019
Water is Life production team
The SA Film Academy: A bridge between education and employment
Students being graded on an interview with Hakeem Kae-Kazim
Besides offering a bridge between education and employment and a window of opportunity to people entering the industry, SAFA’s main foci are film industry social, economic and environmental transformation through human resource development. Homebrew Films, Gambit Films, Atlantic Film Studios, Suidooster, KykNet, KykNet & kie and Suzuki – have launched the FILMGRO DRIVING ACADEMY to address this challenge and help transform a significant obstacle into an awesome opportunity, actively driving growth, skills development, employment, career advancement, transformation and diversity in the industry. The aim is for people in the film and television industry to have a free and equal opportunity to obtain formal training and a driving licence as a competitive advantage entering the industry.
GREENSET – TRAINING UP GREEN MONITORS ON PRODUCTIONS The SA FILM Academy has recently opened an on-set, environmental sustainability wing called GreenSet, co-developing an accredited Film Industry Green Monitor skills programme,
together with Wrap Zero, to train up Environmental Supervisors and help implement holistic, integrated on-set environmental sustainability. The aim is monitoring, motivating, radically reducing, calculating and reporting a given production’s carbon footprint, to assist the film industry to compete on a global platform as a powerful example of environmental sustainability in the South African business sector. In so doing, we wish to create employment, protect the environment, save and build a solid foundation for the future.
FILM 4 OFFENDERS The SA FILM Academy FILM 4 Offenders training programme is an accredited, “learning-by-doing” in-service Life, Occupational & Entrepreneurial Skills Development & Training programme in Film, Electronic & Digital Media Production for offenders and Department
of Correctional Services personnel, currently being piloted in Pollsmoor Prison. The programme aims to help train and equip pre-selected offenders in film and TV content generation, production and allied cross-sector skills while they incarcerated and pending release on parole. They will then continue in-service training with the SA FILM Academy on release, receiving possible employment, career opportunities and reintegration into society and the economy.
SA FILM ACADEMY TRAINEES AND INTERNS PRODUCE THEIR OWN CONTENT ON KWAAI CITY As part of the global democratisation of content generation, and in partnership with the NFVF and the National Lotteries Commission, amongst others, SA FILM Academy trainees and alumni are afforded the opportunity to produce their own content for distribution via the World Wide Web. A dedicated YouTube creative content platform, called Kwaai City, offers `Filmpreneurs’ the opportunity to create and promote their creative genius as well as providing the world with a window into South African culture, traditions, quirks, humour, history, local content and creativity. In partnership with the MICT Seta, as well as private sector-funded, professional productions, SAFA trainees, interns and alumni have produced a number of behind-the-scenes EPKs on productions as diverse as Black Sails, Saints and Strangers, The Widow and Riding with Sugar.
THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS The SA FILM Academy commits itself to helping create that vital window of opportunity for people entering the industry. Those who are smart, passionate, proactive, disciplined and hungry to learn will potentially find a firm foothold in a tough industry. The future – after all – is in their hands.
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Screen Africa sits down with Herman Binge, producer of Ander Mens Herman Binge is a well-known South African director and producer, with more than 39 years of experience in the entertainment industry.
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e is one of the directors of the dynamic Cape Town-based production company, Marche Media (Kanarie, Waterfront, Die Byl 2, Nobody’s Died Laughing, Johnny Is Nie Dood Nie and Die Seemeeu), and the producer of acclaimed director Quentin Krog’s new film, Ander Mens. Ander Mens tells the suspenseful tale of Daniël Niemand (Bennie Fourie), one of life’s punching bags, whose life is changed irrevocably when his wife (Roeline Daneel) leaves him for their marriage counsellor (Tim Theron) and his criminal employer (Frank Opperman) completely disrupts his mediocre existence. Before long, not only is he used as bait by the policeman, Johannes Ackermann (James Borthwick), to capture this crime kingpin and his brother (André Weideman), but he also becomes the victim of a series of very unfortunate misunderstandings. Although this chaos leads to great tragedy, it also helps him to achieve an important personal victory. The film is presented from the perspective of Lieutenant Erica Kruger (Marlee van der Merwe), from the police witness protection programme, and also stars Laudo Liebenberg, Jana Cilliers, Lika Berning, Clyde Berning and Neels van Jaarsveld. Ander Mens was produced in collaboration with kykNET Films, M-Net Movies and the Department of Trade and
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Industry (the dti) and is distributed by Filmfinity (Pty) Ltd. Screen Africa spoke to legendary producer Binge about what went down behind the scenes of this dark action comedy. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A SCRIPT AND WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THIS SPECIFIC STORY? I think the filmmaker communicates with his audience by surprising them and charming them into liking the story and the characters in it. The script of Ander Mens is full of twists and turns and surprises and its characters (even the baddies) are charming and likeable. ANDER MENS IS BASED ON ZIRK VAN DEN BERG’S BEST-SELLER, NOBODY DIES. WHY DOES THE FINAL SCRIPT DIFFER SO MUCH FROM THE ORIGINAL CONTENT OF THE BOOK? The demands of a commercially-viable film and a successful book with literary merit are very different. The audience that a popular film must cater for is very different from the discerning readers that a literary work must appeal to. However, all the main premises and characters of Zirk van den Berg’s book are still present in the film. But the film is the director’s comedic take on the novel and the way he wanted to tell the story.
ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY WORKED ON ACTION AND SUSPENSE SERIES, SUCH AS TRANSITO, INTERROGATION ROOM AND WATERFRONT, YOUR SECOND FEATURE FILM IS A DARK ACTION COMEDY. WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO EXPLORE THIS GENRE AND WHY DO YOU THINK IT WILL APPEAL TO SOUTH AFRICAN AUDIENCES? I think our audiences have seen enough conventional action and suspense stories and they would enjoy the surprise of the fresh, rather cynical and dark approach that the film takes. Ander Mens should appeal to local audiences, as it is full of references and situations that they will understand and familiar characters that they will sympathise with. Although most of these are universal themes, they are played out in a typical environment with specific South African references and sense of humour. WHY DID YOU APPROACH QUENTIN KROG TO DIRECT THIS FILM? I have followed Quentin’s career since he was a very promising young drama student at the University of Stellenbosch. He then worked with us as an actor in our series Vloeksteen, but we were impressed
with the quality of the films that he had directed, like Ballade vir ’n Enkeling, Vir die Voëls and the television series Die Boekklub. Of course it helped that we enjoyed him as a person and that we had the highest regard for his work ethic and his talent. HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON BENNIE FOURIE AS THE MALE LEAD AND WHAT UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS HAS HE BROUGHT TO THIS ROLE? I became aware of Bennie Fourie when I was appointed as a mentor (with Deon Opperman) for the young filmmakers who were elected to make their debut short films for kykNET’s annual Silwerskermfees in 2014. One of the proposed concepts, called Vuil Wasgoed, stood out for Deon and I because it was so original and surprising. The young filmmakers ignored my advice completely and of course it went on to win the prize for best short film of that year. Bennie then wrote and starred in a successful remake of it as a feature film in 2017. He exudes a naïve comical charm as an actor, a bit like Jamie Uys of old, that was just right for the part, and Quentin had no hesitation in casting him.
| THE FILM INCLUDES CHOREOGRAPHED FIGHTING SCENES BETWEEN MARLEE VAN DER MERWE AND ANDRÉ WEIDEMAN. WHY DID YOU FEEL THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR THE ACTORS TO DO THEIR OWN STUNTS AND HOW MANY TAKES WERE NEEDED TO CAPTURE THE PERFECT SHOT? We cannot beat the Americans at their game when it comes to action sequences. We just don’t have the money and the time it takes. So we have to keep it simple. And of course it is much easier to cut an action sequence performed by the actors themselves than it is to cut it with stand-in stunt people that resemble the actors. Marlee is in very good shape physically and André is an old pro, so we were lucky that our own cast members could pull it off.
YOU HAVE A STRONG CAST, WHICH INCLUDES THE LIKES OF FRANK OPPERMAN. WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH SUCH A SEASONED ACTOR AND WITNESSING HIS TRANSFORMATION FROM A LOVING “OUBOET” TYPE OF CHARACTER INTO THAT OF A SCHEMING MOBSTER? I became friends with Frank in the early 1980s when he finished his diploma at the Pretoria Technicon. He was involved in productions with my wife in those days and of course it was a pleasure working with an old friend and now seasoned actor again. Knowing the range of Frank’s ability, we had no doubt that he would be able to be a great scheming mobster. And he delivered. Big time.
WHERE WAS THE FILM SHOT AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE ON THIS LOCATION? Our director and location manager did extensive reconnaissance trips all over the Boland. Practically and also budget-wise we could not afford to be too far away from our base camp in Cape Town. Quentin finally decided on the remote aesthetics of the Du Toits Kloof Mountains and the town of Tulbagh in contrast with the inner city where the rest of the film was shot. WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU HAVE HAD TO OVERCOME TO MAKE THIS FILM? Raising the money for the budget is the biggest challenge for any producer and thanks to the dti, kykNET and ARCO – our venture capital partner – we were able to raise enough to make this film. To make
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any local film in the circumstances we have to face with our small audience, and therefore small budgets and small-scale infrastructure, is a major challenge. WHAT SETS THIS FILM APART FROM OTHER SOUTH AFRICAN PRODUCTIONS? I am quite happy and proud just to be a part of the industry that produces South African films. I salute all the productions that have to cope with the limitations that we are forced to work with to be able to keep the local flag flying. I take my hat off to all of them. I am convinced that our contribution to the fair of local films this year will do us proud and will make a creative contribution to the ideal and quality that we are all working towards. Compiled by Annelien van Basten
“I salute all the productions that have to cope with the limitations that we are forced to work with to be able to keep the local flag flying. I take my hat off to all of them. I am convinced that our contribution to the fair of local films this year will do us proud and will make a creative contribution to the ideal and quality that we are all working towards. – Herman Binge
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Buddha in Africa provides a unique perspective on Chinese soft power in Africa Set in a Chinese Buddhist orphanage in Malawi – against the backdrop of China’s increasing influence on the African continent – Buddha in Africa documents Malawian teenager Enock Alu’s journey and the inner battle he faces as he is torn between the contrasting worlds of his traditional African culture and the Buddhist value system that he was raised within.
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hrough Enock’s journey and the orphanage he calls home, the film provides a unique perspective on Chinese “soft power” in Africa today. “I was actually living in Malawi when I first came across this story of the Chinese Buddhist orphanage. I had been working as a freelance video journalist producing video features for Reuters Pan-African magazine programme Africa Journal and this was the last story I did before returning to South Africa,” comments director Nicole Schafer. “I was working on a story about orphans at the
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time that Madonna was adopting her second child.”
“While most debates around ‘China in Africa’ at the time was focused on the so-called ‘colonisation’ of her economies and natural resources, this story showed a unique aspect of China’s cultural influence on the continent. I was struck by how this orphanage was strangely reminiscent of the Christian missions during the colonial era – only here African children had Chinese names and instead of learning about the West, they were learning about Chinese culture and history. I felt the orphanage would be the perfect metaphor to explore the growing relationship between China and Africa, but also as a mirror of Western colonialism.”
CHINA IN AFRICA
THE AMITOFO CARE CENTRE
At the same time Malawi and other parts of Africa were experiencing a rapid influx of Chinese investment and Chinese nationals – following the formalising of Malawi’s diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China. Schafer says that she felt this story would be a fascinating lens through which to view and engage in the debates around the implications of China’s involvement in Africa.
At the Amitofo Care Centre (ACC), where Buddha in Africa is shot, Malawian children are given Chinese names and taught to read and write Mandarin. There, these children wake up at 04:30 am to pray inside a Buddhist temple and they are masters of the art of Shaolin Kung Fu at a young age. Our guide into the world of the Buddhist orphanage is Enock Alu – one of
300 children growing up at ACC. At the age of seven Alu was one of the first children to be recruited from his village and offered a place at ACC, when founder Master Hui Li – a Buddhist monk from Taiwan – opened it in 2003. At the time, Enock was living under the care of his grandmother after his mother passed away and his father had left and re-married another woman. While in his final year of school, Alu is torn between trying to hold onto his Malawian roots and the opportunities afforded to him by his Chinese upbringing. “The first time I met Enock was when I was doing a short video feature and I asked them to identify one or two of the kids who I could profile and so they introduced me to Enock, who was one of the star performers and the top of his Kung Fu class. He was only 12 years old at the time, he was fluent in Mandarin, and I was captivated by the story of this young Malawian boy with dreams of becoming a Kung Fu film star like Jet Li,” explains Schafer.
TWO CONTRASTING WORLDS About a year and a half after first meeting the young boy, Schafer returned to the ACC to start development on the film, and wanted to know more about how Alu and his friends were making sense of themselves between two very contrasting worlds: “I was surprised to learn that Enock knew very little about his personal history. He had never even seen a photograph of his parents before,” says Schafer, “and so the first part of filming very much involved initiating a process of reflection into his past… I always imagined that at some point some form of conflict would present itself between
| these two very different cultures and worlds Enock inhabited. And so I was very much focused on observing his shifting relationship between his community in the village, on the one hand, and his new Chinese family, on the other.” Additionally, Schafer says that she was also interested in capturing the boy’s experience of feeling like an outsider in terms of his longing to belong to his village community as well as the challenge of fitting into Chinese culture – “and then the realisation that comes towards the end of the film that he will never completely belong to either of these worlds.”
FINANCING Buddha in Africa was shot sporadically over a period of five years, with Schafer travelling to Malawi for two to three weeks at a time as she acquired funding. “Most of the footage used in the film was shot in the final year when I had more resources to shoot on my camera of choice and by then I had established a solid relationship with all the characters in the film,” she comments. The film was financed predominantly through ‘soft funds’ from various local and international film grants, with development funding coming from The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), IDFA Bertha and Hot Docs Blue Ice Funding. Production funding again came from the NFVF, IDFA Bertha and Hot Docs Blue Ice Funding, as well as Chicken and Egg Pictures, the KwaZuluNatal Film Commission, the Alter Cine Foundation and AfriDocs. “It took seven years to secure all the funding from when I first pitched the film at the Durban FilmMart in 2011,” Schafer says.
GEAR
FESTIVALS AND AWARDS
Due to budget constraints, Buddha in Africa was shot on several different cameras, depending on the available budget at the time of shooting. “It was only in my final year that I was able to afford the Canon 5D Mark III, which was ideal for the low light conditions I was working in,” comments Schafer, who paired the camera with a combination of lenses – a 50mm prime, a 17-40mm wide and a zoom lens. “I also had my old video camera that I used for sound and could capture the radio mic feed on one channel and the rifle mic or, when I had a sound assistant, the boom, into the other. It was quite cumbersome spending 12-18 hour days with all these cameras, lenses and mics, but I got the hang of it. Well, I had no choice really!” Schafer adds.
The film had its world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary film festival in April, and opened the Encounters Documentary Festival in Cape Town and Johannesburg in June, where it received a Backsberg Encounters Audience Award. It was also in the official selection at this year’s Sydney International Film Festival in June. Excitingly, Buddha in Africa was awarded the coveted Best SA Documentary award at the recent Durban International Film Festival, which means the film automatically qualifies for Oscar consideration. “The journey of making and completing a documentary can be a long and challenging process and it is very meaningful to have this affirmation and recognition here, at home, at the Durban International Film Festival, where we first pitched the project several years ago,” comments Schafer. “With regards to the Oscar consideration – we are thrilled and immensely grateful to have the opportunity to be considered for an Oscar nomination.” Still to come, the film will have its European premiere in the Official Competition at the Visioni dal Mondo, Immagini dalla Realtà International Documentary Festival in Milan and the Afrika Film Festival in Belgium in September. In October Buddha in Africa will open the Afrika Filmdays Festival in Munich, followed by the UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival in Florence. “There are several more local and international festivals pending for the rest of the year,” adds Schafer. Buddha in Africa is an international co-production with Momento Films in Sweden. Paris-based sales company CAT and Docs is representing the film internationally, while AfriDocs is the African
POST-PRODUCTION Editing on the film was done by Schafer with the help of a team of assistant editors “and some input from editor Catherine Meyburgh, up to the rough-cut stage,” she says. “That took about three years after filming ended completely. At this point, I was able to secure the interest of a Swedish producer from Momento Film who came on-board as a co-producer to support the final stages of post-production. This enabled me to work with two very good international editors who refined the story and turned our rough-cut into a film.” The final colour grade and online was done by The Monk and Priest Post in Cape Town: “This was an award that I received through the Cape Town International Film Festival Works-inprogress pitch. Without this, we would still not have a finished film,” comments Schafer.
FILM
TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT • Camera: Canon 5D Mark III
“…the Canon 5D Mark III was ideal for the low light conditions I was working in.” – Nicole Schafer
broadcast partner. Additionally, the documentary has already sold to several territories and been broadcast on NHK in Japan and ARTE in France and Germany. Buddha in Africa will be broadcast on AfriDocs, the free-to-view VOD platform and broadcast documentary strand, across Africa in December. – Chanelle Ellaya
Nicole Schafer framing a shot in a temple scene from Buddha in Africa
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FESTIVALS & EVENTS
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Establishing the Garden Route as a premier film destination
The Garden Route is a tourism gem with much to offer, including hiking trails in Heidelberg and Mossel Bay and water adventures from Witsand all the way to Plett.
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he area boasts game farms where visitors can walk with elephants and giraffes. For the wine-lovers and foodies, there’s the Calitzdorp tastings and tours, and chocolates at La Chocolaterie in Great Brak. And to add to its many attractions, the region is now being developed as a premium film destination.
GARDEN ROUTE FILM OFFICE “The Garden Route Film Office is fairly new – it is the first year where municipalities such as the Garden Route District Municipality and Mossel Bay Municipality joined forces to promote the Garden Route as a film destination,” shares Jeanetta Marais, a resident of the Garden Route for over 19 years and vice chairman of the Garden Route Film Office. Marais and her team at the newlyestablished Garden Route Film Office have embarked on a marketing drive to position the region as a premium film destination, “We attended the Durban International Film Festival to market our region and have put together a 30-second ad that will be screening soon on DStv promoting the region,” she comments. “We are also planning to attend and take part in the inaugural Knysna Film Festival (KFF), creating awareness amongst our communities of the opportunities the film industry holds.” 20 | SCREENAFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2019
Front row from left: iKasi Media director Khanya Sosibo, Lika Berning, Lamise Inglis and programme coordinator Zandiswa Kula with iKasi graduates (Photo credit: Antonie Botha)
IKASI MEDIA Lika Berning is part of the Garden Route Film Office board and founder of iKasi Media, which offers film training programmes for unemployed youth from rural areas in the Garden Route. “We offer a 3-months NQF Level 4 training programme in Film, TV and Digital Media targeting unemployed youth. Our mission is to bring access and real transformation in the film industry. We focus on accessible skills like using your mobile phone to create content and practical, industry-linked skills to prepare learners to be on set. We also place learners on local and international productions in the region,” shares Berning. In June this year, iKasi Media held a graduation ceremony that saw 22 of its learners graduate, with some selected to work at the Knysna Film Festival this year where four short films made by iKasi student directors will be screened. “These [student films] can be seen on our YouTube Channel – iKasi Creative Media. We are also hosting screenings in the Knysna community for audiences who do not have access to the festival. Our line-up includes Mama Africa, a documentary about the life of Miriam Makeba by Mika Kaurismäki, and Have you Heard from Johannesburg: Oliver Tambo by Connie Field. These films are supplied by AfriDocs,” explains Berning.
iKasi Media has also partnered with KFF to offer workshops to young people at the festival. “We will be running a five-day orientation programme to introduce the youth to career opportunities in the Film and Television industry. The training includes an overview of the script to screen process, Mobile Journalism and Set Etiquette,” shares Berning. “The programme is part of our recruitment and selection process for the MICT Seta accredited training, which takes place in Thembalethu George.”
THE KNYSNA FILM FESTIVAL Patrick Walton is an advocate of the Garden Route’s potential as a film destination and festival director of the Knysna Film Festival, which is gearing up for its first edition this October: “The Garden Route is an emerging area for film production, skills upliftment and development; what better way to raise awareness of what it has to offer than to bring the industry to experience it for themselves?” says Walton. According to Walton, the inaugural edition of the festival has received industry-wide support and interest from filmmakers around the world: “We are enthused by the reception we have had from around the globe. Our profile on FilmFreeway has had submissions from 21
different countries and we are now about to reach just over 100 submissions. Most notably, a number of producers have approached us directly asking to submit their film, which is a good sign that there are conversations about the festival happening already.” Additionally, the festival has had over 20 submissions from film schools and has recruited 12 interns who will be shadowing the organisers during the festival. While financial support for a first-time event can be challenging, Walton has opted for a barter exchange system with a number of businesses in the Garden Route. The festival has also managed to confirm sponsorship deals with the Garden Route Film Office, Knysna Waterfront and the Film and Media Promotion arm of Wesgro. “We are still awaiting a few outcomes from other contributors we have approached – but irrespective the Knysna Film Festival is a go,” assures Walton. The Knynsa Film Festival will be taking place from 29 October 2019 until 2 November 2019 at venues in and around the Garden Route, Western Cape. – Gezzy S Sibisi
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
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Ladima Foundation hosts Women’s Film Festival Network training in Rwanda
The recent news regarding many film festivals in Africa could leave one despairing at the current state of affairs. Apart from some of the good news emanating from the recent Durban International Film Festival, there has been very little to celebrate within this space. Cornelia Glele, Festival Director, FIFF Cotonou
Women’s Film Festival Network training in Kigali
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owever, any negativity I may have been feeling has been replaced after I recently returned from Kigali, Rwanda, where I was part of the Ladima Foundation team conducting a three-day training session. In my role as CEO of The Ladima Foundation, along with co-founder Edima Otuokon and board member Lydia Idakula-Sobogon, we hosted in-depth strategic training for some of the senior management from the Ladima’s Women’s Film Festival Network. Attending the training were some of the amazing women at the helm of these diverse festivals, including Matrid Nyagah from the Udada International Women’s Film Festival in Kenya, Sarah Kizza Nsigaye of Celebrating Womanhood Festival in Uganda and Cornelia Glele from the International Women’s Film Festival Cotonou (FIFF Cotonou) in Benin. These relatively small and mostly newly-established festivals, with their passionate founders and dedicated teams, reflect hope for a new generation of film festivals, led by women and focused on women’s content, stories and successes. These festivals, over time, and with proper support, training, and partnerships, can become models for best practice for film festivals in Africa and their unique challenges. The training started with a strategic overview of the current state of the film festival space, and then went on to work specifically with each festival to ensure that they strongly position themselves through a relevant and authentic vision that drives forward their specific objectives.
22 | SCREENAFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2019
Throughout the intense training, all of the Festival Directors openly shared their challenges, many of which are similar to all African festivals, and some unique to women-focused events. This spirit of sharing and honesty has led to a strong foundation for the collaboration that will drive these festivals forward. All of these festival teams realise the amazing potential for their events, especially with the recent and rapidlyintensifying spotlight being shined on women in the film industry. During the training sessions, the Festival Directors worked towards creating specific and relevant strategies and identities to ensure that they can each become impactful and important festivals, not just within their regions, but also on a Pan-African scale. By working with each festival to stake a claim within the space of women’s filmmaking in Africa, and by acknowledging that by working together as collaborators we become supporters within the larger network, the Ladima Foundation believes that these three festivals can be catalysts for their regional film industries, and for the overall African film festival space. The FIFF Cotonou, in its first edition this year and taking place from 13-17 September, led by the incredibly dynamic
22-year-old, Cornelia Glele, is a beacon of hope on the festival landscape. Their small yet passionate team has managed to secure the necessary funding to run a short, compact, focused and thematic festival that includes 13 films and a workshop programme built around cinema that addresses violence against women. With sponsors that include Canal+, the festival has quickly established itself within the region, and with the strong support of the Film Festival Network partners and others is sure to become a major festival event in the next few years. The Celebrating Womanhood Festival, part of the Native Voices project in Uganda, has been around for a number of years and Festival Director, Sarah Kizza Nsigaye, has been working closely with the Ladima Foundation in order to sharpen the festival programme’s focus, and identity. As an immensely respected journalist and filmmaker, Kizza has a renewed vision for the 2020 vision of the festival, and the support and input from other network members will prove invaluable in increasing the profile and reputation of this important event. Kenya’s Matrid Nyagah is a young, dynamic and celebrated filmmaker who was, most recently, recognised as the producer of Watu Wote (nominated for an
During the training sessions, the Festival Directors worked towards creating specific and relevant strategies and identities to ensure that they can each become impactful and important festivals, not just within their regions, but also on a Pan-African scale.
Oscar in 2018 for Best Short). Nyagah has been the Festival Director of the Udada International Women’s Film Festival for its five previous editions, and is excitedly planning the relaunch of the festival for 2020 with a specific focus and mission that will be announced in October this year. Working closely with the Ladima team and her fellow women festival directors, Nyagah’s vision for the future of the festival will ensure its sustainability and relevance within the rapidly-growing Kenyan film industry space. All three festivals are poised for significant growth and development in 2020. Seen as a holistic network that will work towards sustainable regional collaboration, they will also provide the foundations of a women’s festival infrastructure that will not only support each other, but also work to promote other festivals and filmmakers with a similar vision and strategic approach. In my role as CEO of the Ladima Foundation, the formation of this Women’s Film Festival Network is the most rewarding project that I have been involved in. The amazing passion and dedication from the various festival teams is inspiring, and their willingness to be self-critical, open to learning and development and enthusiastically collaborative bodes well for the future of these events. It will be through collaboration, continued learning and a shared vision that these festivals, with support from their local film communities and from The Ladima Foundation, can become the models of the next generation of successful film festivals. These festivals can learn from their own mistakes, as well as from the mistakes of others and rather than strive to be the biggest, boldest or loudest, they can rather focus on being relevant, inclusive, and authentic. I believe that it is festivals like these that will drive the future of the festival space on the continent and I am both proud and excited to be on the journey with them. Watch this space. – Lara Preston
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10TH DURBAN FILMMART,
19 – 22 JULY 2019
10th
AT THE DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FE
Celebrating a decade of Durban FilmMart
The continent’s most-watched film co-production market, the Durban FilmMart – the industry development programme of the eThekwini Municipality’s Durban Film Office (DFO) and Durban International Film Festival (DIFF – Centre for Creative Arts, UKZN) – closed off with an Awards Ceremony where film projects were honoured for their creativity, relevance, bravery and potential, and were given a variety of opportunities for further development.
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ver 1,000 delegates from 40 countries, 19 of which were from Africa, attended the 10th DFM from 19 to 22 July this year (held during the DIFF), representing a broad range of professionals from across the globe who met to collaborate with African filmmakers, network and hone their skills. Speaking at the awards, Head of the DFM and DFO, Toni Monty, said: “For our tenth edition we wanted to ensure that we celebrated with the birthing of new initiatives, new conversations, and new directions. We wanted to create a stronger sense of community amongst filmmakers, and with that, a stronger sense of responsibility, accountability and an understanding of the power they possess as filmmakers to make this world a better place.” Reflecting on the ten years of the DFM, Monty said: “This market is a place for African filmmakers to forge their paths in a very complex industry. We understood when we first started, that the industry was rapidly changing, with new funding and financing models, and new ways of telling stories. We believe that filmmakers needed to be at the forefront of these changes, leading the way into a new dimension of filmmaking and the business of film. Our core focus over the last 10
24 | SCREENAFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2019
All the award winners at DFM 2019
years has therefore been to enable filmmakers to connect with the global markets, build strong networks and share experiences. “ Taking this vision forward, the DFM received support from partners and sponsors on the continent and around the world that has enabled the DFM to firmly solidify its role on the continent. Over the years, the DFM has worked with hundreds of projects, connected with countless festivals and markets and built an industry network with thousands of members.
VISIT US AT : WWW.DURBANFILMMART.CO.ZA
“Inspired by this global network of industry professionals to forge ahead every year – and remembering that at the centre of all of this is ‘story’, the many African stories, that must be nurtured and respected, that must be promoted and protected, African stories that must be told, sometimes with urgency and other times with gentle persuasion, but always with authenticity.” This year, 50 projects were included in Finance Forum supported by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)
WWW.CCADIFF.UKZN.AC.ZA
and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF); 20 film projects (10 documentaries and 10 feature films) were selected out of 140 submissions from around the continent. Six CineFam Africa television series projects were mentored by Caribbean Tales, Canada; Jumpstart (Produire au Sud, France) and the Realness Script Writing Residency hosted scriptwriters’ labs for a total of 10 projects; and HotDocs Canada, together with Don Edkins of Afridocs, mentored 13 documentary projects. Supported by Berlinale Talents and the Goethe-Institut, Durban Talents hosted 18 young filmmakers and three Talents Press. During this time filmmakers pitched their projects in development to potential financiers, filmmakers, producers, partners, festivals, distributors and agents in hundreds of meetings. “These projects had the incredible opportunity to be mentored by industry professionals who have a deep passion for developing talent, as well as the opportunity to meet with potential investors from across the world,” she said. “We all leave the DFM with a new understanding of the global market place, and a new network of friends and professional colleagues.”
ESTIVAL DATES FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR DFM 2020
The Awards/Grants:
A call-out will be made in October 2019 for submissions by January 2020 for the 11th edition of the DFM. •
SOME FEEDBACK FROM OUR DELEGATES: “It was so wonderful to be back at Durban FilmMart again this year. I am amazed at how it has grown since I was last there in 2013. Kudos to all of you and the rest of your team on the amazing work you are doing. The projects were of very high quality and I was so pleased to get the chance to know each of them better during the pitch training. We are so pleased to be supporting Kongo is Burning through the pitch prize. The panel and round table sessions were also great, and Zoe Ramushu was a gem of a moderator on my panel. Please pass my congratulations on to the rest of the team! I hope that I am able to return again sometime in the future.” – Stephanie McArthur, Industry Programmes Manager: Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival “Thank You again for inviting me to Durban Film Market. Working in Distribution for 20 years, I can’t believe I had no idea of what a fabulous and passionate community I have been missing out on all of these years. The projects I met with were gripping and well-crafted and made me more so angry than anything that most of these stories have never been considered for mass exposure in the USA... so I am trying to change that now! I appreciate you opening me up to your filmmakers and the wonderful city of Durban. Your staff was unbelievable and look forward to continuing to keep the Durban Film Festival and Market on my radar for future collaboration.” – Mat Levy: Head of Acquisitions and Sales: Passion River Films “(The) Roads To Olympia team and I wanted to extend our greatest gratitude and appreciation for welcoming us to take part in your 40th-year celebration. Thank you for giving a platform to many deserving voices and important stories from the region and the world….. We are truly thankful for being a part of your journey and grateful for starting ours with you in Durban. Siyabonga.” – Ramazan Nanayev: Writer/Producer/ Director
The CineMart Award: Sunflowers in the Dark (Zimbabwe), produced by Ben Mahaka, Tapiwa Chipfupa and directed by Tapiwa Chipfupa.
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Versfeld & Associates Awards: Those Who Dwell in Darkness (SA), produced by Dolly Mhlongo, Sithabile Mkhize, directed by Michael James; The Home (SA), produced by Justin Cohen, Jessie Zinn, and Chase Musslewhite and directed by Jessie Zinn; Chase Musslewhite and Talents Durban project And Who Will Cook? by Samira Vera-Cruz (Cape Verde).
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Afridocs Award: Kongo is Burning (Uganda / Congo), produced by Ali Musoke and directed by Arnold Aganze.
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DoK Leipzig Award: Black Women and Sex (SA), produced and directed by Godisamang Khunou.
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Hot Docs Blue Ice Award: Kongo is Burning (Uganda / Congo).
NFVF CineFAM-Africa Incubator Accelerator Programme Award: Buckingham Palace by Sylvia Vollenhoven.
Produire au Sud of Festival des 3 Continents (Nantes)/ IFAS Award: Sunflowers in the Dark.
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Videovision Entertainment Award: The Bursary produced by Brett Michael Innes and directed by Nomawonga Khumalo.
Carthage Film Festival Award: Pieces of Salma (SA) produced by Khosie Dali and David Horler and directed by Imran Hamdulay.
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Stage 5 Films Award: The Bursary (SA).
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Durban FilmMart Talents Award: Twelve Pangas directed by Xola Mteto (SA).
Sørfond Award: Mami Wata (Nigeria) produced by Oge Obasi, directed by C.J. Obasi.
FOLLOW US ON : DURBAN FILM MART SA
To register, go to www.durbanfilmmart.co.za
DURBAN FILMMART SA
DURBAN FILMMART SA
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DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
18 – 28 JULY 2019
A successful 40th Durban International Film Festival The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) celebrated its major 40th year milestone with over 212 documentaries, features and shorts, as well as workshops and industry development sessions over ten days – all alongside the 10th Durban FilmMart, which attracted over 1,000 delegates and some good audiences.
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ne of the highlights of the festival is the awards ceremony in which films are honoured for excellence, bravery, creativity and brilliance.
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DIFF opening audience
THIS YEAR, 20 AWARDS WERE GIVEN: •
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Madoda Ncayiyana and Julie Frederikse received a DIFF Legacy award handed over with head of the DFM Toni Monty
Best Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award at DIFF 2019: For Sama directed Edward Watts and Waad al-Kateab Artistic Bravery: Letters Of Hope directed by Vusi Africa Best Cinematography: Divine Love directed by Gabriel Mascaro Best Editing: Cronofobia directed by Francesco Rizzi Best Screenplay: Les Misérables directed by Ladj Ly Best Short Film: Acid directed by Just Philippot Best African Short Film: Brotherhood directed by Meryam Joobeur. The film also received a cash prize of R20, 000 sponsored by the Gauteng Film Commission
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Best South African Short Film: Miracle directed by Bongi Ndaba. The film received a cash prize of R20,000 from the Gauteng Film Commission Best Actor: Bongile Mantsai for Knuckle City directed by Jahmil X T Qubeka Best Actress: Nisrin Erradi for Adam directed by Maryam Touzani Best Documentary: For Sama directed Edward Watts and Waad al-Kateab. The film received a cash prize of R25, 000 Best South African Documentary: Buddha in Africa directed by Nicole Schafer. The award is accompanied by a cash prize of R25,000
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Best Direction: Divine Love directed by Gabriel Mascaro Best South African Feature Film: Back of the Moon directed by Angus Gibson. The film received a cash prize of R25,000 Best Feature Film: Les Misérables directed by Ladj Ly. The award is accompanied by a cash prize of R50,000 DIFF Legacy Award: Peter Rorvik DIFF Legacy Award: Roz Sarkin and Moosa Moosa DIFF Legacy Award: Madoda Ncayiyana and Julie Frederikse Audience Choice Award: The Chinese film The Rib directed by Zhang Wei
Visit www.durbanfilmmart.co.za 26 | SCREENAFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2019
VISIT US AT : WWW.CCADIFF.UKZN.AC.ZA
DIFF is included as a Documentary Feature Qualifying Festival by the Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences. This means that both the winners of the Best Documentary (For Sama) and Best SA Documentary (Buddha in Africa) automatically qualify for consideration for an Oscar nomination. The features jury were Emrah Kilic (Turkey), Diarah N’Daw-Spech (USA), Laurence Boyce (UK), Diana Keam (South Africa) and Mohammed Siam (Egypt). In the documentary jury were Patricia Van Heerden (SA), Florian Weghorn (Germany), Tracy Clayton (UK/SA), Rehad Desai (SA) and Ziyanda Macingwane (SA). The short film jurors were Jaime E. Manrique (Colombia), Silas Miami, (Kenya), Jacintha De-Nobrega (SA), CJ Obasi (Nigeria) and Mpho Ramathuthu (SA). DIFF Festival Manager Chipo Zhou reports that the Festival was well-received
this year: “Besides successful screenings, the DIFF’s Isiphethu Hub supported by the KZN Film Commission and the IDC was able to provide workshops, panel discussions, pitches and general networking opportunities for emerging and aspiring filmmakers,” she says. “The 10th Durban FilmMart had a record number of delegates this year – a
testament to the growth of the programme and the trust and support by the industry as a whole.” The festival, which is hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, is supported by the eThekwini Municipality’s Durban Film Office, the KZN Film Commission and the United States Consulate in Durban.
DIFF GOES TO HILTON ARTS FESTIVAL 13 – 15 September A selection of 6 Durban International Film Festival films will be screened at the Hilton Arts Festival at the Hilton College from 13 – 15 September. •
The cast and crew of Jahmil X T Qubeka’s Knuckle City on DIFF’s opening night
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DFM Toni Monty with Richard Finch (son of the protagonist of the film Hero) with director Frances-Anne Solomon
Celebrity Minenhla Jones from MNET hosted the DIFF opening
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The Cast of Back of the Moon accepting the award for Best South African Feature Film Award
FOLLOW US ON : DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
DIFFEST
AB Moosa accept a DIFF Legacy Award on behalf of his late father Moosa Moosa from COO of KZN Film Commission Jackie Motsepe
DURBANINTERNATIONALFILMFEST
Buddha in Africa – Nicole Schafer’s documentary about a Chinese Buddhist orphanage in Malawi, which won the Best SA Documentary at DIFF qualifying it for consideration for a nomination for an Oscar; Dying for Gold – a devastating documentary about how the mining industry was a key force in shaping apartheid South Africa; Letters of Hope – set in 1976 South Africa about a 16-year-old boy who wants to be a policeman against the wishes of his father; The Afrikaans film (with English subtitles) Spokie Gaan Huise Toe/ Little Ghost Goes Home – a highly experimental feature which takes a self-exploratory journey into the past guided by the spirits of nostalgia; Uncovered – a gripping thriller set against the compromised political reality of post-apartheid South Africa; The authentic Namibian tale The White Line – a love story reminding us that the apartheid laws extended beyond South Africa’s borders.
Some film screenings are free of charge, and others are ticketed – see programme for details. For more info or to book visit www.hiltonfestival.co.za.
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TELEVISION
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Inside the making of e.tv’s
Isipho
From rainmakers to diviners and traditional healers, Africa is well-known for its belief in and ties to the supernatural world.
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sipho is a fictional tale that follows a group of young people with supernatural powers who are recruited to an Academy where they are taught to use their gifts for the betterment of the world. Produced for e.tv by Herbert Hadebe’s HerbVision Multimedia in association with The Ntintili Factory, production on the lengthy 208-episode series began with an intense research phase which saw Busisiwe Ntintili – founder of The Ntintili Factory and executive co-producer of the series – and her writing team interview numerous South Africans who work in alternative healing and creative therapy. “There are supernatural occurrences every day. We often overlook these supernatural events in our lives and simply call them coincidence or gut feeling. But I believe that concepts such as karma, luck, intuition or déjà vu speak to the supernatural in our daily lives,” comments Ntintili. “The writing team did a lot of research into the fields of alternative healing, spiritual and supernatural gifts and African history around African knowledge systems. We also found that there is a budding network of alternative schools that deal with training people in spiritual gifts and alternative healing.” Casting took place earlier this year in Johannesburg, attracting new and well-known actors from across South Africa. Renowned television personalities Themsie Times and Nimrod Nkosi were cast in the roles of Gogo Nqobile and Moses Shezi, respectively. Other noteworthy talents who make a comeback to the small screen with iSipho include Thobani Nzuza as Lwandle, Saint Seseli as Pastor Rametsi, Sparky Xulu as Mpendulo,
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Wandi Chamane as Nomzingeli and Karabo Maseko as Neo. Additionally, the series introduces two new faces to South African viewers: Precious Ngidi as Ntombi Shezi and Mbalenhle Mavimbela as Tandzile. Isipho follows Moses Shezi, a professor, husband and father who possesses a special gift that allows him to see into the future. Ntombi, a research scientist working for large pharmaceutical company Impilo Labs, is Moses’s only child. When Ntombi discovers that the company she works for is selling potentially harmful pills, she begins a crusade to get the pills removed from market and, by doing so, puts her life in danger. Moses begins having visions of his daughter’s impending death and is desperate to ensure that they do not become a reality. This sends him on a quest to find the four individuals who appear in his vision of Ntombi’s final moments. Upon finding them, Moses learns that they too possess supernatural gifts. “Isipho is not just about people who can predict the future or lift heavy objects, or feel other people’s pain,” comments Nintili. “The gifts are really a metaphor for the talents and knowledge that Africans have possessed since ancient times.” Shot in Muldersdrift and Johannesburg, principal photography on Isipho began in May 2019 and is expected to finish in early 2020. The series is being shot on the Sony FS7 camera, which happens to be executive co-producer Herbert Hadebe’s go-to camera for most of his shoots. “We wanted the Isipho look and feel to capture the mystical, magical realism tone of the series, while still operating in a modern world that audiences can
Behind the scenes on Isipho
TECH CHECK EQUIPMENT • Camera: Sony FS7
connect with,” comments Hadebe. “I have personally fallen in love with the Sony FS7 paired with prime lenses. This allows you a cinematic look while still delivering a full high definition, glossy and crisp feel for happy prime time viewing.” Rush Post is handling the edit while audio and final mix is being done by On-Key Sound Studios. Episode one of the series aired on 1 July 2019 at 18h30 on DStv Channel 194. The series is a half-hour drama airing every Monday to Thursday, with repeats the following day at 14h00. Isipho is also screening on the VIU.com streaming platform. “The reception to Isipho so far has been extremely positive,” comments Ntintili. “Viewers are delighted to watch something that is quite different in tone and content to what they have been used to…They are finding the characters relatable and already have favourites on the show.” Overall, Hadebe and Ntintili hope that – through the series – South African viewers will realise that there is a special gift in all of us and that all we need to do is believe in our greatness and our gifts in order to improve our lives. “We might not be able to predict the future or lift a truck, but we have gifts that span the gamut of human experience. Gifts like empathy, courage, creativity, intellect, invention, entrepreneurship and leadership. These are the gifts our society needs to be able to tackle the issues facing us like unemployment, crime and wealth inequality. These are the gifts our country needs to be able to grow and compete on a global stage,” concludes Ntintili. – Gezzy S Sibisi
“I have personally fallen in love with the Sony FS7 paired with prime lenses. This allows you a cinematic look while still delivering a full high definition, glossy and crisp feel for happy prime time viewing.” – Herbert Hadebe
KEY CREW Executive Producers: Herbert Hadebe and Busisiwe Ntintili Showrunner: Busisiwe Ntintili Story Team: Busisiwe Ntintili, Keith Moyo, Tiisetso Tlelima, Sizwe Zuma Fortune Directors: King Shaft, Rolie Nikiwe, Nonhlanhla Mashandu, Funeka Mpela
IBC 2019
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REPORT
IBC CEO Michael Crimp on IBC2019 Michael Crimp, IBC CEO, discusses what visitors to the 2019 conference and exhibition can expect, from conference streams and themes to new innovations and awards… WHAT IS NEW OR DIFFERENT AT IBC2019? As always, the team has worked hard to keep abreast of developments in the industry, and the innovations we introduce are, as always, driven by what our visitors want. So we have brought the IBC conference and exhibition back into alignment, instead of starting and finishing the conference a day earlier. When visitors could take the time to attend for the whole of IBC this made a great deal of sense, but we have to recognise that visitors today make much more targeted trips to IBC, and need to make the best use of their time. Another important shift we have made over recent years is to actively encourage a younger audience, and to ensure that as far as possible we are inclusive in everything we do. This year we have taken a major step forward by adding two new honours to our popular and prestigious IBC Awards programme. We will be honouring a Young Pioneer, and significant projects in social responsibility. Talking of young people, a whole new media genre has appeared from nowhere in recent years: Esports. On Tuesday we are converting the RAI Auditorium into an Esports arena, with live tournaments as well as conference sessions around it. The final innovation I would point to is the Media-Telecom Convergence Catalyst, an exciting new collaboration 30 | SCREENAFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2019
between IBC and the TM Forum. We will see three unique catalyst projects on the show floor, showcasing open innovation between the telecoms and media industries. Participation from Al Jazeera, Associated Press, BBC R&D, RTÉ and more will show how 5G, AI and big data management can solve business and technology challenges, and improve the customer experience.
WHAT IS NEW FOR THE IBC2019 CONFERENCE? The most obvious change is that the conference will now run Friday to Tuesday, ending with the IBC Esports Showcase, a new venture supported by market leader ESL along with Lagardère and EVS. This means that our invitationonly Executive Forums will take place on Thursday (12 September), clear of the rest of the event, allowing us to focus all our attention on these vital, top-level summits. As ever, the conference looks at contemporary issues from a creative, commercial and technical viewpoint, allowing our visitors to form a fullyrounded view and take part in the debate about the future of the industry. This year, each day has its own theme: • Friday is Create and Produce: creating disruption, which includes a look at new technologies including immersive experiences and beyond 4k resolutions • Saturday sees Manage: automating
150 countries. Wherever you are from, whatever your level of experience, whatever your specialist interest, you are welcome at IBC. The final thing that has not changed is that IBC is in the RAI Convention Centre in Amsterdam. By day, that makes it hugely efficient, with a comprehensive exhibition, world-class conference facilities and all the other things that add value to your experience, all under one roof. While, after-hours, you are in one of the world’s most welcoming, inclusive, cosmopolitan cities. Why wouldn’t you be at IBC? media supply chains, which looks at how emerging technologies like blockchain and AI can transform the media business • Sunday we will look at Publish: embracing the platform revolution and how the move towards new business models is disrupting the industry • Monday’s theme is Consume: engaging consumer experiences, and in particular what is going to engage • Tuesday is Monetise: scaling audiences and revenues, looking at how brands can lead to new models of advertising. The lounge talks programme – more informal chats about key topics – will be back, too, looking at topics which are harder to fit into the formal programme. That includes corporate social responsibility and inclusion, too. But perhaps more important to talk about is what has not changed about the IBC conference. And top of my list for that is that it is completely non-commercial. We are not driven by vendors who spend large: the programme is developed by a group of industry leaders, who have the clout, on IBC’s behalf, to attract the most influential speakers. The result is that IBC is the one global forum where the big questions are asked and answered. I would add that it is the most inclusive forum, too. We have visitors from around
WHY HAVE YOU ADDED AN ESPORTS SHOWCASE, AND HOW WILL THIS ADD TO THE OVERALL IBC EXPERIENCE? The answer is quite simple: Esports have rapidly risen to become major global media events, calling for comprehensive coverage and with a unique set of technical and editorial challenges. Where else would you go to understand the issues and possibilities than IBC? We have always taken the view that you need to see something to understand it, so we have always strived to make the IBC conference experiential. A dry debate without appreciating the extraordinary excitement of Esports would be very dull. So as well as conference sessions – which include the participation of the players emerging from the world of Esports like Ginx TV, Twitch, Riot and Blizzard, as well as developers like EA Sports – we will host a live demonstration. Two professional teams from ESL’s National Championships in Germany and Spain will go head-to-head on CounterStrike. We think this is going to be an extraordinary afternoon, so we are hosting this in the RAI Auditorium, our largest space, which we will be kitting out with all the technology an Esports championship demands. Everyone is welcome, and we anticipate a big audience.
REPORT
A YEAR AGO, YOU ANNOUNCED A NEW COLLABORATION WITH TM FORUM TO DRIVE OPEN INNOVATION ACROSS THE TELECOM AND MEDIA INDUSTRIES. CAN YOU POINT TO RESULTS FROM THIS? We established catalyst projects to seed development in important collaborative directions. At IBC2019 we will be showing the results of three of these projects. The three are very different in application, but use technological innovations coming from both industries to solve real-world issues. The three projects are: • a 5G-enabled tourism experience, championed by Aardman Entertainment and BBC R&D, and developed with Bristol University, Cambridge Communications Systems and Zeetta Networks • AI indexing for regulatory content management, championed by Associated Press, Al Jazeera and RTÉ, with technical participation from Metaliquid, QCRSI, Tech Mahindra and V-Nova • mobile news gathering using AI-powered compression, again championed by Associated Press, Al Jazeera and RTÉ, working with V-Nova. These three projects really show how collaboration across our industries can transform both businesses and consumer experiences.
WHAT ARE THE TECHNICAL TRENDS YOU EXPECT TO SEE AT IBC2019? One of the sea changes in our industry over the last decade or so is that we used to be in the broadcasting business, where technology defined what we can do. Today we are in the media business, and audiences are demanding the technological solutions that will connect
them to the content they want, on the device they want, when and where they want to see it. To meet this torrent of consumption, media producers and distributors have to find innovative, practical and secure means of monetising their IP as well as making and storing it. Technical trends, therefore, are very much pulled through the industry by the demands of consumers. We will certainly see more developments in Ultra HD – 8K as well as 4K, with the Japanese launch of consumer Super Hi-Vision channels ahead of next year’s Tokyo Olympics. As well as resolution, that means growing interest in HDR. The march from bespoke hardware connected by SDI towards software applications running on standard IT kit and connected by IP is well advanced. These applications enable the key challenges, like delivering to multiple platforms quickly and efficiently. On top of these software-defined architectures we will see major developments in AI and machine learning, again aimed at managing the massive amount of content we now generate and delivering it to the audience that will enjoy it, whether they know about it or not. Monetisation is the final part of the chain. Media businesses can only create, curate and deliver content if they make a fair return on their investment, so expect to see new ways of optimising, tracking and collecting revenues. This is such a key issues it gets its own full day in the IBC Conference.
HOW DO YOU ENSURE THE CONTENT STAYS FRESH, YEAR ON YEAR? IBC’s in-house content team works with a carefully selected group of industry leaders, the Content Security Group. Chairing the group this year is Claire Hungate. The CSG meets monthly, to
discuss the key issues around the industry and how IBC should be covering it. So the CSG does not just bring topics to the table, it brings solutions, as well as some impressive address books to ensure we get the best possible speakers and panellists. Its enthusiasm drives IBC to new ways of tackling subjects, like the Esports Showcase this year. As well as being on top of industry trends, the CSG and IBC’s own content experts collaborate to achieve a balanced and fresh programme in terms of diversity of thought, talent, age, gender, geographic representation and ethnic background.
YOU INTRODUCED TWO NEW CATEGORIES TO THE IBC AWARDS THIS YEAR. WHAT ARE THEY, AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT NOW? The IBC Awards have always had a distinct character that reflected the nature of IBC itself. Our Innovation Awards, for example, are not about clever technology but working together to achieve a solution that delivers against defined challenges. Our two new awards are also unique and reflect the way that the industry is changing. IBC has long been a welcoming place for young talent setting out on a career in broadcasting and media. We felt that we should recognise those settling in to our industry who are already having a significant impact. The IBC2019 Young Pioneer Award will go to someone under 30 who has carved out a role combining excellence and leadership, whether that is technical, commercial or creative. The second new award focuses on social responsibility, both corporate and individually. The judging panel is looking at entries which focus on diversity and inclusivity, on environmental matters, and on ethical leadership. I have had a sneak preview at some of the entries for these two new awards, and I can tell you that there are some remarkable stories in there.
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IBC 2019
And, incidentally, we have redesigned the IBC Award itself, using fully sustainable materials so the winners can display their trophies with pride!
WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE THINGS TO DO AT IBC2019? Only three! This year we have a great programme of keynote presentations in the conference, including leaders like Cécile Frot-Coutaz, head of YouTube EMEA; YouTube; Arnaud de Puyfontaine, chairman of Vivendi; and Max Amordeluso, EU lead evangelist, Amazon Alexa. We are bringing back the IBC Global Gamechangers Stage again this year. This hosts the biggest business, creative, technical, news and future facing talent making waves around the world, to talk about what is going to change the game for us in the media industry. Already signed up to speak on the stage are Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association; Jane Turton, CEO of All3Media; and Lisa Opie, Managing Director, UK Production, BBC Studios. Number three for me would be something I am really looking forward to, the Esports Showcase. This is going to light up Tuesday with top level debates and discussions, and of course the chance to see what it is all about, with a real, live, here on-stage contest between the national champions of Germany and Spain playing Counter-Strike. But limiting me to three means I miss out on all the other great stuff, like 15 exhibition halls, the Awards Ceremony on Sunday night, movies and screenings. That includes the chance to see a complete, battle-strewn episode from the final series of Game of Thrones, on the giant screen in the Auditorium in 4K and HDR. And there is so much more!
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POST-PRODUCTION
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SPEAKING TO SOUTH AFRICAN AUDIENCES Introducing TITLEDID, the country’s only specialist subtitling and translations company
Kate Mpshe, operations director
Ntsiki Ntshongwana, managing director
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rue specialisation is a scarce resource in the South African film and television post-production landscape, but this is exactly what Johannesburgbased subtitling company TITLEDID offers its clients. As Kate Mpshe (operations director) and Ntsiki Ntshongwana (managing director) explain, the company was formed in 2016 before moving into Sasani Studios in 2017. Since then, TITLEDID has moved away from a freelancer-based model to include two full-time employees to assist the dynamic duo of Mpshe and Ntshongwana, who first started working together more than eight years ago doing translating and subtitling for Isidingo. Now with an impressive list of regular clients – including Isidingo, Makoti, Impilo: The Scam, Connect, Uzalo, Imbewu, Date My Family, Please Step In and many others – Ntshongwana says that moving into Sasani Studios, which is nicknamed ‘Soap City’ for the amount of different shows that are produced there, has “helped put us on the map and allowed us to demonstrate to production houses what we are able to do.”
“SUBTITLING IS NOT TRANSCRIPTION” While often considered an ‘after-thought’ by many producers, Mpshe tells us more about the art of subtitling. “The one thing we wished more people understood,” she says, “is that subtitling is not transcription. Especially with new clients, they often expect to see a word-forword translation on the screen – but that actually defeats the whole purpose of subtitling, because it becomes distracting for the viewer. You still want them to watch the story, not read the screen. This problem is then made worse in the case of viewers who are hard-of-hearing; it becomes impossible for them to engage with anything else that is happening on screen.” 32 | SCREENAFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2019
Of course, while this has an important visual component, there are also many subtle creative decisions that need to be made about the language of the translation along the way. Ntshongwana explains TITLEDID’s workflow: “We watch the show first to make sure we are familiar with the story and the context of what is being said. Then we subtitle line-by-line, and – once we finish – we always make sure to do a last watch, checking every word we’ve put on screen. In the film industry, you’re only as good as your last job – and so quality control is really important to us.” Delving more deeply into the creative aspects of the job, she says: “We live the stories. We put ourselves inside the stories – asking yourself how the character would say a certain line – but then through the translation process, you also take the viewer’s perspective because you understand the need to make the subtitles simple and understandable.” Mpshe sums the process up as follows: “The key is always to subtitle not what is being said, necessarily – but what is being meant.”
ADDRESSING THE MARKET These subtle complexities mean that – in a postproduction landscape that is increasingly dominated by software, AI and machine learning – the job of subtitling remains relatively free of automation. “We can’t rely on working from the script,” Ntshongwana says. “And you should never rely on an ingest system. You have to work with what’s on screen; you have to listen to what the performers have said and find the right way to put it across. Creative decisions can happen on set, and – in the context of South African shows – performers will often use vernac, and so you need a human ear that understands the context to translate it accurately.” Mpshe echoes these thoughts, saying, “We have a lot of languages in South Africa, and so – to their credit – most programmes switch from language to language to reflect this social reality. In recent years there has been more of a drive towards multilingualism and towards letting performers speak in a way that is true to the character they are portraying.” Ntshongwana says that producers should be mindful of this trend – and ensure that they properly budget for subtitles. “It would be great if producers would budget for subtitling instead of
treating it like an afterthought. You know that the broadcaster requires subtitles, and you know that subtitles will help your movie travel to different audiences, so make sure you have enough in the budget at the outset for a professional job.” With all 11 official languages able to be translated in-house, and with their processes streamlined over years of experience – allowing them to turn around a feature-length project in just eight hours – the two say they are proud to be known as the fastest and most accurate subtitling company in the business. “We are the only company that focuses solely on subtitling and translating. Others do postproduction – and include these services as a by-product. With us, you know you are getting careful, close attention paid to the language of your show; and you know that you are dealing with a company that makes the viewer’s experience a priority,” Mpshe concludes. For more information about TITLEDID and their subtitling and translating services, scan the following QR code to visit their website: www.titledid.com
VIRTUAL REALITY
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The Lost Botanist and the power of virtual reality Virtual Reality (VR) is making inroads in entertainment spaces as the preferred experience for consumers of content across various sub-sectors, ranging from gaming to animation projects. Screen Africa chats to Rick and Ree Treweek, the creators of The Lost Botanist, about this game-changing technology and how it catapulted their project to new heights.
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he global entertainment industry is explicitly embracing the innovations that are brought about by the technologies that are incubated in tech-hubs all across the world. Virtual Reality is categorised as an emerging technology even though its origins can be traced back to the 1950s where it was strictly applied in controlled spaces. It was in the 1990s when VR became popular and was made available to the general public for means beyond medical and scientific research endeavours. There is little doubt that the technology has made great strides in the 21st Century as it has diversified into Augmented and Mixed Reality.
COLLISION COURSE The co-founder of Tulips and Chimneys (a concept and animation studio), Ree Treweek, revered for her work on the 2006 animated award-winning short story The Tales Of How, joined forces with her brother Rick Treweek to create a 34 | SCREENAFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2019
mind-blowing experience known as The Lost Botanist. The collaboration saw Ree (a multimedia artist) break away from her traditional platforms and begin exploring the wonders of the VR experience, a world her brother Rick is all too familiar with. “We (at Tulips and Chimneys) dream up and construct unique aesthetics for environments, sets, props and costumes for all media. We like to be involved in the early stages of conceptualising a project and overseeing its direction right through,” says Ree. “We are highly skilled in character design – whether it’s a bohemian princess, a wacky vegetable or an outlandish pirate, we take great care to ensure that their stories and unique personalities are beautifully depicted,” she adds. Rick kicked off his career making entertainment websites before launching his first start-up BreakDesign – which specialised in building websites for hospitality clients. Intrigued by new
technologies, his focus shifted towards VR over the years, leading him to co-found a technology R&D studio known as Eden Labs, a hub for everything XR. “We create impressive experiences with artists to push the limits of emerging technologies by developing XR – Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Holo-lens solutions,” says Rick.
guide you further into the unknown, from the Nethermere to the Amber Vale to the Nevermist…” The team created a fictional world inhabited by never-seen-before creatures that embody well-researched characteristics while applying existing mythologies.
VIRTUAL REALITY MEETS ANCIENT MYTHOLOGY
Rick’s journey has been one filled with technological discoveries. Having explored the explosion of tech scenes in countries like Singapore, he experienced trends that shaped the world and are still a few years away from making their way to South Africa. “I’ve always developed my fantasy world using tech, where Ree has focused more on multi-media platforms. So we figured we could do something quite interesting if we combined those approaches,” says Rick. “VR is the perfect platform because Ree’s approach (in content creation) is completely different and that is what sets The Lost Botanist’s VR experience apart from everything else that is out there. Add the mastery of Markus Wormstorm and the rest of the Tulips and Eden Gang – we knew we had something special brewing.” “The technology is able to put the viewer in an interactive position, giving them a sense of being part of the story and experience, as well as the feeling of being in charge of the encounter. Through narration and sound, we help guide you through the experience but it feels as if you determine the pace and you are not hurried through the world,” adds Ree. The animation on the project is spear-headed by Ree’s Tulips and
The brother and sister duo merged their backgrounds and experiences by bringing VR and animation together in a way that pioneers a new wave of consuming content generated and produced on the continent. The collision course resulted in a project that went on to be the first of its kind by being the only African production to screen at the 2019 Annecy Animation Film Festival. Rick describes The Lost Botanist as “an interactive adventure for immersive devices, a five-minute journey to another dimension that will restore your childhood sense of wonder”. The short story is based on a world that has forgotten the importance of nature resulting in pollution stealing the beauty of stars from the desolate space. Through the VR experience, the viewer gets to encounter the world virtually. “You are the ‘Lost Botanist’ in a world where dreams are starting to die. While researching the lost marvels of the natural world, you open a grimoire that transports you to the Under-Garden, the dream-like home of the spirits of all forgotten things,”enthuses Ree. “In each of the wondrous places you’ll visit, you must find a mythical creature to
MULTIPLE LAYERS
| Chimneys Studios – the company that has produced animated work for the likes of United Airlines. The experience is curated in a way that makes it easier for the viewer to keep track of the moment without any revelations, hidden messages, or encounters flying over his or her head. “The animation is so in-depth, people will often miss details or sub-stories as they only have so many seconds to watch each scene,” she says. The virtual experience of the animation is built by Rick’s Eden Labs. The Johannesburg-based entity has development XR experiences for Samsung, Jaguar and IBM Research. “The fact that you are fully immersed into the environment and can look in every direction really is quite something. VR creates the feeling of belonging in the world. No longer seeing something in a rectangle format but truly immersed in the visuals and sounds of the production,” says Ree.
VIRTUAL REALITY
which took home the Cristal. “It was amazing to have so many eyes on the film and to meet other artists developing projects in this medium. It can feel like working on an island when you’re working on a project of this nature, suddenly we were able to have conversations with people that have been through similar experiments and experiences,” concludes Ree.
CHANGING THE GAME The use of 2D animation in a 360-degree environment in this project is counterintuitive as the animated content is developed for stand-alone VR devices – this is evident in how the experience keeps the viewer at the centre of everything he or she is encountering. “We wanted to challenge ourselves and create the experience on a low-end platform, meaning that when it came to scaling up to larger VR platforms, a lot of the challenges were already solved by getting it to run on mobile VR where we
– Levi Letsoko have a lot more limitations,” says Rick. This year’s Annecy Animation Film Festival attracted 90 submissions from nearly 30 countries – with The Lost Botanist being one of only nine VR submissions and Ree being one of the two female animation directors in the running. At the 2019 screenings, the production was up against big-name projects like Gymnasia (from the Emmy-winning Felix & Paul Studios), Doctor Who: The Runaway (voiced by Jodi Whittaker) and Gloomy Eyes, narrated by Colin Farrell,
KEY CREW Directors: Ree Treweek, Rick Treweek Produced by: Eden Labs & Tulips and Chimneys Executive producers: Derek White for Eden Labs; Nina Pfeiffer for Tulips and Chimneys Writer and composer: Markus Wormstorm Concept artists: Ben Winfield and Caroline Vos, Tulips and Chimneys Art director: Gareth Steele, Eden Labs Developers: Daniel Rousseau, Justin Billson and Liam Klopper, Eden Labs
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VIRTUAL REALITY
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THE FUTURE IS IMMERSIVE
This year’s Black Box presentation zone at Mediatech Africa included a brandnew element, allowing those who couldn’t attend the show a remote – yet immersive – experience of the hugely popular exhibition space through 360-degree video content published across social media platforms. Screen Africa caught up with Telmo Dos Reis, managing director of VR Capture, to learn more about the evolution of the technology and its current applications.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AS A CONTENT PRODUCER I’ve been doing VR for about four-and-ahalf years – and now that’s all I do. I had a music studio and did radio ads and music production for about 12 years, and I had a video production company that has now morphed into VR capture, specialising in 360 video. We can come in at any point – for the video capture, or for the spatial audio recordings, the post-production – but what we really like to do is take the client through from the beginning, from scripting to storyboarding, then film it, edit it – because we know how the final product is going to look and feel, so it’s helpful to be involved at every step along the way.
HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT TRAINING? I learned on the job. We had a big client approach us and ask if this was something we could do. I researched different ways of stitching video together and I decided that I understood the process enough to go forward with the project. When the 36 | SCREENAFRICA | SEPTEMBER 2019
day of shooting came, we didn’t have a specialised camera yet – but we made a plan by taping a bunch of Go Pros together in correct alignment and we made sure we set up our spatial audio recorders properly. Luckily, I had two months to complete the video in post and by the time we finished, we actually managed to produce South Africa’s first 3D 360-degree video. So we went right into the deep end at the beginning, and we’ve been refining our operations ever since.
DO YOU USE A STANDARD EDITING SUITE? Yes, I’m back using Final Cut Pro. It now has 360 support, which it didn’t when we started stitching videos together. Adobe Premiere has support, too – there’s been a lot of development in a very short space of time. And the price-points have fallen dramatically, too: you’re looking at the difference between R3,000 for a VR headset now, compared to R15,000 just a few years ago.
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VIRTUAL REALITY
physically looking around the space. Some live concerts have been filmed in 360 video – and I think, going forward, you’ll start to see people selling virtual tickets. This will allow anyone to ‘attend’ a live concert, in virtual reality, from anywhere in the world. Plus they are guaranteed a fully immersive experience of the concert, they can choose their seats and the audio will be placed in a ‘realistic’ spatial domain. It opens up some completely different models and new opportunities. The TV isn’t going anywhere – your major streaming services aren’t going anywhere, either – but 360 video is slowly finding its little home in a variety of industries.
WHAT IS THE NEXT WAVE OF THE TECHNOLOGY THAT YOU ANTICIPATE? In the case of sports, for example, there have already been numerous VR applications – but at the moment, this just allows you watch the game from a unique point of view, you miss all the reverse angles and sow-motion replays and things like that. But, soon in the future, I think we’re going to see the development of volumetric video capture – which will allow you to ‘fly around’ the video content in real-time – when that happens, and we’re really not far from this point, then I think that side of the industry will start to take off.
WHAT INDUSTRIES ARE CURRENTLY THE MOST ACTIVE EXPONENTS OF VR AND 360-DEGREE VIDEO TECHNOLOGY?
Telmo Dos Reis
HOW DID YOU RIG FOR THE BLACK BOX SHOOT? The camera rig we had for the Black Box wasn’t actually the most ideal. We had an Insta 360 Pro – a really good 360 camera, it has six lenses and it shoots in 8K and monoscopic, which is what I filmed in – but it’s not perfect for indoor scenarios. So I had to work on the footage in post-production to get it looking like it does now. I think it came out pretty good in the end, but normally you might want to shoot on something like custom-built DSLR rig or something like that. Most virtual reality cameras aren’t built for low-light conditions.
WHAT DEVELOPMENTS HAVE LED TO THE USE OF 360 VIDEO ACROSS SMART DEVICES?
ARE YOU SURPRISED TO NOT SEE MORE PENETRATION OF VR PRODUCTS AT MEDIATECH?
For smart devices, the technology has been available for about four years now – ever since the invention of gyros, basically – the ability for the gyro to determine which part of the video should be playing on the display at any time. 360 video is also so easy to embed online these days – anyone doing website design can go online and find codes and plugins; and anywhere you can embed a YouTube video, you can now host 360. You can see that the major tech players know that this is the direction that content is travelling in: Google drove a lot of investment through YouTube 360 support, while Facebook bought Oculus.
It’s still up-and-coming in the rest of the world – South Africa, or the African market, is certainly not behind in any way. Across the world we get the same reaction – whether it’s in the United States or here, people are still amazed when they encounter this technology for the first time, and there are still a lot of people for whom this technology is still new and unfamiliar.
IN YOUR OPINION, IS THIS TECHNOLOGY STILL UNDER-EXPLOITED IN SOME ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES? Gaming has definitely been a big part of the developments in the technology – it’s pushed the whole industry forward. But 360 video is finding areas all over where it’s really useful, it’s finding its niche in different industry sectors. It’s really good for online content and online marketing – it’s interactive, because the audience is actually interacting with the content, they’re not passively consuming it, they’re moving their phones around, or – if they’re wearing a headset – they’re
Safety has been a big industry, with simulations being used for places like mines and gas refineries – places where it’s helpful to demonstrate safety concerns in a realistic setting. Tourism is another one – giving people experiences of what their proposed holiday is going to be like, you can basically teleport them to the different places and help them decide where they want to go on holiday. Nature conservation is another exciting field, because people can have ‘up-close’ experiences of wild animals without disturbing the environment at all. But there are so many unrealised opportunities at the moment: even if you looks at something like real estate, I get frustrated because the technology is here; at a very low cost, I can scan those house photos and on my computer I have a 3D model which would allow someone to manoeuvre through the different rooms and see how they all link together. With location stuff – everyone wants to experience the space.
IS THAT THE KEY ADVANTAGE OF 360-DEGREE VIDEO CONTENT? All content is about storytelling. And what we do brings an immersive quality to the experience – actually being able to put people in a location, it’s a tremendously powerful tool for the storyteller.
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VFX
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SEEING IS BELIEVEING Screen Africa spoke to leading South Africa visual effects artist Hilton Treves to discuss his role on the production of Die Verhaal van Racheltjie de Beer, his hopes for the local film television industry and the expanding role of VFX technologies in the context of global filmmaking.
LEAN LOCAL LANDSCAPE Hilton Treves started the first visual effects animation house in South Africa in 1988 under the name Digital Directions. Since then, he has spent time working in Canada (for Spin Productions) and for ABC/Disney (Of Kings and Prophets), before finally setting up Cinegestix, the visual effects studio responsible for Die Verhaal van Racheltjie de Beer. With more than 30 years’ experience in the business, Treves speaks authoritatively on the state of the South African industry. “One of the things that’s always frustrated me is that as South Africans, we typically don’t commit to our projects the same way that we service international projects,” he says. “You can look at Australia as a counter-example: it grew into a worldclass industry because they re-invested back into their own people and their own country. The South African film industry, on the other hand, is built around the servicing model – where about five main production houses will provide 90% of
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the employment every year.” As he explains, this can have serious knock-effects throughout the industry: “You end up in a situation where professionals in the leading VFX houses think they have nothing left to achieve in this country. They wait around for international jobs and eventually think to themselves, ‘I’m leaving, and I’ll go work for George Lucas or James Cameron – somewhere my skill set can actually be put to use.’”
A PRODUCTION WITH POTENTIAL According to Treves, this is why Die Verhaal van Racheltjie de Beer – which enjoyed its local premiere at the recent Silwerskerm Festival – presented such a compelling opportunity. “When Racheltjie came along, two things struck me about it at the outset. First, the script was so engrossing – just powerful drama built on a beautiful, captivating story. The second was seeing the passion that the director Matthys Boshoff had for the project.”
Reading the script gave Treves a sense of the important role that visual effects would need to play in the story, and his response to Boshoff was emphatic: “Let’s do this, but let’s not compromise. Let’s give this film a proper A-list finish. So every VFX shot was considered; we looked at the project holistically, as an opportunity to showcase what we can do on a South African production filled with top-level talent. With the cinematographer we had on board [Willie Nel], we knew it was going to be filmed majestically, and the passion for the project that flowed from Matthys gave the production an added spirit – a unique energy around the set.” While originally about 120 visual effects shots were planned, Treves explains that – in the end – more than 200 were produced as his team “became visual effects partners, collaborating with filmmakers based on storytelling and creativity.” As he says, this allowed the filmmakers to push their creativity and to include
scenes that – although difficult to execute – add immensely to the richness of the story. “There was a scene with a leopard in the first version of the script, but then they dropped it because they assumed it was going to be too expensive to pull off. But I loved that first script, and my company has been building photorealistic CG animals for years – so I told Matthys that we can do it, and we will do it.” It was a similar story for the film’s centrepiece visual effect: the apocalyptic storm that separates Racheltjie and her brother from their family. “The storm is as much of a character to this film as Racheltjie is. These shots were considered from the beginning: we knew from the beginning that we would have to digitally create snow, and that the storm had to be as vivid and evocative a character as any other in the film. “It’s crucial to be involved early,” Treves continues, “because there are so many different ways to achieve an effect. Do you need to do a full 3D scan of the world and place cameras in the right positions
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VFX
“The storm is as much of a character to this film as Racheltjie is. These shots were considered from the beginning: we knew from the beginning that we would have to digitally create snow, and that the storm had to be as vivid and evocative a character as any other in the film.
to catch the light of the room? Or are you going to do it like in the past – blocking off cameras and layering up plates? The technology today basically allows us to do anything we like, but it is how we approach it that make it viable for the project or not. And the only way to properly assess that, as a VFX supervisor, is to be involved as early as possible – to be there in the conceptualisation stages to problem-shoot issues ahead of time.” This close cooperation was carried through into the post-production process. “Everyone was integrated. We had servers set up between Joburg and Cape Town. As they were busy with the edits and grades they would drop scenes down onto the servers and tell us they were ready for us to get to work. Then we would work on our side and send back for approval – using the best of available technologies to streamline the process and create productive feedback loops.” Reflecting on what he hopes this project achieves, Treves says: “Storytellers in this country are
compromised by knowing that their budget is small. But I hope that Racheltjie shows people that if you approach things differently, you can put amazing effects on screen and tell all the epic, grand South African stories that need to be told. We are in an age where VOD platforms have empowered the world to tell their stories, and technically we achieved some phenomenal stuff here – as good as anything that’s out on Hollywood screens. And I would love to see this kind of ambition permeating throughout our industry – because that’s how you create an industry that has sustainability, that’s how you keep our talented people here.”
LOOKING FORWARD As someone who has been on the frontline of every major innovation in VFX technology over the last 30 years, Treves is perfectly positioned to give us a sense of what to anticipate in the industry in the near future. “The next big thing on the horizon over the next three to five years is virtual
”
– Hilton Treves
filmmaking – this is going change all the rules,” he says. He references the recent Jon Favreau adaptation of The Lion King as a sign of things to come. “As impressive as the technology on show in The Lion King is – and that’s almost five years of research that’s gone into that movie – the approach to making that film is going to change what we know about the business. You need a location in Guatemala? Send a 3D scanning team out there, do the scans, and then we’ll shoot the film studio. Things are moving so fast. India built an entire industry around rotoscoping – but the AI and machine learning technology-based software tools that will make this industry redundant are going to be launched in the next six months.” How then do VFX artists manage to stay ahead of the curve, as technological trends shift and adapt before their very eyes? “Staying on top is a difficult game. This is because every day viewer expectations
are being heightened by what is coming out of Hollywood. Also, as the head of a VFX studio, you’re constantly managing both pure artists and mathematicians, which can be a challenge – but, at the end of the day, it comes down to a question of seeing. “We have to become experts at seeing. That’s the best piece of advice I ever got; it was from Dennis Muren, who worked with Steven Spielberg on Jurassic Park and other projects. The art of visual effects boils down to whether you can look at something and really see it – if you can distinguish what it is about the object that makes it real to you. This could be a glint in an animal’s eyes, or the cavitation of a snowflake as it brushes against someone’s hand – it’s about noticing those tiny details that create the effect of lifelikeness to the viewer.” – David Cornwell
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BROADCAST TECHNOLOGY
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A whole lot of firsts for
Rugby World Cup The first sports event broadcast of a Rugby Union international was radio coverage between England and Wales from Twickenham in the United Kingdom, back in January 1927. Some 40 years later, the firstever rugby match was broadcast on television in colour. It was a highly charged third test between England and the New Zealand All Blacks in 1967, also at Twickenham.
T
he idea of a Rugby World Cup had been suggested on numerous occasions going back to the 1950s, but met with opposition from most unions until 1985 – when it was finally agreed upon, seeing the inaugural tournament played in 1987. It is now the third-largest sports event in the world, after the summer Olympics and the Football World Cup, and this year sees
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the ninth Rugby World Cup take place in Japan, with a whole host of firsts when it comes to broadcast technology. Rugby has been played in Japan since at least 1866, when the Yokohama Football Club was founded. It’s fitting, therefore, that Yokohama, which borders Tokyo, will host this year’s final. It’s the ninth Rugby World Cup and Japan is set to break new ground as the host of the
first tournament in Asia. International Games Broadcast Services (IGBS), a joint venture between HBS and IMG Media, have been appointed to be the host broadcaster. The decision to appoint a specialised host broadcaster for the first time reflects World Rugby’s commitment to the highest standards of groundbreaking technical production and consistency between tournaments. Also, for the first time, all 48 matches of a Rugby World Cup will be produced in multiple formats. The UHD standard is 4K SDR 2160p/59.94, while HD standards are 1080p/59.94 and 1080i/59.94. In addition to the traditional World Feed, Rights Holding Broadcasters (RHBs) will have access to uninterrupted live feeds to complement their studio operations, plus access to action clips during the match to enhance their analysis and programming. Dedicated ENG Crews will provide content from around the country, the tournament and the competing teams. All the live and ENG content will be available via the World Rugby Media Server, which
is being supplied by EVS, with logged rushes plus some post-produced features all available for RHBs’ programming, be it a traditional broadcast or online offering either at the International Broadcast Centre or remotely at their home studio. IGBS is also introducing another first, the Match Day Preview Show, which will look ahead to the next day’s games. This, combined with the live matches and the daily highlights show, will offer broadcasters access to all-day programming. In a world that now has the need to feed social media, World Rugby has introduced a specific content package to promote the event on a variety of social media platforms. The social media content production team will enable rights holders to simply populate their own streams, websites and apps with high-quality content, with short-form content, infographics and 360° virtual reality (VR) clips all made available. Production teams have been drawn from France, UK, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia by the host
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broadcaster in order to maintain the highest standards throughout the six-week tournament. There are a number of first-time innovations that have been introduced to enhance the coverage this year. Depending on the rating of the match, there will be 23, 28 or 32 cameras, as well as corner-flag cameras and Spidercam will be operational at 34 of the 48 matches. Hawkeye will be providing facilities for the Television Match Official (TMO) and for Citing and Head Injury Assessment. NHK, the sole public broadcaster of Japan, are going to provide 8K Super Hi-Vision coverage to the domestic market with unprecedented free-to-air coverage offering an opportunity to use rugby’s biggest event to reach the widest possible audience. Under the IGBS umbrella, they will use nine cameras together with some host 4K cameras up-converted. They are planning to broadcast 31 of the 48 matches in 8K, and NHK will use Japanese UHD graphics created on-site as well as Augmented
Graphics in conjunction with Spidercam to add to the 8K spectacle. All the broadcast title and program graphics will be run by Alston Elliot, who also provide the official data throughout the tournament. Alston Elliot is a graphics production company that specialises in televised sports graphics and data systems, and also serves as technology partner to broadcasters, if required, by supplying turnkey graphics systems and custom output software. In particular, football broadcasters such as the English Premier League, FA Cup, Europa League and FA Women’s Super League have adopted their turnkey services. Other sports they supply to are golf, motorsports, athletics, tennis, hockey, fishing and, of course, IPL cricket. Their technical innovation for rugby includes scrum analysis, play patterns, try origins, team trends, ruck analysis, tackle analysis and field position analysis. The company’s graphics creation workflows are based mainly on Vizrt and ChyronHego software and they have
come a long way since they started out in the UK back in 1992. The company now has offices in South Africa, India and also Australia, where they recently designed and supplied a ground-breaking broadcast graphics package for Augmented Reality on Spidercam for the National Rugby League. One of the major challenges facing the broadcasters is a bit of a strange one. Remarkably there are four varieties of local power in Japan – 200v/60Hz, 100V/50Hz, 200V/50Hz and 100V/60Hz, depending on the stadium location. These challenges have been overcome, however, with the appointment of Aggreko, a UK based company who will provide critical power systems and distribution for all broadcasts at the various stadiums as well as backup systems for the 12 venues across Japan. Meanwhile, world lighting leader, Signify, have installed its connected lighting system Interact Sports at the Toyota Stadium in Aichi, Japan. It’s the first outdoor stadium in Japan to install
BROADCAST TECHNOLOGY
connected LED pitch lighting in combination with high performance Philips ArenaVision LEDs. This new lighting meets the stringent broadcast standards for flicker-free Ultra-HD 4K television and super slow-motion action replays. People at home will clearly see every detail and emotion on the pitch in a tournament that is bound to provide us the best that sport broadcasting has to offer and the most exciting rugby we have seen…ever! Out of interest, listeners to that very first radio broadcast back in 1927 would have used a numbered grid pamphlet included in the Radio Times in order to ‘see’ which area of the pitch (denoted as 8 “squares”) in which the rugby action was taking place. A second commentator would read out grid references during the match to guide the listener and this is believed to be the origin of the phrase “Back to square one.” – Ian Dormer
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PHOTOS BY TREVOR OU TIM
FOUR-BALL
Golf Day 2019
Eclipse’s Michael Heffill, Ernest van Niekerk, Gary Laidler and Hendrik de Beer
Thando Shabangu (Once A Head Pty Ltd) with Sony’s Jaycee Milner and Ashleigh Fisher
Rudie Booysen (Eclipse), Steve Harris (Blade), Anthony Scribanye (Phumelela) and Awie Schutte (Edcon)
Phumelela’s Rob Scott and John Stuart with Eclipse’s James Garden and Chad Aitken
Ewald Nienaber (Tellytrack), Andréa Reitz (Eclipse SA) with Tellytrack’s Kevin Keating and Wesley Lloyd
Harlequins Diviots’ Deon Vermeulen, Len le Roux, Ben van Schalkwyk and Tzaard Kruger
B&B Media’s Abie Cassim and Goolam Bhibha with Allister Louw (SABC) and Keith Vogelman (B&B Media)
Greg Nefdt (Alfacam), Robert Ridder (Aucom), SK Ntokoane (Zimele) and Chris Darnley (Fujifilm)
Mango’s Dirk Reinecke, Ted Heron, Nic Vlok and Quentin Mouton
Davies Gichuih (Danzy), KC Rottok (AfricanPro), Jacob Mbele (Energy) and Nathi Maramnco (Quizzical Pictures)
Brent Waller (GlobeCast), Mafa Matlala (Broadsmart), Alan Hird (GlobeCast) and Jimi Matthews (chief consultant)
Farhad Safi (MultiChoice), King Matshaba (SABC), Stephen Kheleli (Jasco) and Tseliso Ralifabo (SABC)
Panavision’s Gareth Penberthy, Ewen Bogie, Donovan Pearce and Sean Glasgow
SuperSport’s Lebo Tau and Andile Joni with Richard Fulton (Tru-Fi Electronics) and Mark Boyle (Supersport)
SABC’s Buntu Manitshana, Buhle Manitshana, Nathi Ndlovu and Nkhensani Phaweni
Rod van der Werken (Gallo), Dominic Mitchell (BBS), Clive van der Mescht (Rights Software) and Rob Cowling (Gallo Music Publishers)
Andrew Cole (Concilium), Bernardt Louw (MultiChoice) and Mark Pretorius (MultiChoice) and Joe Tladi (Sasol)
‘Dr’ Molefi Oliphant (SAFA), Alan Mendes (Concilium), Lester Reetley (SABC) and Paul Molefe (SABC)
42 SPONSORS | SCREENAFRICA | MAY 2018
Globecast’s Kyle Suttie and Neal Watson
Multichoice’s David Borland, Cornelius Rykart and Conway Braun
Brian Willis (e.tv), Peter Mofokeng (SAFA) and Lynton Allsop (SilverCam)
Allen Seager (Protea Electronics), Leroy Michael (MultiChoice) and Kersan Kistan (SABC)
Monarchy’s Matt Montagu, Sean Pashley, Ardhendu Pati and Edward Braatvedt
PRIZE WINNERS
Thursday, 22 August 2019 at Eagle Canyon Golf Estate
1ST PLACE (prize sponsored by Sony Professional): Anil Ranchad and Ettienne du Preez
2ND PLACE (Prize sponsored by Movievision/Sound & Lighting): Accepted on behalf of Donovan Pearce and Sean Glasgow
3RD PLACE: Anthony Scribanye and Awie Schutte
4TH PLACE: Jacob Mbele and Nathi Maramnco
6TH PLACE: Accepted on behalf of Rudie Booysen and Steve Harris
8TH PLACE: Tendai Matori and Ron Morobe
9TH PLACE: David Borland and Cornelius Rykart
10TH PLACE: Accepted on behalf of Brent Waller and Mafa Matlala
11TH PLACE: Lester Reetley and Paul Molefe
HOLE 2 – LONGEST DRIVE: Ryan Meuler
HOLE 2 – SHORTEST DRIVE: Dennis Herold
HOLE 10 – NEAREST TO PIN: Brent Waller
HOLE 17 – CLOSEST TO PIN: Keith Vogelman
SABC’s Tendai Matori, Buti Seipei and Ron Morobe
Max Magwaza (Jasco), David Teke (SABC), Daniel Bennett (SAFA) and Ryan Müller (SABC)
Fritz Verheam (Master Dealer), Daniel Brits (Yield Trading), Deon Truter (Master Dealer) and Henk Germishuyser (Puma Video)
Anil Ranchad (Irdeto), JP Meeser (Telemedia) and Etienne du Preez (Irdeto)
Sony Mobile’s Patrit Thumiger, Thokozani Nhlapo, Paul Liebmann and Uli Sanne
John Stevens (GlobeCast), Henk Mvusi (Sentech) and Divesh Maharaj (Telemedia)
Carl Naudé (SABC), Shaun Kerr (Protea Electronics), Dennis Herold (SABC) and Gary Johnston (Protea Electronics)
MAY 2018
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M A R KET PL AC E
UPCOMING EVENTS SEPTEMBER 28 AUG – 7
VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
Venice, Italy
4–5
AI EXPO AFRICA
Cape Town, South Africa
5 – 15
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Toronto, Canada
13 – 17
IBC 2019
Amsterdam, Netherlands
23 – 9 OCT
4TH BRICS FILM FESTIVAL
Niterói, Rio de Janeiro
OCTOBER 2 – 13
BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL
DISPLAYS & MONITORING
EDITOR’S COMMENT
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Johannesburg, South Africa
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FILM
27 – 31
TRACKING TECHNOLOGY
Cape Town, South Africa
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12 – 21
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London
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