Africa’s premier co-production market, the Durban FilmMart (DFM) is now open for project submissions. With principal funding from the eThekwini Municipality, Durban FilmMart (DFM) is a partnership between the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).
Calls for submission of feature-length fiction, documentary and animation films openened on 25 October 2013, and close on 18 February 2014. Selected projects will be invited as official projects of the 2014 DFM programme, with support provided for one representative of each selected project to attend DFM in July next year.
The 5th DFM takes place in Durban from 18-21 July 2014, during the 35th edition of the DIFF (17-27 July 2014). DFM will serve as a meeting place for national and international film producers, buyers, financiers, sales agents, funders and other film professionals, who will participate in industry-related workshops, master classes, seminars and networking events. Ten fiction projects and ten documentary projects will be selected for one-on-one meetings with potential investors and co-producers in the Finance Forum. Documentary projects will also be pitched to a panel of commissioning editors and funders in the DOC Circle Pitching Forum.
DFM, a catalyst for growth of the African Film industry, aims to develop African filmmakers by creating opportunities within the sector. Ms Toni Monty, head of DFO, encourages African filmmakers to submit their projects “We are excited to provide a platform for African filmmakers to be heard as well as providing a chance to get their foot in the door through facilitating funding and networking within the industry. Don’t let this opportunity of a lifetime pass you by,” says Toni Monty.
Peter Machen, Manager of the Durban International Film Festival, said, “After the massive success of last year’s festival, we are hugely excited about another year of partnership with the Durban FilmMart. DFM is a major event on the African and international film calendar”.
Entries are open to all Africans in key creative roles, whether they are writers, directors or producers (all projects must have a producer attached). To find out how to submit your project, please visit www.durbanfilmmart.com. Submissions for Durban International Film Festival 2014 will open shortly.
With roots embedded in all corners of the African continent, DFM has been heralded as a significant catalyst for growth of the African Film industry and a vital interface with global film sectors.
At the DFM a Finance Forum will sit for four days, with selected projects chosen by an international “project reader committee” which engages in a two-day pitching and packaging training programme prior to the one-on-one meetings with investors, where filmmakers pitch their projects. The Master Classes are a forum for professional filmmakers where experts present master classes and seminars on critical issues in film. Africa in Focus is a four-day series of workshops and seminars for entry-level filmmakers with a special focus on the development of African content.
Important information:
- All submissions must be made in English
- Full scripts brought to the Durban FilmMart in July 2013 may be in the original language of project
- Fiction features with theatrical potential must be minimum of 70 minutes
- Animation features with theatrical potential must be a minimum of 70 minutes
- Documentaries must be a minimum of 48 minutes
- Entries are open to Africans wherein the producer, director or writer must be an African citizen
- All projects should have a producer attached.
