
Carol Coetzee,KZNFC CEO
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
This year marks five years since the inception of the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission (KZNFC). We spoke to Carol Coetzee, KZNFC CEO, about what the commission has accomplished over the last five years, and what lies ahead.
The KZNFC was established in 2014/15, with a very clear mandate to attract investment to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province through the promotion of film locations and to position the province as a choice film destination.
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), with its warm weather and beautiful beaches, has long been a leading tourist destination in the country. Furthermore, there has always been a clear, mutually beneficial relationship between film and tourism, says Coetzee. The provincial government identified the creative sector as a priority sector in KZN and, given the potential impact of the film sector, the commission was established to facilitate the growth thereof through specific interventions.
According to Coetzee, although still in its infancy, the KZN film industry is seeing positive growth year on year: In 2017 and 2019, KZNFC-funded films have been the highest-grossing local films at the South African box office, earning over R17m and R18m respectively. This results in the capital recoupment flowing back into the KZNFC, allowing us to fund more projects, says Coetzee.
The biggest challenge currently inhibiting the KZN film industry's growth is a combination of the skills gap and a lack of film studios. Over and above the bursary programme, the commission has invested, on average, R5m per annum towards the development of local filmmakers through free industry workshops and training programmes. There is still an issue of retaining talent in the province, as there aren't enough productions to employ young filmmakers, but as the industry grows and local film producers shift towards producing made-for-TV content, we will begin to see a change in this area. The KZNFC funding conditions ensure that local businesses and crew participate in the productions through a minimum of 50% production budgets being spent in the province, says Coetzee.
Since its inception, the KZNFC has established and implemented a number of initiatives:
The KZNFC Bursary Scheme has awarded a total of 138 bursaries with 36 students graduating over the past five years. The two-year internship has seen 30 young people undertake the programme successfully.
The KwaZulu-Natal Film Cluster, which provides a range of solutions for aspiring and existing filmmakers from shared workspaces to high speed internet connectivity, has made it easier and more affordable for filmmakers to access equipment, post-production facilities, sound studios as well as training and development programmes.
The KZNFC also hosts community screenings, throughout the province, aimed at developing local audiences and ensuring that local films are consumed by those who do not have access or simply cannot afford to go to the cinema.
The KZNFC Film Fund assists in funding projects for development, production and post-production, as well as marketing of the finished product.
The Marketing Fund supports audience development initiatives; provides funding for filmmakers to attend Film & TV markets and festivals; and aids in the marketing and distribution of the film.
Looking back on the last five years, Coetzee is extremely proud of what the commission has achieved within the province, having funded a total of 236 projects to the value of more than R250m of which 177 are in development and 59 are in production. Additionally, 113 projects are underway with new applications being received every month. Coetzee adds that the KZNFC has also encouraged co-production between local filmmakers and filmmakers across the continent and the African diaspora. Through this drive, a co-production with Nigeria was realised in 2015. Currently, there are 10 more films being developed and produced through our collaboration with Nigeria, Kenya and the minority communities in the UK, to the value of R63.5m.
Additionally, since its establishment the commission has supported more than 60 filmmakers with financing to travel to and showcase their productions at national and international festivals and markets. The recently-formed Quality Boost Programme for made-for-TV movies is intended to improve audio and video quality of these productions; shorten the time-period between development and production; arrange pre-sale deals with broadcasters; and improve efficiencies in these productions. The KZNFC will take on six made-for-TV productions under this programme in 2020/21.
Looking forward, over the next five years the commission aims to establish a thriving and sustainable local film industry, one in which local films are consumed by the masses. We hope to have attracted big international film producers to the province, to have film as a major economic contributor in our province, to have developed the necessary infrastructure to support the industry and to see more of our films on international platforms, says Coetzee.
We are looking at the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how we can equip our filmmakers to remain relevant and competitive in this changing, technology-driven industry. We also would like to see active participation in senior roles by local black crew with a strong bias towards women and youth. Our programmes on sustainable filmmaking must see a shift in production methods benefiting not only the environment but the budgets of productions. The drive in fighting gender bias and gender based violence must lead to tangible outcomes and a proud filming community with strong values and impeccable code of conduct. Another passion of the commission is ensuring that all South Africans have access to local content and a special drive to include audio-descript
More from Screen Africa
30/04/2020
-- --
The 14th South African Film & Television Awards (SAFTAs) ceremony was held on social media platform, across Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in an effo...
01/04/2020
-- --
South Africa's local film and television industry has been severely impacted by Covid-19 and a number of productions have been haltered not to m...
31/03/2020
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
When it comes to the storage of media assets (or any data, for that matter), whether it's online or up on the cloud, ...
31/03/2020
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
Written by Jerome Wauthoz, vice president of products, Tedial
The cloud has had a major impact on broadcast workflows, wi...
31/03/2020
-- --
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Pinterest
-- --...
31/03/2020
Dorothy Ghettuba
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
Netflix premiered its first script-to-screen African original production, Queen Sono, on 28 February. C...
31/03/2020
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
In a market where there is only uncertainty, and where many industries have already collapsed, as businesses face ruin and...
30/03/2020
-- --
Everyday various sectors across our continent are adjusting and finding ways to deal with challenges brought about by the current coronavirus pandem...
30/03/2020
-- --
On 28 March, Patrick Zuchowicki, president of DISCOP markets, announced the postponement of DISCOP's 2020 African markets. With much regret, I ...
27/03/2020
--
-- --
In Rage, Showmax's first Original horror movie, a group of school-leavers descend on a tiny coastal town for a celebration of their freedo...
27/03/2020
Carol Coetzee,KZNFC CEO
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
This year marks five years since the inception of the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission (KZNFC). We s...
27/03/2020
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
Currently screening on Afrikaans lifestyle channel VIA (DStv 147), new South African TV show Trap! Dis My Huis - co-prese...
26/03/2020
-- --
Botswana-based wildlife filmmakers, Dereck and Beverly Joubert's film Okavango won five awards at the 2020 New York Cinematography Awards (NYCA)...
26/03/2020
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
Sometimes it feels like there might be something in the water. By that, I refer to the experience when you find yourself o...
25/03/2020
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
In a changing broadcast environment, where streaming of content directly to the viewer is becoming the new norm, the need ...
25/03/2020
-- --
XenData, a global provider of data storage solutions, announces its new Multi-Site Sync service for cloud object storage which creates a global file...
24/03/2020
--
-- --
On-set at DP Alan Stockdale's latest colorful music video:
Atomos' Shogun 7 monitor-recorder was used to enhance the amazing capabili...
24/03/2020
-- --
IABM, the international association for broadcast and media technolo...
23/03/2020
-- --
The Independent Producers Organisation (IPO) executive committee recently issued a statement with regards to COVID-19 and current developments withi...
23/03/2020
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese is a self-taught filmmaker and visual artist from Lesotho, now based in Berlin. His film Mother, ...
20/03/2020
Cape Town International Film Market & Festival 2017
-- --
The ninth Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF) has been postponed to 24 to 27 Apr...
19/03/2020
-- --
The Durban FilmMart has announced a new partnership with Talents Dur...
18/03/2020
-- --
The world of entertainment is changing rapidly. Increased access to fibre to the home, as well as a growing number of content creators and video-on-...
18/03/2020
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
Written by Andreas Jacobi, CEO and co-founder of Make.TV a division of LTN Global
The South African TV market continu...
18/03/2020
-- --
The organisers of the Media Production & Technology Show have announced the postponement of the 2020 event as a result of the spread of COVID-19.
...
17/03/2020
-- --
Exactly a month since its development announcement of the EOS R5 - a full frame mirrorless camera built on the revolutionary EOS R System - Canon In...
17/03/2020
-- --
The world of entertainment is changing rapidly. Increased access to fibre to the home, as well as a growing number of content creators and video-on-...
16/03/2020
-- --
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Pinterest
-- --...
16/03/2020
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
In an effort to increase awareness and un...
16/03/2020
-- --
Discovery Inc has appointed Clare O' Neil as their commercial director for Discovery in Africa. O' Neil's focus will be on driving comme...
16/03/2020
-- --
RapidLion - The South African International Film Festival awarded 16 winners at its 2020 awards ceremony which took place on Saturday, 14 March in J...
16/03/2020
-- --
The National Film & Video Foundation have announced that the 2020 SAFTAs ceremony will not go ahead as planned.
In light of the announcement made ...
12/03/2020
-- --
The 2020 edition of the annual NAB Show, which was scheduled to run this April in Las Vegas, has been cancelled due to concerns over the spread of c...
11/03/2020
-- --
At what will be the first major public appearance following the announcement of Black Dragon Capital's intent to acquire Grass Valley, at NAB Sh...
11/03/2020
-- --
In response to the coronavirus outbreak, media technology leader Avid has announced its decision to cancel participation in all trade conferences an...
10/03/2020
-- --
The World Literacy Foundation and the Vizrt Group have announced an ...
10/03/2020
-- --
At NAB Show 2020, EditShare, through workflow demonstrations and theatre presentations, will showcase how their scale-out shared storage and collabo...
09/03/2020
Leanne Mostert, Webber Wentzel
-- --
Written by Leanne Mostert, Bernadette Versfeld, Tim Ball, Carla Collett, Cameron MacKenzie from Webber Wentzel
The ...
09/03/2020
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
A year after announcing Cartoon Network A...
09/03/2020
Charlene Govender, Sasani Studios
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
Screen Africa chats to Charlene Govender of Sasani Studios about how increased investm...
06/03/2020
-- --
On 5 March, in the attendance of the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa and Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane, the East...
04/03/2020
-- --
The streaming media industry is now entering a new era, as major launches and acquisitions carve out a global landscape for 2020 and beyond. US Dire...
04/03/2020
TVU MediaMind
-- --
TVU Networks, a global technology and innovation leader in live IP solutions and Technology and Engineering Emmy Award winner, will ...
04/03/2020
Image credit: University of Edinburgh
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
When is technology development ever going to slow down? Just when you thought that...
04/03/2020
-- --
In a world that is fast-paced and ever-evolving, remaining the same is not an option. This seems to be the mantra that South Africa's number one...
03/03/2020
-- --
For more than 50 years the world's most successful broadcasters have relied on Calrec. They still do. As our industry adapts to new viewing habi...
02/03/2020
-- --
On 27 February, Netflix announced that it will increase its investment in Nigeria's creative community with the production of its first African ...
02/03/2020
Generation Z (Source: Pexels.com)
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
Standing at the beginning of a new year in a new decade is exciting. This new decade, i...
02/03/2020
-- --
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE:
It's not a secret that the issue of land redistribution remains a contentious and highly emotional subject in post-Ap...
28/02/2020
--
-- --
More than half of the catalogue of TV shows and movies on Showmax, whether measured in hours or number of episodes, is now local content. This...