From All Africa

Help is at hand for emerging black South African filmmakers trying to break into the industry, in the form of a new, R90-million fund launched on Monday by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the Department of Trade and Industry and the National Film and Video Foundation.

Over the next three years, the Emerging Black Filmmakers Fund will bankroll the full R5-million production and marketing budget of six qualifying feature films a year – with R4.5-million earmarked for development and production, and R500 000 for marketing.

To qualify, a film has to be directed and produced by black South Africans, meaning that a black producer must own at least 51% of the production company behind the movie.

“We have identified a growing need to support the production of South African films and documentaries, particularly by black filmmakers and producers,” the IDC’s head of media and motion pictures, Basil Ford, said in a statement.

National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) chief executive Zama Nkosi said this partnership aimed to address past imbalances in South Africa’s film industry. “Creating this opportunity will benefit our industry immensely, as content is key in elevating our industry, and as we take the sector to another level of attracting new markets and investments,” Nkosi said.

Read more at All Africa