African film market call for submissions

"This first African co-production market has the potential to act as a key driver in raising the visibility of film content from Africa," says Toni Monty, acting CEO of the DFO. "We envisage that it will provide African filmmakers with the opportunity to pitch film projects to leading financiers and meet and network with internationally reputed directors and producers in order to form alliances for future collaborations."

Projects with an African citizen attached to one of the three creative roles of writer, director or producer are eligible to participate in the inaugural Durban FilmMart. These include fiction features, animation features and documentaries suitable for international co-production and distribution.

"We expect the FilmMart to be a place for film financiers to locate fundable African projects and encourage project collaboration between African filmmakers from different African countries and through this forum redress the current scarcity of film production on this continent. In fact, it is hoped that the Durban FilmMart will become a valuable feeder stage for established co-production markets across the globe," says Peter Rorvik, director of the Centre for Creative Arts/DIFF.

The Durban FilmMart promises to be a further catalyst for growth in the region by becoming one of the key events of the South African and African film industry and a focal point to interface with global parties and stimulate interest and activity in the city and the province.

For more information on the Durban FilmMart and project submissions, go to www.durbanfilmoffice.com or contact Musonda Chimba, Durban Film Office : +27 (0) 31 3114248 or email .