ISSUE 03 | 2017
N DLIO RAPI As SAFT V MIPT
T D R A M IAT S A’s G O L E B R AT E L E T ’s C E
+ SA’S LEADING TV
CONTENT PRODUCERS Lighting Up the Small Screen
+ FIXERS IN AFRICA
A Comprehensive List of the Best
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Among other features, Urban Brew Studios’ new facilities will include: Trendyfeatures, office space for Brew almostStudios’ 300 staff members mong other Urban new facilities will include: Among other features, Urban Brew Studios’ new facilities will include: 12 television studios endy office space for almost 300 staff members Trendy office space for almost 300 staff members Dedicated 2 television studios audio post production & music compilation facilities 12 television studios A business centre & meeting roomscompilation facilities edicated audio post production & music Dedicated audio post production & music compilation facilities business centre & meeting rooms A business centre & meeting rooms We will take up our new office space between
September 2017 andspace February 2018 e will take up our new office between We will take up our new office space between ptember 2017 and February 2018 September 2017 and February 2018
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CONTENTS / 01
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02. Entries for Loeries
10 22 26 30
2017 Awards Now Open
TV CONTENT PRODUCERS IN SA
An industry audit of the leading South African companies that are producing top-class television content.
03. The Last Post Shoots in SA
04. Opportunities:
Raindance and ZIFF Call for Entries
05. A Chat with
Puma Video’s Henk Germishuysen
A CHAT WITH TERRY PHETO
SA’s most in-demand actress talks to the Callsheet about chasing the roles of a lifetime.
06. SAFTAs Announce 2017 Award Nominees
07. Dani Hynes Directs
Latest Old Mutual Ad
09. Hot Docs-Blue
Ice Group Fund Awards $103 000 to 8 Top African Doccies
10. Shaping SA’s TV
Content Landscape
SPOTLIGHT ON GEAR RENTAL
Bickers Action SA shares it’s successes.
22. A Chat with Terry Pheto
26. Trustworthy Gear When Stakes Are High
28. Fixers in Africa 30. Kingdom of
Morocco: Africa’s Little Hollywood
MOROCCO
This North African kingdom has bewitched international filmmakers and producers with its diverse locations and inherent charm.
32. Events to Diarise 34. Association News 36. Directory of Advertisers
02 / NEWS
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ENTRIES FOR LOERIES
®
2017 AWARDS NOW OPEN
Three new award categories added and entry system gets an upgrade.
Photo by Alistair Nicoll/2016 Loerie Awards © Gallo Images
E
ntries for Loeries® Africa Middle East are now open! As the leading creative awards for the brand communications industry across our region – the Loeries® reward the most innovative work in all media – even novel areas like music videos, architecture, shared value and service design. Expected to attract more than 3 000 entries, the Loeries® has introduced a new entry system to simplify the process and allow entrants more control over their submissions. Categories have been revised to mirror the constant changes across the media landscape with three new categories this year: • Design for Digital Within the Communication Design category, this addition
recognises the important role of design in digital media. • Data-Driven Campaigns An extremely timely area of modern communication, this category focuses on the creative use of data to shape campaign strategy, inform execution, profile audiences, and adapt to campaign performance and engagement metrics. • The Facebook Challenge As part of Facebook’s support of young creatives, this student category focuses on the use of mobile media to promote a socially relevant cause. Brands and agencies are encouraged to enter their best work for the highest
accolade across Africa and the Middle East. Deadline for entries is 15 May 2017. Entries received before 14 April get an early bird discount of 10%. For more information and to enter visit loeries.com
ABOUT LOERIES® AFRICA MIDDLE EAST
The Loeries®, a non-profit company, is Africa and the Middle East’s premiere initiative that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the brand communication industry. As the highest accolade for creativity and innovation across our region, the Loeries® promotes and supports creativity by helping marketers,
agencies and consumers appreciate the value of ideas and fresh thinking. Culminating in the biggest creative gathering in Africa and the Middle East, Loeries® Creative Week™ Durban brings together the best innovative minds from our industry for a festival of networking, inspiring minds and recognising great work. Our region’s creative economy is world-class and has great potential to grow and to offer employment both to our talented youth. The growth occurring throughout Africa and the Middle East is very exciting, and a major focus of the Loeries® is to increase the standard of brand communication in the region.
NEWS / 03
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THE LAST POST
SHOOTS IN SA A new BBC drama created by Peter Moffat is currently shooting on location in Cape Town.
S
outh Africa continues to attract big budget productions, with the latest of these being a new BBC drama called The Last Post. Set in 1965 in Aden, Yemen, the series follows the story of a British army unit fighting a terrorist insurgency in the Middle East. Written by Peter Moffat and Mick Collins, the six-part series is due to air in June of this year on BBC1. It is directed by John Campbell and Miranda Bowen, with The Forge and Bonafide
Films attached. The Last Post is a close-up look at soldiering and police work, but it also explores “the pressures and excitements of being married to the British army in a dangerous place at a moment in history when sex and feminism arrive in the twentieth century,” according to The Forge. The show is partly based on Peter Moffat’s childhood memories, his father’s life as an officer in the Royal Military Police, and his mother’s struggles between being what the army required her
to be and what she wanted. Says Moffat: “Young married couples in the heart of the Sixties living in extremely close proximity in a very alien and dangerous environment has always struck me as ripe territory for drama… My mum remembers standing on the balcony of our flat in her first week in Aden and seeing a hand grenade thrown killing a five year old boy and my dad rushing out to try and do something… Throw in rock ‘n roll and tumultuous love stories alongside the
unexplored territory of this period in our history and you have a pretty heady mix.” Cast members include Ben Miles (The Crown), Stephen Campbell Moore (Burnt), Khaled Abol Naga (Vikings), Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife), Kevin Sutton (Shameless), and newcomer Jeremy NeumarkJones. Although the production is tight-lipped about details, Film Africa is attached as the local production company. The series is being shot in Cape Town and its surrounds.
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04 / OPPORTUNITIES
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RAINDANCE AND ZIFF CALL FOR ENTRIES
Raindance Film Festival opens their doors to film entries, while Zanzibar International Film Festival’s submission deadline fast approaches.
RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL CALL FOR FILMS As the largest and most important independent film festival in the UK, Raindance Film Festival showcases features, shorts and music videos by filmmakers from the UK and internationally to an audience of executives, buyers, journalists, film fans and fellow filmmakers. Now in its 25th year, it continues to satisfy the public’s thirst for original stories through its diverse programming, and takes place from 30 September to 1 October this year. The focus of Raindance’s programming changes each year to reflect current trends. The new underground – Japanese cinema, European, North American and UK indies – feature regularly alongside their other strands from all over the world. It is also an Academy Award and BAFTA qualifying festival, and is closely associated with the BIFAs. Filmmakers are invited to submit their film productions to Raindance. The early bird deadline is 28 April 2017, with a regular deadline of 19 May. Any latecomers can submit before 2 June. The festival has 9 categories: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, LGBT Features/ Documentaries, Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Animation Short, LGBT Short, Music Video, and Virtual Reality. Raindance members can submit one short or feature at half prices by emailing festival@raindance. co.uk with your membership
The stunning ocean view at the Zanzibar International Film Festival © ZIFF
number and expiry date to receive your unique waiver code. For more information, visit www.raindancefestical.org.
ZIFF CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS The Zanzibar International Film Festival is currently accepting applications from filmmakers around the world for the 2017 edition of the event, taking place from 8-16 July. Priority is given to films from Africa and by Africans including the diaspora. ZIFF is also a film festival for the Dhow countries, and as such, it opens its doors to productions from South-East Asia, the Arabian
Peninsula, the Persian Gulf, Iran. Pakistan, and the Indian Ocean islands. Films in competition must be directed or produced from 2015, and can be in any genre. ZIFF also welcomes feature, documentary, short, animation and music video submissions. ZIFF 2017 will award films in the following categories: • African Cinema (continental and diaspora) • Dhow Countries (countries of the Indian Ocean Rim, the Arab Peninsula and Indian Ocean Islands, including Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan) • International (from all over
the world with particular attention to African issues and realities) • East African Film • East African Music Video In addition to the unique Dhow Awards, there are also a number of special awards up for grabs including the Bibi Kidude Award, the ZIFF Lifetime Achievement Award, the Sembene Ousmane Prize, the Bongo Movies Awards, the European African Film Festival Award and Best Documentary by an African Female Filmmaker. The deadline for submissions is 15 March 2017. For more information, visit www.ziff.or.tz.
SPOTLIGHT / 05
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A CHAT WITH
HENK GERMISHUYSEN OF PUMA VIDEO WHICH HD CAMERAS ARE CURRENTLY THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER AT PUMA VIDEO?
The following are the most popular: Sony FS5 FS7 / A7Sii, Canon 5D’s, Sony X70’s / PXW 160’s. Mostly what Sony has managed is 4K acquisition in a great form factor at a great price point.
WHAT TYPE OF SHOOTS ARE THEY USED FOR?
Basically, anything from drama, music videos, corporate, features and even training and recce’s.
WHICH CAMERA PACKAGES ARE CURRENTLY POPULAR?
With us, we have three movers: the Sony FS7 with tripod, mattebox and monitor, then a multicam mobile OB package, and finally our “reality” package consisting of 3 – 5 cameras bundled together.
DO DISCOUNTS APPLY TO THESE PACKAGES?
On these packages, it can work out anything from 15 to 50%. On the FS7 package, for instance, you can save around 40 -50%. But in general, discount is entirely flexible and depends on the amount days/weeks and the amount of additional equipment that is requested with the package, etc. And as we know, a discount is also negotiable.
KEEP KEEP C ALM ALM C AND AND
MAKE MAKE YOUR YOUR
C ALL ALL C
HAVE YOU NOTICED A SHIFT IN CUSTOMER NEEDS?
Yes, they want more gear for less money! In the long run this can be unsustainable. So, we are having to constantly try to be more cost effective in what we do and offer. My opinion is that the clients will suffer in the long run because of lack of choice in equipment, suppliers and service. We are having to invest in equipment that gives us a better ROI. The result is that even though all the equipment we invest in is tried and tested in the industry, it is not necessarily the most expensive, which makes it more affordable for the client as
well. And although we do buy expensive, top of the range equipment, we buy less of it, because not all the budgets can afford it. So, in respect of the market we serve, the client at least has a choice.
HAVE YOU ADDED ANY NEW PRODUCTS TO YOUR RANGE?
We have added the new 4K Canon 5D mk III, O’Connor 1030 head, more Sony FS5’s, 12-channel vision-mixing desk, more Canon EF lenses, and a thumb controller for the RT Motion wireless follow focus kit when using our Vario5 Easy-rig, gimbals or steadi-cam rigs.
06 / NEWS
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SAFTA 2017
NOMINEES ANNOUNCED Nominees include a diverse array of films, documentaries, reality shows, TV series and educationals.
F
eature film Noem My Skollie and TV comedy Those Who Can’t received the highest number of nominations for this year’s South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs). The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) whitt led more than 441 entries down to 258 nominees spread over 89 categories, and the public
now has until mid-March to vote for their favourites Zama Mkosi, CEO of the NFVF, said: ‘We as the NFVF would like to congratulate all the nominees and hope to encourage the industry to continue striving while setting its own rules around what success looks like for the business of film. “Each year comes with its own challenges and growth opportunities that
we prioritise. The NFVF will continue to strive for transparency and solutions in order to make sure that the SAFTAs showcase not only the glamorous side of the industry, but the underlying wealth of talent, education, skill and, most importantly, the passion that the South African industry truly has”. The theme for the annual awards show - now in its eleventh year - is ‘SA has got it, let’s celebrate it’.
EACH YEAR COMES WITH ITS OWN CHALLENGES AND GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE PRIORITISE.
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NEWS / 07
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DANI HYNES
DIRECTS LATEST OLD MUTUAL AD Egg Films’ director Dani Hynes brought her trademark warmth to FCB Johannesburg’s latest Old Mutual ad.
F
or more than 170 years, Old Mutual has championed an adviceled financial planning approach to helping their clients realise their dreams and goals. To reinforce the value of advice from a trusted financial institute, FCB Johannesburg’s creati ve team of Jonathan Deeb, Erin Brooks, Nicola Bower and David Schild focused on the importance of advice in everyday life, especially from those people you care about and respect.
Dani was Egg’s busiest director last year thanks to her ability to find the spark in relatable, ordinary moments, which she always makes feel like glimpses of much larger, more complex stories. Her treatment of the ‘start today’ messaging avoided the standard financial service mantra-festo voice-over, rather putting the narration into the mouths of her characters, giving the spot an even more personal feeling. “This is like my greatest
hits compilation,” says Dani. “Cars, children, dogs, fashion, food, water, weather… I got to play with all those elements. I don’t have a specialty other than life in general, so I really loved that.” Willie Nel from Exposure Crew shot the ad, which was edited by Jason Basson at Orchestra Blue, with Geppetto’s Workshop handling the online and Sterling Sound the audio. Barbara Clarke and Melanie Curtis produced the ad for FCB
and Egg Films respecti vely. Dani praised the way the crew, agency and client gelled, even to the point of the entire set pretending it was bedtime to help one of the litt le girls fall asleep on camera. “As a director, you’re always holding up a baton and asking people to follow you. When everyone does walk in the same direction, it creates this amazing sense of camaraderie, which feeds through into the work, making all the moments richer.”
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08 / RAPIDLION
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RAPIDLION 2017 KICKS OFF
From the 5 March to the 12 March, RapidLion 2017 - also known as The South African International Film Festival - will bring 140 films from 40 countries to The Market Theatre in Newtown, Johannesburg.
Marco Del Fiol
N
ow in its second year, RapidLion, also known as The South African International Film Festival, celebrates the magnitude of BRICS and African filmmaking with a special emphasis on South African cinema. The film festival aims to be one of the most-loved and important cultural events on the Johannesburg calendar. The festival features films of multiple genres and varying lengths, Q&A sessions and niche sections. These include Kindercinema aimed at the youngest filmgoers and their parents; The Heritage platform, which features South African films of yesteryear; and Homage, comprising the work of the recipient of The Lionel Ngakane Lifetime Achievement Award. The In-Competition section of the festival awards excellence, innovation and supreme
storytelling in film through the prestigious RapidLion Awards Ceremony, to be held on 1st March this year at The Market Theatre. Other events include Aspects, which will be hosted by Brand SA at RapidLion 2017. This year’s Aspects will have a panel discussion: “How Cinema Should Reflect Africa Today” with panelist filmmakers David Mboussou (Gabon) Vincent Moloi (South Africa), Steve Gukas (Nigeria), Arthur Musah (Ghana) and Daryne Jones (South Africe) and a Brand SA paper presentation:“How the South African Creative Product Enhances Reputation on the Mother Continent”. This platform affords cinema lovers, filmmakers, and other film-industry players such as distributors, the opportunity to rub shoulders, share ideas, teach and learn from each other.
Other filmmakers who will be festival guests for RapidLion 2017 through a partnership with SA Tourism include, Dan Jackson from Australia who made In the Shadow of the Hill, a powerful documentary based in a Brazilian favela, Steve Gukas from Nigeria for his strong feature film 93Days, which is about a fight against Ebola in Lagos, and Bauddhayan Mukherji who made The Violin Player, a somber story about a musician who stumbles upon his wife’s infidelity, or is it? The festival will also feature Q&A’s with South African filmmakers Daryne Jones, Noem My Skollie, Darrell Roodt, Treurgrond, Vincent Moloi, Skulls of My People, Zamo Mkhwanazi, The Call and Kosta Kalarytis, Dora’s Peace. RapidLion has also partnered
Marina Abramovic
with the Department of Arts & Culture, the Gauteng Film Commission, the Johannesburg Film Office, Trace Urban, the Callsheet, TicketPro, The Market Theatre Foundation, The Nelson Mandela Foundation, the Wits School of the Arts Film And Television, Eagles Academy and The Ngakane Family to bring this remarkable cultural experience to the city. Tickets are available from www.tickepros.co.za. For more information and the schedule of films visit www.rapidlion.co.za.
SPOTLIGHT / 09
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HOT DOCS-BLUE ICE GROUP FUND AWARDS $103,000 TO
EIGHT AFRICAN DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS
H
ot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and Blue Ice Group have announced that eight African film projects have been chosen to receive a total of $103 000 in development and production grants from the Hot Docs-Blue Ice Group Documentary Fund in its sixth round of disbursements. Selected from 114 submissions from 25 different African countries, four projects will receive development grants, and four projects will receive production grants. Five of the grant recipients will also receive support to attend Hot Docs 2017. They will also receive support to attend and participate in the Durban International Film Festival and Durban Film Market.
DEVELOPMENT GRANTS Behind Closed Doors Country: Morocco, France, Germany
Full service production house with over 14 years experience in the advertising, media, marketing and content creating industry servicing brands globally. 2D & 3D animation Motion graphics
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Contact us on: Tel: +27 11 806 8180 / +27 71 706 1343 email: hi@koki.co.za www.koki.co.za 2929 William Nicol Drive, Bryanston, JHB.
High in the Rif Mountains of Morocco the people survive by growing kif. Beneath the shadow of the ambiguous legality of the crop, Behind Closed Doors tells the story of a family through its children and their mirroring games. Lobola, A Bride’s True Price Country: South Africa When an opinionated filmmaker agrees to marry her long-term boyfriend, her feminist self is conflicted about whether to allow him to pay lobola (bride price) or not. Testament Country: Kenya Testament excavates the hidden history of the Kenyan independence struggle from the perspective of those at its frontlines. Through a woman’s journey, this film reveals a brutal colonial regime, examines its legacy and connects it to contemporary Kenyan issues.
The Master’s Plan Country: Cape Verde They believed they could get God’s forgiveness by confessing all their sins, so they did. They publicly confessed their worst secrets and posted them on Facebook. Society got to know them and so did the State’s institutions. But the forgiveness of God and that of men do not work the same way.
PRODUCTION GRANTS
Softie Country: Kenya An activist who is plagued by internal conflict with his past, present and future challenges generational political injustice in Kenya. As I Want Country: Egypt An Arab woman awakens an emotional crossroads between society’s expectations of a repressed life, and living the free life she wants. An intimate self-examination ensues exposing
the taboos that controlled her Palestinian childhood, which she continues to face as a grown woman living in downtown Cairo. Lift Like A Girl Country: Egypt, Germany A coming of age story about 14-year-old Zebiba, a young Egyptian girl who dreams of being a world champion weightlifter. With the help of her coach Captain Ramadan and against all odds, she pursues this unusual dream. Whispering Truth To Power Country: South Africa Whispering Truth to Power tells the story of South Africa’s first female public protector, Thuli Madonsela, a courageous woman who challenged the country’s most powerful politicians to protect the constitution and bring justice to ordinary people. With exclusive access, the film follows Madonsela and her team during her last year in office.
10 / FEATURE
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High Rollers (SABC)
Ofentse Tlou, a YOTV presenter since June 2016.
Uzalo (SABC 1)
SHAPING SA’S TV
CONTENT LANDSCAPE Much has taken place in South Africa’s television industry over the last twelve months. Kim Crowie explores the local sector to find out where opportunities lie and what hurdles still need to be overcome.
I
n a landmark decision that saw a varied response across the board, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) CEO Hlaudi Motsoeneng committed the company to implementing an 80% local TV content quota from July 2016. Almost a year later, things have still not normalised, and it will likely take a while to see the successful implementation of such a drastic change in
television programming – if the SABC decides to stick to its plan despite reporting a debilitating loss of R411-million for the 2015/16 financial year, and after losing 18 million viewers during AFCON 2017 in January. As a result of this change, however, the country has seen an enormous need for quality television content creation, with a number of production houses taking on the
mantle of bringing fresh, local shows to viewers nationwide.
THE YEAR THAT WAS
When talking broadcasters, it’s important to remember that although the SABC’s local content strategy might not be working properly yet, it’s not the only company in hot water. The industry was rattled in 2016 by the number of shocking staff and executive
lay-offs and retrenchments at SABC, eTV and ANN7. That said, 2016 was a good year for OpenViewHD, according to The Media Online. Set top box sales pushing through the 500k mark, and are set to potentially reach 750 000 in 2017 – the level where Nielsen begins to rate channels’ viewership and advertising finally gets ratings information. Video on Demand (VOD) has
FEATURE / 11
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also grown exponentially, with Netf lix Africa, ShowMax and OnTAPtv (among others) growing steadily. It doesn’t look as though they will upend the existing pay-TV systems anytime soon, unless telecoms decide it’s time to give data and broadband prices a break. In terms of content creation, 2017 was a fantastic year for productions. Reality formats in particular flourished, with a number of international formats developing a South African or African version. Some of these include The Voice SA, The Voice Francophone and Top Chef SA, with a number continuing in popularity – Strictly Come Dancing, Idols, SA’s Got Talent, Survivor SA and Big Brother Africa to name a few. Some of the most popular reality formats recently were Utatakho, Khumbu Lekhaya, Date My Family and Our Perfect Wedding, while SA’s celebrity reality shows have also flourished, with
Living the Dream with Somizi (Mzansi Magic), Forever Young (Vuzu), and Dineo’s Diary (Vuzu) seeing some of the highest reality ratings on pay-TV. Local content mavericks Urban Brew Studios, a division of Kagiso Media, have announced a strategic move to a larger, state-of-the-art space at Brightwater Commons early next year. This will facilitate their growing content creation needs, according to David Katz, Head of Shared Services at Kagiso Media. “Kagiso Media, owners of Urban Brew Studios and its BEE owner KTH are intent on gearing Urban Brew Studios up for the next generation of content creation in Africa. With more than 25 years in the entertainment industry, Urban Brew Studios is well respected in the industry and will have new facilities to match this level of expertise.” The company already produces a whopping 40 hours of original content weekly including Gold
IN TERMS OF CONTENT CREATION, 2017 WAS A FANTASTIC YEAR FOR PRODUCTIONS. REALITY FORMATS IN PARTICULAR FLOURISHED, WITH A NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL SHOWS PRODUCING A SOUTH AFRICAN OR AFRICAN VERSION.
Diggers on eTV, YOTV, and most recently, the successful inaugural season of Top Chef SA. Another genre that’s done well is the local soap opera. According to last year’s Broadcast Research Council’s TAMS ratings, Uzalo was the most watched programme with over 8.2 million viewers in June, followed by Generations:
The Legacy, Skeem Saam and Muvhango. Although programmes like The Bold and the Beautiful continue to permeate the airwaves,
viewers are perhaps much less attentive to these. An example of how the tide has turned is the response to SABC cancelling much-loved, modern soapie High Rollers recently. This speaks to both the shift in the audience’s idea of what makes good TV, and in the overall growth in production quality.
TRENDS SHAPING CONTENT CREATION
A major trend shaping television globally in the resurgence of documentaries, says Ingrid
12 / FEATURE Falck, Manager of Documentary Programmes for Al Jazeera English. “We notice this in terms of both production and the growing number of distribution platforms,” she explains. “It’s interesting that despite the focus short, sharp videos on social media platforms, we still see a huge appetite for longer form documentaries, both explanatory, analytical docs and the more experiential, character-driven docs. It seems that the more unsettled the world gets, the more people want to watch docs and hear from a wider range of people.” This appetite, in turn, has seen a surge in citizen journalism and a need for journalists of multiple disciplines who are capable of creating video content for their audiences. “South Africans are great TV watchers, and they love local content,” says Robyn Smith, Head of Content and Channels at Urban Brew Studios. “In many countries across Africa you see
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the need for local content on the increase – whether it’s local stories or an increase in local language content. Local content is often more expensive to make and foreign acquisitions are usually cheaper. So you always have to keep a balance in order to make the numbers work.” Robyn says empowering tomorrow’s leaders in the local content creation field is important. Their company is currently involved in mentoring up and coming producers, whilst also facilitating productions for local producers whose work has been commissioned. “It’s time for a change in the distribution models,” she adds, “More and more, viewers want content when they want it and on any device. Content has to be adaptable and also able to appeal to wider audiences – not just locally. You have to diversify your business model and not be reliant on local commissions. UBS is trying to broaden its business
models in order to work with non-traditional broadcasters.” When it comes to broadening a business model, Global Access understands exactly what to do. In recent years the studio has begun to change the way it attracts content producers by entering the VR game. The result is the first ever South African 360 degree concurrent narrative short film. Concurrent narratives mitigate against a ‘waste of space’ created when a viewer has no reason to look at a picture from all directions. In their story, Global Access has put the viewer in control of their experience, allowing them a choice and the power to control the narrative. “When we are presented with new technology it is our duty to explore it as a means of telling better stories. If it doesn’t do that, if it hinders, or changes, or reduces our story then it has no place in our creative world,” says
The Voice SA coaches Lira, Karen, Kahn and Bobby
The Voice Angola, courtesy of Sasani Studios
Uzalo (SABC 1)
Guy Sclanders, Global Access Creative Director and writer/ director on the project. Brad Wilson, MD of Global Access, believes it is our responsibility to do everything we can to explore the virtual space – “and task it to do everything that we cannot do both in reality and in traditional media”. “We’ve already discovered applications in the corporate space from what we learnt through making the film,” he adds.
WHEN WE ARE PRESENTED WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY IT IS OUR DUTY TO EXPLORE IT AS A MEANS OF TELLING BETTER STORIES.
OKUHLE MEDIA / 13
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SA BASED OKUHLE MEDIA
GETS NEW CEO
Vuyokazi Matu has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer.
Oceans of Design sees world champion freediver Hanli Prinsloo and the world’s top biomimicry experts journey to unique African ocean locations.
Okuhle Media’s, new CEO photographed in their HD studio on the Hectic Nine-9 set.
O
kuhle Media, Cape Town’s award-winning Media and Production Company, known for hit TV shows Sarah Graham Food Safari and Neil Anthony - Private Chef, Sony’s Talent Format, Showville SA, and daily live show, Hectic Nine-9, recently announced the appointment of Vuyokazi Matu as its Chief Executive Officer. Having begun her career in production at Okuhle in 2002, Vuyo worked her way through the business, involving herself in almost every role possible within an Production House. This experience, along with her multiple industry engagements which include serving as Industry Chairperson in 2010 and an Emmy Awards Juror, has equipped her for her new
role. She also understands that culture is what drives a company and what keeps good people coming back for more. “Having nurtured the process and with our Board’s support and guidance, to have apointed Vuyo to this key role, has been a great honour and privilege,” says Paula Brown, outgoing CEO, who indicated her intention to step down in early 2015. The appointment of its new CEO will see Okuhle Media playing a more active role in a shifting landscape. “Everything is changing and our television and media industry has to remain at the forefront of this change” says Matu. “My role will be to further evolve the business,
building on our story-telling strength whilst diversifying our offering and our territories.” Matu will be attending MipTV this April as one of her first major engagements in this role. “Our core purpose is the creation and delivery of content,” says Matu. “My focus will be to ‘take African content to Africa and to the world’”. Joining her at MipTV in Cannes will be CCO Louise McClelland and Grant Flynn. They will once again be packing some exciting new shows in their suitcases, including new seasons of Sarah Graham Food Safari and Neill Anthony Private Chef. “The past year has seen us investing much time and resources into developing various wildlife series. We have employed highly experienced wildlife producer Yvette Oosthuizen as the developer and have a number of big names involved.” said McClelland. “I am excited to launch this new slate at MIP, its been a long time coming,” she added.
WILDLIFE GUARDIANS
A collaboration with Director Eric Lange of Deadliest Catch and Executive Producer Mark Wild, Wildlife Guardians is an engaging 4K series. It covers the journeys of some of Africa’s most extraordinary wild life guardians. It will bring inspiration whilst oozing tension with real and riveting storylines.
OCEANS OF DESIGN
Oceans of Design sees charismatic and beautiful world champion freediver Hanli Prinsloo and the world’s top biomimicry experts take us on an unprecedented 4K journey to unique African ocean locations. The name Okuhle (isiXhosa) meaning ‘great things’. It seems they’re producing just that.
14 / FEATURE
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MAJOR TV CONTENT PRODUCERS IN SA COMPANY NAME
SPECIALTY
KEY PRODUCTIONS / CLIENTS
WEBSITE
Africade Productions
Stills, commercials and reality TV shoots
Amazing Race, Britain’s Next Top Model
www.africadeproductions.com
AFS Productions
Commercials and broadcast
Netflix
www.afsproductions.com
Aquavision TV
Premier wildlife production with over
Mother Warthog
www.aquavisionshop.co.za
Productions
10,000 hours stock footage in HD, 2K, 4K Tabloid (e.tv), Spirit of Olympia
www.area-51.tv
TV and commercial production with focus
Alison Moyet (DStv), Jojo, Mouse in the
www.astralstudios.co.za
on educational and animation TV series
House
Bellovista
7 years’ experience in documentaries,
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Style Trade,
Productions
travelogues, stills and production support
Samuel Allerton
Big Banana Films
Facilitation of documentaries, drama and
BBC’s Walking with Cavemen, An Idiot
reconstructions
Abroad, Man Hunt: Kalahari Killers
Award-winning production of fiction,
Stories of Our Lives, Project 10: Real Stories
documentaries and television; including
from a Free South Africa, Beats of the
new media, VR and distribution
Antonov, Lifelines, My Nigeria, My Cuba
Television content production focusing on
Honcho, Tears for Lindo, Mr ARV, Al
raw footage, news coverage and reporting
Jazeera, Oscar Pistorius coverage, CCTV,
Camhouse
Television and video production, home to
Carte Blanche, Oscar Pistorius Trial
www.camhouse.co.za
Productions
award-winning TV like Carte Blanche
Chroma Television
TV, corporate and documentary
The Muhammad Ali Tour of South Africa,
www.chromatelevision.com
production company with post production
Wildlife Documentaries (Botswana), SABC
and 8K resolution Area 51 Productions
Experienced in big budget location shoots to studio pack shots
Astral Studios
Big World Cinema
Camera 13
facilities
and M-Net programming
Community Media
Non-profit organisation producing a
Amaza, JAB, A Country for my Daughter,
Trust
number of shows on social justice, etc.
Brothers in Arms, Law and Freedom
Competent Artistes
Video production for entertainment and
Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital Project,
news
Interview with Oprah
Original reality content, with over 21 TV
Ultimate Braai Master Seasons 1-5, Cooked,
series and 150 hours of programming
Global Wheeling, Beer Country, Charlie’s
under its belt
Cake Angels
News and sports production for
Al Jazeera English, BBC News, BBC
international broadcasters
Newsnight, BBC Panorama, BBC Radio 2,
Cooked in Africa
Cover Africa
www.bellovistaproductions.com www.bigbanana.co.za www.bigworldcinema.com
www.camera13.com
www.cmt.org.za www.competentartistes.tv www.cookedinafrica.com
www.coverafrica.com
Sky News, Sky Sports, Sky Vision, CBC, ITN, SABC, Endemol, Soweto TV Dancing Light
Commerical, television and film production
Let’s Fixit, High Season, Shooting Stars,
Productions
services, original film and TV IP
Unicity
Day Zero Films/Steps
Documentary and international co-
Afridocs, CareTakers, Steps for the Future,
productions for social change
Why Democracy, and Why Poverty
Namibian productions dedicated to
The Amazing Race, Superhuman Animals –
conservation of land, cultures and wildlife
BBC America, ITV, The Hunt – BBC 1
Experienced in film and television
My Sister’s Kids in Africa (Denmark), Where
industries
the Road Runs Out (Netherlands), 419 (USA)
Dreamcatcher
Behind the scenes, client content
SMLB South Africa, Fresh Eye Film
Productions
management, montages and showreels
Productions, The Agency, Let it Rain Films
Desert Rain Films Do Productions
www.dancinglight.co.za www.steps.co.za www.desertrainfilms.com www.doproductions.com www.dreamcatcherproductions.co.za
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IN MANY COUNTRIES ACROSS AFRICA YOU SEE THE NEED FOR LOCAL CONTENT ON THE INCREASE – WHETHER IT’S LOCAL STORIES OR AN INCREASE IN LOCAL LANGUAGE CONTENT. LOCAL CONTENT IS OFTEN MORE EXPENSIVE TO MAKE AND FOREIGN ACQUISITIONS ARE USUALLY CHEAPER. SO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO KEEP A BALANCE IN ORDER TO MAKE THE NUMBERS WORK.
COMPANY NAME
SPECIALTY
KEY PRODUCTIONS / CLIENTS
WEBSITE
Edenrage Media
Immersive entertainment with content for
Coke Studio Africa, The Biggest Loser South
www.edenrage.tv
all platf orms
Africa, SuperDance Championship, Show Me the Mommy
Endemol Shine Group
Endemol Shine Group is a new joint
Big Brother, Black Mirror, Broadchurch, Deal
venture bringing together Endemol and
or No Deal, Hell on Wheels, MasterChef, Mr.
Shine Group to create a global content
Bean, Peaky Blinders, The Biggest Loser
www.endemolshinegroup.com
creator, producer and distributor Farm Film
Producti on service company shooti ng
Universal Channel, Black Mirror, Sky
in over 15 African countries and Indian
Anyti me+
www.farmfilm.tv
Ocean Islands Film Afrika
Leading producti on house with prolifi c
Roots, Black Sails, Saints and Strangers, No
internati onal fi lm and TV projects
Man Left Behind, Dominion, Outlander, The
www.filmafrika.com
Last Post, Tutankhamun, Blood Drive Fireworx Media
Integrated producti on and distributi on
The Dream of Shaharazad, The Chemo Club,
company creati ng original content
The Devil’s Lair, End Game, uGugu No
www.fireworxmedia.co.za
Andile, MzansiLove Gambit Films
TV and feature fi lm producti ons
Suidooster, Nommer 37
www.gambitfma.co.za
Geoff Theys
Broadcast TV, children’s TV, wildlife, sport
Durban TV, Edu Wild
www.gtprod.co.za
Productions (Durban
and documentaries Studio space with TV and VR content
Double Cross, Thandeka’s Diary, Money for
www.globalaccess.co.za
producti on capabiliti es
Mahala, Gospel Grooves, Life with Thami
Bouti que producti on company with
MTV Base, The Man with the Heavy Leg,
experience in service, tabletop, beauty
Birdman (short), Thomas, Thomas Returns
Media Net) Global Access Groundglass
www.groundglass.co.za
and content Homebrew Films
Local television content producti on
Kwela, Bravo, All Access Mzansi, Roer, Jou
www.homebrewfilms.co.za
Show, Kollig, Wild Animal Orphans, Tech Report Imageworks
Award-winning video and multi media
BBC, Nati onal Geographic, MNet, Animal
producti on
Planet and Discovery Channel content
Kalahari Film and
Leading producti on company in Southern
SAF3, Thirteen Hours, The Triangle, The
Media
Africa
Librarian
www.imageworks.co.za www.kalaharipictures.com
SERVICES:
Events | Photography | Feature Films | TV Commercials | Music Videos | Documentaries | Post-Production
info@naaapproductions.co.za
+27 72 461 7762
Na Aap Productions
ProductionsNa
@naaapproductions
Na Aap Productions
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COMPANY NAME
SPECIALTY
KEY PRODUCTIONS / CLIENTS
WEBSITE
Let it Rain Films
Commercials, feature films, television
Survivor 2, Amazing Race, Voices, BBC, Jack
www.letitrainfilms.com
content and documentaries
Up Your Shack
Feature films, documentaries and
It’s Africa’s Time, Straatpraat, Mzala –
television content
Discovers Wine in the Winelands
Film and television content production
SABC 1 – Skeem Saam, Noem My Skollie
dmaxbrown@mweb.co.za
Boutique production house with
SABC, Carte Blanche inserts, Burden of
www.modern.co.za
experience in TV content creation and
Truth, All About Reeva, Finding Leigh, A
Man Makes a Picture Maxi-D TV
www.mmap.tv
Productions Modern Times
post-production facilities
Tangled Web
Moonlighting Film
Premier production services, co-
The Dark Tower, Black Mirror, The Young
Production Services
productions and structured financing with
Pope, The Gamechangers, Clan of the Cave
over 20 years’ experience
Bear, The Crown, Homeland
Award-winning, BEE compliant TV
Magic Cellar, Generations, How to Steal 2
production house
Million, Winnie the Opera, HANI, JOZI H,
Morula Pictures
www.moonlighting.co.za
www.morula.co.za
Backstage Na Aap Productions
Fully integrated, broad based production
God Has Many Names, Cape Town
of untold stories and history in South
Fringe Festival (Songs for Khwezi), The
Africa
Productivity Awards
Ochre Moving
Award-winning producer and developer of
Hush, No Borders, No One Cooks Like
Pictures
TV content
Mama, Made in SA, Takalani Sesame, Take
Off the Fence South
Award-winning producers of factual
Wildest Indonesia, Wildest Europe, Mind of
Africa
television and digital cinema content;
a Giant, Sixth Sense, Return of the Spider
jantjiesdeidre@gmail.com
www.ochre.tv
5, Get Real
stock footage library
Monkeys
Off the Ground
Supplies affordable marketing and media
Amaza (SABC 1), Siyayinqoba Beat it! (SABC
Media
production for small businesses
1), A Country for My Daughter, Casa De La
Okuhle Media
Award-winning media production
Signal High Season 2, Kasi0-Licious, Hectic
delivering over 500 hours of local and
Nine-9, Glitterboys & Ganglands, My Night
international content per year
Reality Series
Service production company with
BBC London, The Entertainment Group
experience in commercials, film and
(Netherlands)
www.offthefence.com
www.offtheground.co.za
Musica
One Step Beyond
www.okuhle.co.za
www.onestepbeyond.co.za
television Out of Africa
Leading production house with prolific
Madiba, The Book of Negroes, Strike Back,
Entertainment
international film and TV projects
Wild at Heart, Wallander, MTV Shuga,
Pieter Cilliers
Award-winning production specialising in
Productions
magazine programmes and documentaries
Picture Tree
Commercial, service and broadcast
www.outofafrica.info
Bluestone 42, Mad Dogs, The Wrong Mans Kwêla (kykNET)
www.pietercilliers.co.za
Gogglebox
www.picturetree.co.za
Bentley, Fotostories, Reg Park – The Legend
www.plumproductions.co.za
A post house recently branched into
Kings: A Documentary about Native Young,
www.priest.co.za
content production, art curation and new
CNN African Start Up, Silver Slipstreams
content Plum Productions
32 years of television content specialising in live event coverage and magazine programmes
Priest
media Quizzical Pictures Rapid Blue
Industry leader specialising in TV drama,
Rhythm City, Intersexions I & II, Swartwater,
factual and digital content
4Play: Sex Tips for Girls, The Lab, Hopeville
World class television producers for SA,
SA’s Got Talent, Pawn Stars SA, Strictly
Nigeria and the rest of Africa, from live TV
Come Dancing, The X Factor SA, Dragon’s
www.quizzical.co.za www.rapidblue.com
to international formats
Den
Red Pepper Pictures
TV production and animation facilities
Ed and Eppa In the Wild
www.redpepper.co.za
Spier Films
Award-winning production and finance
The Salvation, The Price of Sugar, Veraaier,
www.spierfilms.com
company with offices in Cape Town,
Trend Beacons, Indigenous Encounters,
London, and Reykjavik
Highway Vultures
Prolific TV content producers specialising
Generations, Binneland
Stark Films
in local drama
www.starkfilms.co.za
FEATURE / 17
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COMPANY NAME
SPECIALTY
KEY PRODUCTIONS / CLIENTS
WEBSITE
Street Stories Films
Broadcasting over 200 episodes of Street
Street Talk
www.streettalktv.com
(NPO)
Talk in Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Specialist production for natural history,
Nature On Track, The Whole Story, Young
www.talkingpics.com
culture and wildlife
and Wild, Nature’s Babies
Tekweni TV
Online and broadcast content creation;
EarthBeat, The Meet South Africa Challenge
www.tekweni.co.za
Productions
stock footage curation for film and Local talent, TV dramas, documentaries,
Isibaya, Jacob’s Cross, Yizo Yizo, Shuga, Soul
www.thebomb.co.za
commercials and museum installations
Buddyz, Think Big Live on SABC 3
Film, television and media production
Vallei van Sluiers, Medua – Queen of the
on DStv Talking Pictures
television The Bomb The Bridge
www.thebridgesa.co.za
Climb, The Story of an African Farm Tswelopele
Leading TV magazine productions and
Top Billing, Pasella, Top Travel, Top Dogs,
Productions
local programming
No Reservations
TVPC Media
Award-winning TV content,
SuperSport, e.tv, Sky, SABC, MTV, M-Net,
documentaries, outside broadcast and
The Game, The Wrap and live sport
international facilitation
broadcasts
Two Oceans
Content producers of over 60 movies for
Superdad, Rosa 2, Stranded in Paradise,
Productions
the German speaking market, both in TV
Grzimek, Unfriend, The Sinking of the
and features
Laconia
Producers of socially engaging films,
The Mating Game, Dilemma, My Land My
documentaries, television drama and
Life, Miners Shot Down, The Battle for
Uhuru Productions
www.topbilling.com www.tvpcmedia.com
www.topproductions.de
www.uhuruproductions.co.za
factual series
Johannesburg, Bhambatha, Citizen X
Ukhamba
Television and video productions, editing,
SA Tourism
www.ukhamba.com
Communications
graphic design and animation
Urban Brew Studios
Local television production with a focus in
Top Chef SA, Shift, Khumba Lekhaya,
www.urbanbrew.co.za
reality formats and youth programming
Zabalaza, RGB, YoTV, Top Actor Africa, Live AMP, Dream School SA
Visual Impact
We Shoot Food
The authority in both digital and high
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!,
definition broadcast solutions in South
Fear Factor Malaysia, India & America, You
Africa
Deserve It, Dare to Dance
Tabletop studio run by Rob Payton and
J’Accuse – The Superchefs C4 UK, Further
Farm Film
Abroad – Beer BBC 2, Two Fat Ladies, Gary
www.visuals.tv
www.weshootfood.tv
Rhodes around Britain Waterfront Film
Over 30 years’ experience in TV content
Studios
creation, staging, post production, VFX
X CON Films ZenHQ
Dominion, Wallander, Hectic Nine 9
New website under construction.
Over 10 year’s TV production experience
Pasella, Awakenings, An NUR, Club
www.xconfilms.co.za
in diverse subject matter
Hopping, The Kolbe Show
Leader in film and TV production with
Die Windpomp, Black Beauty, The Forgotten
expertise in co-productions and co-
Kingdom, Clifton Shores, Tunnel Rats, Hotel
financing
Rwanda, Stander, Charlie Jade
www.zen-hq.com
Disclaimer: Although there are many successful television content producers in South Africa, due to space constrictions The Callsheet is only able to include the major companies involved in this line of work.
Production Music for Professionals representing over 60 international labels and African Planit, a South African Music Library. Service is our first Priority.
VISIT US: www.synchromusic.co.za
20 / URBAN BREW STUDIOS
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URBAN BREW STUDIOS TO RELOCATE
After 20 years at their Harley Street, Randburg offices Urban Brew Studios will be moving to a new home. In mid-February the company announced their relocation.
Robyn Smith, Head of Content and Channels at Urban Brew.
I
n mid-February, Urban Brew Studios announced their relocation to a new, state-ofthe-art facility at Brightwater Commons in Randburg. The Moolman Group has been tasked with turning a 10 000m2 shopping complex into a trendy production house. A division of Kagiso Media, Urban Brew has been making television content for over 25 years, and will likely make the move to their new space by early next year. We asked Robyn Smith, Head of Content and Channels at Urban Brew, to take us through the process. What has Urban Brew been up to recently; and why have you decided to move to a new venue? Urban Brew Studios has seen many successes with both its channels and its productions over the past years. It has divested on some fronts and strengthened production
partnerships on others, while trying to build a sustainable core. We are very happy to be reaching this milestone in our history where we will be moving to a new home that will enable us to grow, sustain and make amazing content for our viewers both in South Africa and the rest of the world. Tell us about the new premises. What can we expect to see? The building is in a great, easily accessible environment where we and our clients will have access to a retail environment as well as plenty of space. Although staff appear to be very excited about the parking slots at the moment (parking spaces have been our major bugbear!), the increased studio space means we will be able to operate optimally. We will have nine fully HD studios of various sizes, and clients will be able to
Top Chef SA Contestants
comfortably view productions. More importantly, we have room to grow, space to be creative and still be in an urban setting where our staff are in a very user-friendly environment. What has Urban Brew been working on recently, any accolades, new projects in the works? We are a very busy company – with about 40 hours of original content coming through UBS weekly – no mean feat! We have had a successful Top Chef South Africa on SABC3, The Search: E! Host South Africa is going well, and of course we have been the supplier of the much loved YOTV for more than 20 years. Gold Diggers on eTV has also been successful. Coming up is our channel 1Gospel’s 10 th birthday and our move into the international facilitation space. We are also in development with two drama series, an
Afrikaans sitcom and a longrunning Pan African series – all exciting projects for the company. With so much experience, involvement and growth in the industry, you probably have a thing or two up your sleeves. What are your plans for the months ahead? Urban Brew Studios has come a long way from its religious and community beginnings. The Urban Brew of 2017 has a focused, skilled workforce, commercially viable product set both in SA and abroad, great ambitions and a committed management team ready to make this a reality. I recommend that you watch this space!
22 / SPOTLIGHT
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A CHAT WITH
TERRY PHETO
A prolific actress with a local and international repertoire, Terry Pheto brings a quiet strength to her role as Naledi Khama in A United Kingdom, and now brings a fresh rendition of Winnie Mandela to the small screen in the Madiba miniseries. Kim Crowie catches up with her.
N
o South African needs to be introduced to Terry Pheto. A chance spotting by renowned casting agent Moonyeenn Lee in Soweto during the audition process for Tsotsi set her on the path for fame and fortune – and she hasn’t looked back since. After her debut, she went on to appear in Catch a Fire, Goodbye Bafana, and How to Steal 2 Million, and also played a key role in Hopeville and a recurring role in The Bold and the Beautiful. In 2015 she dipped her toes in the producing pool with the youthful and endearing Ayanda, which went on to screen at numerous festivals and even bagged a US distribution deal with Ava
DuVernay. In 2016 she played the silent yet powerful role of Naledi Khama, sister to Botswana’s first elected president, Seretse Khama, in A United Kingdom alongside David Oyolewo and Rosamund Pike. She shares her experience with us below.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE PLAYING THIS KIND OF ROLE IN A UNITED KINGDOM?
The story is what drew me in because I had no idea how much these two people fought to stay together and also to find out who were the people in their corner were – which is my character, Naledi. I knew that this was a role of a lifetime and also to work with Director Amma Asante,
Terry Pheto behind the scenes with Director Amma Asante © A United Kingdom
who I absolutely adore, to work with Rosamund and David, was a dream come true. In the past two years I’ve spoken about all three of them, but I never thought I would work with all three in one film! That also took it to another level and I’m so grateful. It has already opened so many doors for me; with the nomination that I received for Best Supporting Actress at the British Independent Film Awards, it shows that there are no small roles. It also shows how important it is to have a strong supporting cast. Everyone was phenomenal and I’m so honoured to have been recognised for my performance.
WHAT’S IT LIKE GOING FROM ONE ICONIC CHARACTER IN NALEDI TO ANOTHER IN WINNIE MANDELA?
I hope people watch. I hope they receive it the way I intended. You get into a character, and it’s so hard to play real life people because there are so many things you will never get right - so you always hope that your point of view is honest and sincere. Mma Winnie Mandela has always been that character that I prayed for from Day One in my career, and I’m happy that it happened when I was older and wiser and more confident as a person, as a woman – and ready to play a role like that, because it is the role of a lifetime. She is such a complex, beautiful character. And what
she’s been through, I don’t think there’s a film or TV show long enough to really capture that.
HOW HEALTHY WOULD YOU SAY THE AFRICAN CINEMA INDUSTRY IS RIGHT NOW?
That an epic story like that of Seretse Khama is directed by a black woman shows where we are. And David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong’o, all these people are faces of African cinema. They’re black people who are doing well in Hollywood. With them, the doors are open for us. As long as we tell our stories and we’re not apologising for them, and we just put them out there, it will be great. Because at the end of the day, we all connect on a human level and if we tell human stories, we will connect with the world regardless of what we look like.
NOT MANY PEOPLE SPEAK ABOUT YOUR ROLE AS A PRODUCER. HOW IS AYANDA DOING AT THE MOMENT?
Ayanda was my first film as a producer. I think the film did so well; beyond my expectations. It was only a small film, but I knew it had a big heart – and the way in which it was received, I couldn’t have wished for more. We still get invitations to attend different festivals around the world and I’m so grateful that I was given that platform to showcase another side of me, to wear a different hat. So now we’ll work on the next one!
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SPOTLIGHT / 23
Bob Mabena Code: A
Laurian Nortje Code: D
Sivuyile Ngesi Code: G
Chanley Wong Code: B
Katlego Maboe Code: C
Lawrence Maleka Code: E
Masechaba Ndlovu Code: F
Thembisa Mdoda Code: H
Tumi Morake Code: J
Each sms charged at R1.50 th
Voting lines close on the 18 of March 2017
Code: 4
Code: 5
Code: 1
Code: 2
Code: 3
Code: 6
Code: 7
Code: 8
Code: 9
Code: 10
Code: 11
Code: 12
Code: 13
Code: 14
Code: 15
Code: 16
Code: 17
Each sms charged at R1.50 Voting lines close on the 18th of March 2017
26 / SPOTLIGHT
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TRUSTWORTHY GEAR WHEN STAKES ARE HIGH
Camera tracking is no child’s play – in fact, it requires some pretty heavy lifting in terms of expertise and equipment.
S
ome of the best action movies would fall flat without camera cars on set. One of the very first films to mass-produce camera cars that could track all the action was Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ, although since the 1920s the industry and the technology we use has changed vastly. We look at Bickers Action, a company in South Africa providing the best, most reliable gear
and vehicles for filmmakers in this particular sector.
VEHICLE TRACKING AND STUNT ENGINEERING
When it comes to inventi ve solutions to engineering problems on set, Bickers Action knows what they’re doing. The company offers a range of film and television gear for ground-breaking stunts and some of the best camera tracking vehicles in the
world, and their South African branch is no different. Since 2009, the Cape Town-based Bickers Action – with Gustav Marais at the helm – has seen continual growth and innovation in servicing international and local productions. Just over two years ago the company brought the 20-foot telescopic Freedom Arm to the country, making it the only local gyro-stabilized remote camera crane. One of the reasons for
its popularity in the industry is its light-weight yet strong, carbon fibre structure. Included in the Freedom Arm is the Edge – one of the best and most versatile remote camera heads in the world. Bickers Action offers the widest range of camera tracking vehicles and equipment internationally, and brings 40 years of expertise to any production. Bickers Action SA continues this level of service in Cape
The Freedom Arm continues to offer a local budget-friendly solution for international clients filming in South Africa over the expense of having to air freight internationally based equipment and crew into South Africa for individual shoots. The South African designed and manufactured Freedom Arm sets out to demonstrate the level of expertise available in the South African film and specialist manufacturing industries. The Freedom Arm follows on from the international variants of the popular gyro-stabilised remote controlled camera crane but seeks to modernise the equipment with a fully digital control system and add functionality by incorporating a telescopic function to the boom. The Freedom Arm utilises manufacturing processes and compounds that other companies have not been able to
successfully apply to this camera crane concept, again demonstrating the expertise available in the local industry. A key factor to the success of the Freedom Arm is in its light-weight Carbon Fibre structure. In order to add the weight of components required for a telescopic boom, weight had to be saved elsewhere to avoid a camera crane system too heavy to be used safely whilst mounted on the roof of a high-speed camera car. The Freedom Arm achieved this with its Carbon Fibre booms that are extremely light-weight, in fact the Freedom Arm’s 10m (30 feet) long boom sections weigh a mere 29kg added together when
disassembled, and they are incredibly strong with a 4x times stronger-thansteel rating. A camera crane of this specification also requires a very advanced Remote Head, and the Freedom Arm is packaged with The Edge 3-axis stabilised remote camera head weighing in at a mere 23kg and capable of stabilizing up to a 500mm lens. The Edge is widely regarded as the best remote head in the world and suited for land, air and sea work. The Edge is also available for stand-alone rental, without the Freedom Arm, in South Africa at a market related rental cost. The aptly named holding company
of The Freedom Arm is Freedom Film Technologies (PTY) Ltd (or FFT for short), interestingly shares its abbreviation with Fast Fourier Transform, an algorithm to compute the discrete Fourier transform and its inverse. FFT’s are widely used for many applications in engineering, science, and mathematics. FFT has been described as “the most important numerical algorithm of our lifetime” and a suitable connotation for an emerging specialist stabilised camera systems manufacturer. Call +27 (0)21 864 2872 or Mobile 076 8407 325 to make your booking!
Performance Filmworks, Inc.™
SPOTLIGHT / 27
www.thecallsheet.co.za
©Bickers
©Bickers
Town offering the most modern and reliable camera tracking vehicles available in South Africa. Bickers Action SA’s tracking vehicles are all correctly load rated for their intended purposes which is a huge consideration factor in terms of safety and insurance. Bickers Action SA is also the only camera tracking vehicle supplier in South Africa
to offer a self-insure option to production companies whilst filming. Look out for some new additions to their camera tracking vehicle fleet this season as they continue to invest and develop new camera tracking solutions in order to back the Key Grips and Production Companies of South Africa and beyond!
THE COMPANY OFFERS A RANGE OF FILM AND TELEVISION GEAR FOR GROUND-BREAKING STUNTS AND SOME OF THE BEST CAMERA TRACKING VEHICLES IN THE WORLD, AND THEIR SOUTH AFRICAN BRANCH IS NO DIFFERENT.
T +27 (0) 21 864 2872 F +27 (0) 21 864 2872 M +27 (0) 76 840 7325 E action@bickers.co.za
Bickers Acti on, the internati onal specialist in Camera Tracking Vehicles / Insert Cars and Stunt Vehicle Engineering, celebrates 8 years of successful trading under expert guidance from its mother company in the UK and 100% South African ownership based in Cape Town. Bickers Acti on is proud to off er one of the largest ranges of camera tracking vehicles and equipment in the world and conti nues this vision in South Africa by off ering the very latest in Tracking Vehicles and tracking rigs to suit the local industry. If we have not got it, we will build it. Bickers Acti on SA brings to South Africa a knowledge base of 40 years’ experience in internati onal feature fi lm and television, and combines it with local experts to off er you a professional and reliable service at great local rates! Bickers Acti on's tracking vehicles are comprehensively insured for fi lm work, another fi rst in South Africa, bringing peace of mind for producti on companies. Visit www.bickers.co.za for additional information and contact details.
28 / FEATURE
www.thecallsheet.co.za
FIXERS IN AFRICA
Africa has a number of reputable fixers working in the continent’s film industry. We bring you a helpful list of the people who can move mountains to make your production a success on location.
I
nternationals rely on native knowledge not only to source the talent, equipment and locations needed to film a
production in Africa, but also to provide a ‘silver bullet’ to defuse any problems encountered. A number of locally based
companies offer fixer services across Southern and Central Africa, while still others are versed in facilitating East and
North Africa. The Callsheet brings you a comprehensive list of some of the major players in this sector.
NAME
COMPANY
REGION
SPECIALITY
TEL
EMAIL / WEBSITE
Brad Logan
BLM Productions
Western Cape
Film and stills production
+27 83 232 1758
brad@blmsa.co.za
+27 21 801 0986 +27 82 728 9818
helen@twoseas.cc ananaboyz@mweb.co.za
Helen Atty
Two Seas TV
Western Cape
15 years in TV series and commercials
Jason Merle
Banana Boys
KwaZulu-Natal
Locations and logistics
+27 73 747 9311 +27 21 462 3213 +27 83 259 6324
Jo Higgs
Freelance
Western Cape
Fixing for foreign news and documentary crews
Karen Brooks
Freelance
Gauteng
Line producer, wildlife fixer, researcher
karenvbrooks@gmail.com
+27 73 371 7802
production@morgeez.com www.morgeez.com
+27 72 376 4405
locations4africa@gmail.com www.locations4africa.com
Morgeez Production
Morgeez Production
Gauteng
Filming production facilitation
Morten Nielsen
Freelance
Western Cape
Location scout and manager
Neil Bowden
Freelance
Peter Currey
Freelance
Extensive experience in Northern Cape
Location management
Richard Moerdyk
FIXERFILM
Western Cape
Producer
Rick Matthews
Big Banana Films
Gauteng
Producer and location scout
Susan Puren
Freelance
Gauteng
Investigative Journalist, location scouting, researcher
+27 82 416 6193
Tania Jenkins
AfriScreen Films
Western Cape
Logistical support and production management
+27 21 788 5777
Documentaries and location scouting
info@gotrolley.com
+27 84 674 5674
neil1@telkomsa.net
+27 82 892 9997
peter@sitewise.co.za www.locationssa.co.za
+27 83 301 9032
richard@fixerfilm.com www.fixerfilm.com
+27 82 443 6307
rick@bigbanana.co.za www.bigbanana.co.za susan@puren@gmail.com production@afriscreen.com
Vanessa Yelseth
Time Frame
Gauteng
Equipment and production
+27 11 782 1152 +27 83 680 3441
Yvette Oosthuizen
Freelance
Western Cape
Field and line producing
+27 82 829 0896
yvette@wildblue.co.za
+258 843 172 010
pipasforjaz@gmail.com www.mahlafilmes.com
Antonio Forjaz
Mahla Filmes
Mozambique
Turnkey services from pre- to post and stills
Bernd Curschmann
Lemon Reel Film Services
Africa and abroad
Turnkey services including scouting, visas and permits, accommodation, crew, travel, equipment
Derrick Kibisi
Talking Film Production
Uganda, Rwanda, East and Central Africa
Production company, location scouting, fixing, equipment, crew, digital and stills
Desale Mitiku
Grand Holidays Ethiopia Travel and Tours
Ethiopia
Fixers, transport, travel, tours
Ellnette Pearson & Guy Nockels
Magic Touch Films
Namibia, Mozambique and Southern Africa
Extensive local film knowledge
James H.E. Cutting
Cutting Loose Productions
Morocco
Janice Beatty
African Environments
Arusha, Tanzania
Fixing services for wildlife coverage and television series
Jason Merle
Banana Boys
Mauritius
Locations and logistics
+ 264 81 122 7717
+256 790 912 494 +256 755 902 991 +251 116 183 163 +251 911 428 006
vanessa@timeframetv.com
info@lemonreel.com www.lemonreel.com info@talkingfilmproduction.com dkibisi@talkingfilmproduction.com www.talkingfilmproduction.com desale@grandholidaysethiopia.com www.grandholidaysethiopia.com
+264 64 463 371
info@magictouchfilms.com www.magictouchfilms.com
+44 791 435 2249 +212 699 394 860
cuttinglooseproductions@gmail.com cuttingadash@gmail.com www.cuttinglooseproductions.com
+255 784 506 600 +27 73 747 9311
janiceb@africanenvironments.com bananaboyz@mweb.co.za
FEATURE / 29
www.thecallsheet.co.za
NAME
COMPANY
REGION
SPECIALITY
TEL
EMAIL / WEBSITE
Jean Hartley
Viewfinders EPZ Ltd
Kenya
Facilitation, documentary film crews, permits
+254 716 875 928
info@viewfindersltd.com
Jean-Marie Sabin
Wild Side Productions
Kenya, East and Central Africa
A one-stop logistic provider for stills and film
+254 722 324 176
contact@wildside-productions.com onsafariafrica@gmail.com www.wildside-productions.com
Karim El Amri
Moraction
Morocco
+212 661 588 459
karim@moraction.com info@moraction.com www.moraction.com
Khalil Lougmani
Magic Pictures
Morocco
Location scouting, equipment, other services
+212 37 29 67 86
info@magicpictures-morocco.com www.magicpictures-morocco.com
Mahacine Mokdad
Freelance
Morocco
Producer and fixer, journalist, TV Reporter
+212 679 286 797
mahacinemokdad@gmail.com www.mahacinemokdad.me
Margie McMahon
Freelance
Africa
Line producer, locations, logistics, equipment
+27 82 557 63 21
margie@margiemcmahon.co.za www.margiemcmahon.co.za
Mario Zvan
Blue Sky Films
Kenya, East and Central Africa
18 years’ experience servicing film, fixing, production work
+254 722 336 840
mario@blueskyafrica.com www.blueskyafrica.com
Mickey Fonseca
Mahla Filmes
Mozambique
Turnkey services from pre- to post and stills
+258 827 116 080
friedmozkitos@gmail.com www.mahlafilmes.com
Mimi Abe Blay Asmah
BlasTours
Ghana
Fixers, tours, location scouts, permits, translators
+233 302 404460 +233 20 8232463
info@blastours.com www.blastours.com
Peter P. Gudo
Nigma Pictures Entertainment
Mozambique
+258 20 031 409 +258 845 448 348
info@nigmamz.com www.nigmamz.com www.nigmapictures.info
Reda Fakhar
Fixers in Morocco
Morocco
+212 537 263 346 +212 610 467 009
info@fixer-morocco.com www.fixer-morocco.com
Tamer Abbas
Egypt productions LLC
Egypt
+20 2 2415 3830
info@egyptproductions.com
Turnkey services including scouting, permissions, paperwork
Disclaimer: We have done our best to source reputable information about the major fixers operating in Africa. Due to space restrictions, however, we are unable to include everyone. If you’d like your contact details included in our next listicle, please get in touch with our editor for details.
30 / LOCATION SPOTLIGHT
www.thecallsheet.co.za
THE KINGDOM OF
MOROCCO Dubbed ‘Africa’s little Hollywood’, Morocco is a veritable film destination and has serviced a number of big-budget international productions over the years.
W
hat do Game of Thrones, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Sex and the City 2 have in common? They were all shot in Morocco, of course. Most recently, Morocco has doubled as the slums of Islamabad in Pakistan for Nicolas Cage’s new comedy Army of One – the nation is certainly no stranger to film crews. Moroccan studios have had a longstanding relationship with Hollywood filmmakers. Some of the earliest movies shot here including Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much, Orson Welles’ Othello and the hugely popular classic Lawrence of Arabia starring Peter O’Toole. Thanks to a combination of Islamic cultural heritage and decades of Western influence, it is an ideal destination for a
Marrakech’s renowned Jemma El Fna © Ben Fadel
range of Middle Eastern looks. Some of the most popular locations are Marrakech, Tangiers, Fez and Ourarzazate – located deep in the Saharan Desert. Other sought-after shoot destinations are the picturesque coastal towns of Asilah and Essaouira, and the blue buildings of Chefchaouen. Morocco’s reputation as a safe and open country give it much leverage, while its tourism opportunities offer cast and crew an exotic experience to match.
FILMS SHOT IN THE COUNTRY
Morocco has a long list of films and television series shot either entirely or partially on location. Some of these include American Sniper, the first two instalments of The Mummy starring Brendan Fraser, Black Hawk Down, Kingdom of Heaven, Gladiator,
Body of Lies, The Jewel of the Nile, Babel, and of course, the ultimate classic starring Humphrey Bogart, Casablanca. City scenes such as those of Abu Dhabi in Sex and the City 2 were filmed in Marrakech’s Jemaa El Fna marketplace, while Erg Chebbi was used for A Journey Back in Time. The cast and crew Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time spent eight weeks deep in the Sahara, using over 3 000 Moroccan extras in the film. Other notable films and series include Hideous Kinky, Homeland Season 6, Hanna, Hidalgo, Captain Phillips, The Hills Have Eyes and Inception.
FILMING ON LOCATION
When filming on location in Morocco, a shooting permit issued by the Moroccan Cinematographic Centre is
© Sex And The City 2
required. Additional location permits may be required for specific locations. By international standards, the country is very cost competitive and day rates for talent is reasonable and negotiated on a personal basis. Morocco also has a small pool of local directors, videographers and stills photographers, with a growing pool of experienced support crew – although productions are encouraged to bring their own key crew, something that isn’t too hard to source thanks to its proximity to major European production centres. Studios of note include Atlas Studios, Cinedina Studios and CLA Studios and all standard equipment is available in country. Morocco also offers a 20% cash rebate for productions that shoot for at least 18 days and spend US$1-million or more.
LOCATION SPOTLIGHT / 31
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CLIMATE Morocco offers long, sunny shoot days all year round with more temperate conditions in coastal regions. Average Annual Temperatures 400C 30 0C 20 0C 10 0C 0 0C
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Max temp
Jul
Aug Sep Oct
Nov Dec
Min temp www.weather-and-climate.com
Annual Average Sunlight Hours in Marrakech, Morocco 400 hrs 300 hrs 200 hrs 100 hrs 0 hrs
Jan
Feb
Mar Apr May Jun
Jul
Aug Sep
© Palmeraie Resorts
www.weather-and-climate.com
ACCESS
THANKS TO A COMBINATION OF ISLAMIC CULTURAL HERITAGE AND DECADES OF WESTERN INFLUENCE, IT IS AN IDEAL DESTINATION FOR A RANGE OF MIDDLE EASTERN LOOKS. SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR LOCATIONS ARE MARRAKECH, TANGIERS, FEZ AND OURARZAZATE – LOCATED DEEP IN THE SAHARAN DESERT.
Oct Nov Dec
Morocco has a number of airports across the country with regular flight schedules. Marrakech Menara Airport and Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca are most popular. Carriers to Morocco include: • • • • •
British Airways Ryanair Air Arabia Maroc Royal Air Maroc Thomson Airways • easyJet • Corendon Dutch Airlines
• • • • • • • • •
Air France TAP Portugal Austrian Airlines KLM Vueling Airlines Aeroflot Lufthansa Swiss Air Luxair
• Iberia • Alitalia • Norwegian Air International • Brussels Airlines • EgyptAir • Tunisair • Turkish Airlines • germanwings
POPULATION 33,655,786 (CIA World Factbook, July 2016 est.)
CONTACT Ministry of Tourism Tel: +212 537 577 800 Web: www.tourisme.gov.ma / www.visitmorocco.com Moroccan Cinematographic Centre (Rabat) Tel: +212 537 289 200 (Switchboard) Email: contact@ccm.ma Web: www.ccm.ma
FIXER James H.E. Cutting | Company: Cutting Loose Productions UK Tel: +44 791 435 2249 | Morocco Tel: +212 699 394 860 Email: cuttinglooseproductions@gmail.com / cuttingadash@gmail.com Web: www.cuttinglooseproductions.com Atlas Studios © Ilyass T. (via Flickr.com)
32 / EVENTS TO DIARISE
MARCH CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL 3–5 Cape Town, South Africa MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL 3 – 12 Miami, USA
ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL 21 – 26 Michigan, USA
CAIRO INTERNATIONAL WOMENS’ FILM FESTIVAL 4–9 Cairo, Egypt
SA ECO FILM FESTIVAL 22 – 26 Cape Town, South Africa
RIO CONTENT MARKET 8 – 10 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL 24 March – 2 April Atlanta, USA
TAMPERE FILM FESTIVAL 8 – 12 Tampere, Finland
PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 29 – 2 April Palm Beach, USA
SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST FILM FESTIVAL 10 – 18 Austin, USA RAPIDLION: THE SOUTH AFRICAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 11 – 18 Johannesburg, South Africa LUXOR AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL 16 – 22 Luxor, Egypt
RIVERRUN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 30 – 9 April Winston-Salem, USA SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL 31 – 9 April Sarasota, USA DAKOTA DIGITAL FILM FESTIVAL 31 Bismarck, USA
www.thecallsheet.co.za
EVENTS TO DIARISE / 33
www.thecallsheet.co.za
MAY
MIPTV 3–6 Cannes, France
OXFORD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 5–7 Oxford, United Kingdom
STOCKHOLM FILM FESTIVAL JUNIOR 3–8 Stockholm, Sweden INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL NIJMEGEN 5–9 Nijmegen, Netherlands TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL 6–9 Los Angeles, USA AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL NEW ZEALAND 6 – 12 Auckland, New Zealand BOKEH SOUTH AFRICAN FASHION FILM FESTIVAL 7–8 Cape Town, South Africa HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 11 – 25 April Hong Kong, China BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINIAN FILM FESTIVAL 12 – 15 New York, USA
FESTIVAL DE CANNES 17 – 28 Cannes, France
IMAGINE FILM FESTIVAL 12 – 22 Amsterdam, Netherlands
AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL NEW ZEALAND 18 – 24 Wellington, New Zealand
BOSTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 13 – 17 Boston, USA
SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 18 – 11 June Seatt le, USA
INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE FILM FESTIVAL 15 – 22 Missoula, USA MADEIRA FILM FESTIVAL 17 – 23 Madeira, Portugal TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL 19 – 30 New York, USA NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL 20 – 29 Nashville, USA FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL 21 – 30 Winter Park and Maitland, USA
AFRIKA FILM FESTIVAL 21 – 6 May Leuven, Belgium
SUNSET FILM FESTIVAL LOS ANGELES 21 – 22 Los Angeles, USA
SETTING SUN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 27 – 30 Melbourne, Australia
KRAKOW FILM FESTIVAL 28 – 4 June Krakow, Poland
LOS ANGELES JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 27 – 4 May Los Angeles, USA
NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 30 – 1 June New York, USA
HOT DOCS 27 – 7 May Toronto, Canada
DISCOP AFRICA ABIDJAN 30 May – 1 June Abidjan, Ivory Coast
© Anna Demianenko / Unsplash
APRIL
34 / ASSOCIATIONS NEWS
INTRODUCING SWIFT Sisters Working in Film and Television (SWIFT) was formed during the 2016 Durban International Film Festival to address common concerns, share experiences, support and inspire women working in the film industry of SA. The organisation brings together, advocates for and showcases and develops women. It has nationwide reach with active members in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban so far, with four internal divisions working to meet mandates and focus on the identity of the organisation as well as other goals pertaining to issues and the shaping of narratives relating to women in the industry. Its membership spans industry heavyweights and students, providing a platform for all to network and grow. “We host a diverse range of monthly meetings every third Thursday of the month. In January 2017, we hosted a meeting on advocacy for women in the industry which
focused on the challenges women filmmakers face on set and production crews. We have a survey which will help us get more information on what their experiences have been,” explains Tendai Chitima, a spokesperson for SWIFT. In February, the Johannesburg branch of the organisation hosted a panel discussion featuring production teams and cast members of Mzansi Magic drama Lockdown and on 23 March it will do the same with Isithunzi at AFDA from 6pm onwards. Both shows portray strong female characters and deal with issues women face in our world today. For more info on SWIFT or to join the body, email swiftjoburg@gmail.com.
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NFVF ANNOUNCES COUNCIL LONGLIST The Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Nathi Mthethwa, recently invited members of the general public to comment on the longlist of nominations to serve as Council Members for the National Film and Video Foundation, in terms of the NFVF Act No. 73 of, 1997. Names of the candidates nominated to serve on the council are as follows: • Shadrack Bokaba • Sello Molefe • Mhlengi Skeelo Khumalo • Belinda Veronica Joubert • David Maahlalela • Zanele Mthembu • Mthuthuzeli Matshoba • Priscilla Fikile Mkhwanazi • Siphelo Unathi Ngcwangu • Lebogang Job Seperepere • Advocate Dimakatso Susan Qocha • Richard Harry Nosworthy • Nonkululeko Manqele • Patrick Roy Mnisi • Mfundo Amon Ntsibande
• Wandile Innocent Nkala • Kgotso Motsoane • Popo Andries Sakoane Masilo • Fikile Andiswa Masiko • Nomvuyo Mhlakaza • Krishna Govender • Rudzani Muthambi • Jeremiah Mofokeng • Delon David Bakker • Eugene Khalema Mametse • Zimkhitha Papama Zatu • Sibongile Lynette Van Damme • Mfanimpela Moses Dingiswayo • Hubert Matlou • Kwanele Gumbi • Pranitha Samsunder At the time of going to print the final selection of council members had not been announced. To stay updated, visit www.nfvf.co.za.
ASSOCIATIONS NEWS / 35
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The South African Guild of Actors has summarised the Performers Protection Act Amendment Bill on its website. The organisation has been lobbying government and the DTI to effect change in the existing Act which dates back to 1967 and which, according to Adrian Galley, fails to protect the rights of actors in today’s industry. Since Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies published a notice in the Government Gazette of intentions to introduce the bill to Parliament, a Portfolio Committee was established and industry stakeholders were invited to submit written comments on the Performers Protection Bill (B24-2016). Some of the amendments proposed include more accurately defined terms as the document outdates the dawn of television in SA, while others propose significant changes
to the Principal Act in terms of recognising an actor’s moral and economic rights. It also makes provision for an actor to transfer certain rights, and it has also proposed amendments to Clause 5 of the Act, which give effect to the economic rights of the performer. It also defines the special circumstances under which recording of the performance can be used without the actor’s consent, and makes provision for sanctions when attempts are made to pirate recordings. Galley has invited performers to consult the full document for more information, and to engage in discussion around the Bill. Written submissions can be addressed to the Portfolio Committee or forwarded to SAGA for inclusion in their written and oral presentations. For more info, visit www.saguildofactors.co.za.
WGSA CONDEMNS ‘MUSLIM BAN’
AFCI ANNOUNCES NEW APPOINTMENTS
The Writer’s Guild of South Africa has entered the murky waters of American politics recently, issuing a statement of solidarity with Michael Winship, President, Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), and Howard A. Rodman, President, Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) as they stand with Iranian Filmmaker Asghar Farhadi. “We are especially troubled by reports that Asghar Farhadi, director of THE SALESMAN, which won Best Screenplay at Cannes and is now nominated for an Oscar, may together with his cast and crew be prevented from entering our country,” they said. For more information, visit www.writersguildsa.org.
The Association of Film Commissioners International has announced the appointment of new officers to its 2017 Board of Directors: • 1st Vice-Chairman, Nick Maniatis, Director, New Mexico State Film Office (US) • 2nd Vice-Chairwoman, Dr. Marijana Stoisits, CEO, Vienna Film Commission (AT) • Treasurer, Karen Carberry - Warhola, Director, Maine Film Office (US) • Secretary, Jess Conoplia, Senior Vice President – US Production & Events, British Film Commission (UK) Kevin Jennings, Executive Manager, Film Otago Southland (NZ) continues as AFCI Chairman completing the final year of his two-year term that began in 2016. For the full list of appointments made throughout 2016 and 2017, visit www.afci.org.
Print in a hurry. Callsheets, contact cards, booklets, posters, signage, banners and a whole lot more.
25 YEARS
IN DIGITAL PRINT
Gardens +27 21 461 9334 sales@wizardz.co.za
V&A Waterfront +27 21 419 7153 wft@wizardz.co.za
Constantia +27 21 794 1394 hellocv@wizardz.co.za
Stellenbosch +27 21 883 8515 hellosb@wizardz.co.za
© Wynand van Poortvliet / Unsplash
SAGA SUMMARISES PERFORMERS PROTECTION BILL
36 / DIRECTORY
www.thecallsheet.co.za
DIRECTORY OF ADVERTISERS COMPANY
TELEPHONE
WEBSITE
PAGE
Africade Productions
+27 21 447 4114
steve@africadeproductions.com
www.africadeproductions.com
21
Annecy
+33 04 50 10 09 00
info@citia.org
www.annecy.org
Inside Back Cover
Aquila Private Game Reserve & Spa
+27 21 430 7260
res@aquilasafari.com
www.aquilasafari.com
07
Bickers Action
+27 21 864 2872
action@bickers.co.za
www.bickers.co.za
27
Cape Town International Convention Centre
+27 21 410 5000
sales@cticc.co.za
www.cticc.co.za
03
Grand Holidays Ethiopia Tours
+251 911 428 006
desale@grandholidaysethiopia.com
www.grandholidaysethiopia.com
29
Koki
+27 11 806 8180
hi@koki.co.za
www.koki.co.za
09
KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission
+27 31 325 0200
info@kwazulunatalfilm.co.za
www.kwazulunatalfilm.co.za
Outside Back Cover
Loeries
+27 11 772 1220
info@loeries.com
www.loeries.com
02, 23
Media Film Service
+27 21 511 3300
info@mediafilmservice.com
www.mediafilmservice.com
18 - 19
NA AAP Productions
+27 72 461 7762
info@naaaproductions.co.za
-
15
NFVF
+27 11 483 0880
peterk@nfvf.co.za
www.nfvf.co.za
Outside Front Cover, 24 - 25
Okuhle Media
+27 21 486 2900
vuyokazi@okhule.co.za
www.okuhle.co.za
13
Priest Post
+27 21 201 4777
cal@priest.co.za
www.priest.co.za
11
Puma Video
+27 11 886 1122
henk@pumavideo.co.za
www.pumavideo.co.za
05
Rapid Lion
+27 10 035 0980
info@rapidlion.co.za
www.rapidlion.co.za
08
Synchro Music
+27 11 431 3827
louise@synchromusic.biz
www.synchromusic.co.za
17
The Freedom Arm
+27 21 864 2872
action@bickers.co.za
www.bickers.co.za
26
Urban Brew Studios
+27 11 285 6000
natasha@urbanbrew.co.za
www.urbanbrew.co.za
Inside Front Cover, 20
Value Logistics
+27 83 289 6321
margiew@value.co.za
www.valuefilmfleet.co.za
06
Wizardz
+27 21 461 9334
andrew@wizardz.co.za
www.wizardz.co.za
35
CONTACT US Cover Image: Courtesy of NFVF www.nfvf.co.za
Writer: Kim Crowie kim@filmeventmedia.co.za
Account Executive: Theo Jacobs theo@filmeventmedia.co.za
Publisher: Lance Gibbons lance@filmeventmedia.co.za
Special Projects Designer/Illustrator: Lauren Smith lauren@filmeventmedia.co.za
Production and Traffic Manager: Natasha O’Connor natasha@filmeventmedia.co.za
Executive Editor: Katie Reynolds-Da Silva katie@filmeventmedia.co.za
Business Manager: Coleen Tapson coleen@filmeventmedia.co.za
Data Capturer: Ricky Ortell info@filmeventmedia.co.za
Head of Design: Sheree Steenkamp sheree@filmeventmedia.co.za
Account Executive: Jennifer Dianez jennifer@filmeventmedia.co.za
57 2nd Avenue, Harfield Village, Claremont, 7708, Cape Town, South Africa Tel: +27 21 674 0646
JOIN US www.thecallsheet.co.za www.fi lmeventmedia.co.za DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in The Callsheet do not necessarily represent the official viewpoint of the editor or the publisher, while inclusion of adverts/advertising features does not imply endorsement of any business, product or service. Copyright of this material is reserved. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, The Callsheet and/or its employees may not be held liable or responsible for any act or ommission committed by any person, including a juristic person, referred to in this publication. It and they furthermore accept(s) no responsibility for any liability arising out of any reliance that a reader of this publication places on the contents of this publication.