At the end of the 12-week programme, all 12 projects will be pitched to an independent panel of industry professionals who will select three projects to pitch in the 15th annual Durban FilmMart as an official project.
The 15th annual Durban FilmMart takes place from 19 - 22 July 2024 in Durban, South Africa.
DFM Access is a lab for entry-level producers.
It provides a nurturing framework for participants with existing long-form or episodic independent film projects to improve their project packages and pitching skills for the global marketplace.
The programme focuses on topics such as story development, legal aspects of film production and financing, international co-production, distribution, and pitching.
“DFM Access has become a key part of the Durban FilmMart Institute’s programming, not only as part of the year-round offering but also connecting to the annual market hosted in July,” says DFMI director, Magdalene Reddy.
“In the past DFM Access participants have gone on to secure development funding and participation at international markets and training programmes after being selected to pitch at the annual Durban FilmMart. The 3rd edition of DFM Access allows new voices to be heard.”
The programme provides mentorship by industry professionals producing successful films and adding great value to the film ecosystem.
Kethiwe Ngcobo, David Horler and Neiloe Whitehead will mentor the fiction projects.
Ngcobo has been in the Film and television industry for 30 years. She started as a trainee assistant film editor and has been a filmmaker television producer and broadcaster. She’s produced eight documentaries, eight drama series and five feature films produced through her company Fuzebox.
Horler is a producer at Proper Film based in Cape Town and is an alumnus of the Eave Producers Workshop [Eurozone] alongside various other laboratories, networking and training forums. His recently completed feature films as producer include Jenna Bass’s feminist western Flatland (2019 Berlinale Panorama opening film) and Bass’s supernatural dramedy High Fantasy (2017 Toronto International Film Festival, 2018 Berlinale).
Whitehead cut her teeth in the production and development department of the National Film and Video Foundation. She is co-owner of Black Seed Film Hub, a black female-led production company.
Miki Redelinghuys and Khalid Shamis will mentor the documentary projects.
Redelinghuys is a documentary filmmaker passionate about the power of film for impact.
Shamis runs the RCLA, Rough Cut Lab Africa, a lab dedicated to supporting African independent documentary films in the rough cut stage with African consultation.
Bongi Ndaba and Tracey-Lee Rainers will mentor the Episodic projects.
Ndaba is a producer and director at Fosha Pty Ltd.Rainers is an international story development practitioner and creative collaborator with a 16-year track record in the film and television industry. She is the owner of Story Oasis.
The DFM Access is produced by the Durban FilmMart Institute with principal funding from the Durban Film Office and Ethekwini Municipality. The 3rd DFM Access is supported by South Africa’s National Film and Video Foundation PESP funding.
