With support from the National Film and Video Foundation PESP funding, 12 South African projects were selected to participate in a 12-week development programme, made up of weekly plenary sessions and one-on-one mentorship, currently running online.
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 gives new voices an opportunity to be heard.”
At the end of the 12-week programme, all 12 projects will pitch to an independent panel of industry professionals who will select 3 projects to pitch in the 15th annual Durban FilmMart as an official project. The 15th annual Durban FilmMart will take place from 19 – 22 July 2024 in Durban, South Africa.
DFM ACCESS 2024 PROJECTS:
Documentary
● AFRICA AI, produced by Amílcar Patel and directed by Amílcar Patel and Chris Kets
● The One Who Sings, produced by Cameron Lawry and directed by Chelsea Art
● MADOSINI THE LEGACY, produced by Leroy Mnyulwa and directed by Herbert Delaney
Fiction
● Morning Light, produced and directed by Luhnar Pickering
● Mulisa, produced by Nhlanhla Ndaba and Fanney Tsimong
● The Pathfinder, produced and directed by Rafieka Davis
● UNOMBULELO (working title), produced and directed by Philile Njikija
● Time Travelling While Black, produced by Kopano Motsekoa and directed by Mazi
● LOVE RUNS WILD, produced and directed by Njabulo (Soulist De Blac) Mashinini
Episodic
● Color Me Blue, produced and directed by Karabo Mokoena
● INKANYAMBA, produced and directed by Obett Motaung
● World Without End, produced by Morgan Morris and directed by Stephen Nagel
MENTORS
The programme provides mentorship by industry professionals who have been producing successful films and adding great value to the film ecosystem.
The fiction projects will be mentored by Kethiwe Ngcobo, David Horler and Neiloe Whitehead. Kethiwe has been in the Film and television industry for 30 years. She started as a trainee assistant film editor and has been a filmmaker and television producer and broadcaster. She’s produced 8 documentaries, 8 drama series and 5 feature films produced through her company Fuzebox. She was Head of Drama at The SABC Channels – 1,2 and 3 and is widely acknowledged and recognised for her outstanding contribution and expertise that she brought to this role. David 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. He has produced and collaborated on more than fifteen titles in both long and short-form documentary and narrative fiction; alongside film-related projects across a wide variety of media including television, advertising, music video production and online media content. 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). Neiloe Whitehead cut her teeth in the production and development department of the National Film and Video Foundation. She completed the 2022 Realness/Netflix lab for development execs. She is an experienced scriptwriter who has written on shows like uBettina Wethu, the South African changed format of Ugly Betty amongst many more. She is passionate about story development in both fiction and factual content. As a script editor, she has worked with the National Film and Video Foundation, Kwazulu-Natal Film Commission in South Africa, and many other film programs around the world. 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. Miki is a documentary filmmaker passionate about the power of film for impact. In 2020 she completed a MA at UCT with a focus on social impact through film, using her own film, This Land as a case study. She consults as an impact producer, serves as programme director for the UCT Sunshine Cinema Impact course, is co-director of the Climate Story Lab Southern Africa and coordinates the DFA docLOVE film screening program. Khalid has been a director and respected editor of independent documentaries since 2005 he has worked with some of the leading filmmakers in South Africa, very much enjoying seeing those films travel the world. Khalid also runs the RCLA, Rough Cut Lab Africa, a lab dedicated to supporting African independent documentary films in rough cut stage with African consultation.
Bongi Ndaba and Tracey-Lee Rainers will mentor the Episodic projects.Bongi Ndaba is producer and Director at Fosha Pty LTD. She started in theatre then moved to television in 2004 and her career has had achievements of writing and Head writing biggest shows, from Gaz’lam to Home Affairs, Generations, Isidingo, Uzalo, breaking AR records throughout. Tracey-Lee 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, a Johannesburg-based development hub focused on growing African writing talent and shaping authentic narratives. Her company spearheads the Trajectory Training Programme – a writer-focused, story editing initiative now in its third year. She serves as a story coach on various local and international screenwriting labs. Her most recent narrative works are currently streaming on various platforms.
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.
