THE 4TH ANNUAL JOZI FILM FESTIVAL JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

The Fourth Annual Jozi Film Festival, taking place 20 - 22 FEBRUARY 2015, will highlight the very best in filmmaking in the heart of Johannesburg, one of the world’s most diverse and electrifying cities. 

Fantastic stories about Jozi and her habitants, as well as films made by local and international filmmakers, will be screened over a three-day period at several venues throughout the city, including The Bioscope Independent Cinema in the hip Maboneng precinct on the east side of the Johannesburg CBD.

The Jozi Film Festival will present a multi-genre slate of films from emerging and established filmmakers, exploring a broad range of themes and topics that affect our communities and stir our hearts and minds.

The festival will also offer provocative Q&A sessions with the filmmakers in attendance, workshops and seminars. Wrapping up the festival will be JFF's exciting Awards Ceremony on February 22, 2015.

Submissions are accepted until October 19, 2014, so don't delay!

We have a number of competition categories, such as Best Feature Film, Best Feature Documentary, and Audience Choice Award. Prizes will be awarded for several of the winning categories.

The Jozi Film Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching local culture, supporting the city’s vibrant film community, and reaching new audiences through the powerful language of film.

For more information about the festival and to submit your film, please visit our website: www.jozifilmfestival.co.za.

You can also find us on:
Twitter: @JoziFilmFest
Facebook: Jozi Film Festival

The Pan African Film Festival Announces Call for Submissions

America’s Largest, Most Prestigious Black Film Festival Elevates Its Tradition of Enrichment

LOS ANGELES – The call for submissions is open for the 23nd Annual Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), February 12 – 22, 2015. 

The largest and most prestigious Black film festival in the U.S. PAFF spans 11 days, and attracts 40,000+ industry and public attendees, and schedules screenings of more than 150 films from around the globe such as countries the United States, Austria, England, Bermuda, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Brazil, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, Nigeria, and Angola. American exposure generates at-home press and even award recognition for international films. The diversity of PAFF is represented by its core value of Pan-Africanism in every feature selected and its community programming including an extensive fine art show ArtFest and surrounding schools Black History Month curriculum.

“Through the years, our guiding principle of ‘Pan-Africanism’ as a movement remains to unify and provide a platform for the meaningful stories of all people of African descent worldwide – African American, Caribbean, European, Latin American, South Pacific, and Aboriginal” said Asantewa Olatunji, the director of programming for PAFF.

PAFF broadens the horizon of the film market and opens the minds of its audiences. In recent years, the reception to “Django Unchained,” “The Help,” and “12 Years a Slave” by both Black and crossover filmgoers were culturally explosive, huge box office wins and proved to Hollywood and the world that films about the Black experience were not only relevant, but also profitable.

”Any film from anywhere with a synopsis from Africa and the Diaspora is eligible,” said Ayuko Babu, executive director and a founder of PAFF. “The perspective must be realistic and reflect the Black experience. Our time is now, our stories are prime, and support of authenticity is vital,” said Babu.

ELIGIBILITY:
PAFF accepts submissions for films and videos made by and/or about people of African descent. Filmmaker(s) need not be of African or African American descent. Films should preferably depict positive and realistic images and can be of any genre -- drama, comedy, horror, adventure, animation, romance, science fiction, experimental, etc. Features and shorts both narrative and documentary may be submitted. The film festival will accept a single submission of a work in progress; however, the final version of the film must be completed no later than December 1, 2014. Submissions must be made online through the PAFF website, www.paff.org. Click onto the “Submit to PAFF 2015” button.

SUBMISSION:
Regular Submission:
Aug. 19 – Oct. 19
Features $45 | Shorts $30

Late Submission:
Oct. 20 – Nov. 19
Features $75 | Shorts $55

For complete details on rules, restrictions, fees, deadlines, and online application, visit www.paff.org. Official selections begin December 3, 2014 with “roll-out” notification; final announcement will be posted to the website no later than January 5, 2015.

COMPETITION:
The PAFF competition categories are:

• Best Narrative Feature
• Best Narrative Short
• Best Documentary
• Best Director
• First Feature
• Audience Favorite Awards for Narrative Feature
• Audience Favorite Awards for Favorite Documentary

Films in competition must be copyrighted no earlier than 2014. With the exception of Audience Favorite Awards, all films are judged by industry professionals, selected by PAFF. In addition to competition awards, other programming and festival special prizes will be awarded.

ABOUT THE PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL
The Pan African Film and Arts Festival (PAFF) is America's largest, and most prestigious Black film and arts festival. Each year, it screens more than 150 films made by and/or about people of African descent from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, South America, the South Pacific, Latin America, Europe and Canada. PAFF holds the distinction of being the largest Black History Month event in the United States.

PAFF was founded in 1992 by award-winning actor Danny Glover (“The Color Purple,” “Lethal Weapon” movie franchise), Emmy Award-winning actress Ja’Net DuBois (best known for her role as Willona in the TV series “Good Times”) and executive director, Ayuko Babu, an  international legal, cultural and political consultant who specializes in African Affairs. PAFF is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion of ethnic and racial respect and tolerance through the exhibit of films, art and creative expression.
The goal of PAFF is to present and showcase the broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce positive images, help to destroy negative stereotypes and depict an expanded vision of the Black experience. PAFF believes film and art can lead to better understanding and foster communication between peoples of diverse cultures, races, and lifestyles, while at the same time, serve as a vehicle to initiate dialogue on the important issues of our times.

Share in the movement:
Official Site: http://www.paff.org/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PAFF1992
Twitter: http://twitter.com/paffnow
Instagram: http://instagram.com/paffnow

2014 AFPRO CONNECT EXPO

The 2014 AFPRO CONNECT EXPO has arrived!

AFPRO will be bringing together Global Production VIP's,  independent film makers, industry veterans and government facilitation agencies in a two day interactive exhibition taking place in Maboneng Precinct  (JHB) from the 14th to the 15th of November 2014.

Our focal aim is to showcase  Production Incentives and  support services found in SA of which there are many to an international forum of buyers.

Our Aim being to boost the number of Feature Films, Series, Commercials and Stills campaigns being shot in South Africa in the upcoming years.

Please click here to find the AFPRO website which showcases the expo in its entirety, the expected attendance and the confirmed participation to date. And for the event summary click here.

Or contact Geoff Kukard on 082 451 4357

Cinema Nouveau Launches Exciting New Initiative to Encourage Local Filmmakers to Submit a Short Film

Original article from the NFVF website.

South Africa has a vibrant film industry that is growing in reputation and is competitive internationally. The local film industry in South Africa has been identified by government as a sector with excellent potential for growth, with the opportunity to increase employment from various sectors of the economy. According to a 2013 report from the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the country’s film and television industries contribute approximately R3.5-billion per annum to the country’s economy.

The important role that local productions are playing in telling South Africa’s stories and growing the industry cannot be ignored. Ster-Kinekor Theatres has witnessed a 44% increase in the number of locally-produced films releasing on its national circuit in the past two years alone. With the continued interest in and support of local productions, Ster-Kinekor’s art-house chain of cinemas, Cinema Nouveau, today (25 September) launched an exciting initiative to support and encourage local filmmakers to create and submit original content in the form of a short film, no longer than ten minutes in duration. The Short Film Project is being launched in partnership with Spectrum and ShortandSweet, and will roll-out over a six-month period.

The concept behind the project is to call for entries that will be judged by a panel of industry experts. The entries that make it through the initial selection process will be featured on the big screen as the ‘supporting act’ to the main feature at the Cinema Nouveau theatres in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town.

Says Doug Place, Marketing Executive of Ster-Kinekor Theatres: “We are constantly amazed by the raw and undiscovered talent that abounds in the South African film industry. We are confident that this project will provide us with an opportunity to expose original content, in the form of the short film, to a wider cinema audience.

“The Short Film Project will target filmmakers, both established and aspirant talent within the industry, to produce and enter a short film of ten minutes or less. We have partnered with ShortandSweet to curate the entries, with Spectrum providing valuable input on the post-production process. A panel of judges will then view and review the entries that make it through this process, and compile a short list of finalists that make it onto the big screen.”

Entries are now open and submissions must be received by 24 October 2014. 

Budding filmmakers need to complete an entry form (available at Cinema Nouveau theatres and via the website at www.cinemanouveau.co.za) and submit this, together with their short film via Dropbox to: shortfilmproject@sterkinekor.com.

Audiences will have the chance to view all the curated entries – not only those that make it through to the short-list – from 14 November to 14 December this year. Thereafter, the entries will be submitted to the judging panel whose final selection will be announced on 02 February 2015. These short films will have the honour of being featured on the big screen during “Oscar” weekend, which always attracts large cinema audiences.

“The project culminates with the overall winners of The Short Film Project being announced at a special function at Cinema Nouveau Rosebank on 05 March 2015. For all the filmmakers whose work is selected for screening, it is the ultimate kudos for them to view their finished product on the big screen inside a cinema,” says Place.

The overall winning director of The Short Film Project will receive the following prize: Sony camera equipment to the value of R20 000 and a screening of the winning short film at the 2015 Durban International Film Festival.  The director of the film that receives the most number of votes during the ‘Audience Choice Award’ voting process wins a screening of his or her film at 2015 Durban International Film Festival.

The Spectrum team will spend an hour with each finalist to assist them with the post-production process, and will also transfer their material to into a digital format, to play on the recently upgraded digital projection systems within the cinemas.

Ronald Henry, the MD of Spectrum.tv, comments: “Spectrum is very excited to work with our partners, Ster-Kinekor and Cinema Nouveau, on this new and exciting initiative.  We have been working with local filmmakers and distributors for more than ten years, and we are committed to helping develop and showcase emerging talent.”

Responsible for curating all the entries for the final judging process, Short & Sweet has an established reputation in curating short film festivals, and creates unique screening platforms to enhance and redefine the public’s experience of cinema.

Says Julia Stephenson, the founder and curator of Short & Sweet: “We are dedicated to the exhibition of film as a critical art form in its own right.  As such, we are delighted to be involved in this exciting new initiative with Cinema Nouveau and look forward to unearthing some real gems in the short film genre.”

Entries are now open for The Short Film Project and aspirant filmmakers have until 24 October 2014 to submit their original short film. All the project details and further information can be found on the Cinema Nouveau website - www.cinemanouveau.co.za.

The 2014 WGSA MUSE Awards call for entries

 

Following hot on the heels of the inaugural Writers' Guild of South Africa (WGSA) Muse Awards, which culminated in a highly acclaimed awards ceremony in March this year, the 2014 WGSA Muse Awards are about to launch with a bigger, better list of categories and a televised awards ceremony in March 2015. 

The WGSA Muse Awards, launched by the Writers’ Guild of South Africa (WGSA), is the only award in the country which exclusively honours the South African Performance Writer and allows the local content production industry to celebrate and promote the creativity, quality and writing excellence of local writers.

 Entries will be accepted for the 2014 WGSA Muse Awards in eight different script categories:

• Feature Film
• TV Drama
• Radio Drama
• TV Comedy
• Documentary
• Animation
• Stage Plays, and
• Unproduced Script in any genre.

A panel of independent judges will be looking for excellence in writing style, story, characterisation, dialogue, and impact. Every nominee will receive a personalised Nomination Certificate, and each winner will receive a personalised Winner’s Certificate and a beautiful specially designed WGSA Muse Trophy.

The WGSA is a registered Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) and a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO and is the only organised  industry association in South Africa with the sole purpose of protecting, developing and empowering performance writers in the local film, television, radio, stage, animation and new media (internet – mobile and digital distribution, and gaming) industries. The WGSA is a key member of SASFED (The South African Screen Federation).

The judging process will take place during December 2014 to middle February 2015, with the nominees announced at the end of February 2015. This will be followed by the award ceremony, which will take place on 9 March 2015.

Entries for the 2014 WGSA Muse Awards open on 23 September 2014 and close at midnight on the 30^th of November 2014. 

All entries have to be submitted online. The online entry system, competition rules and regulations, FAQ and entry details can be found on the WGSA Muse Awards website at http://www.writersguildsa.org/museawards.htm

Tri-Continental Film Festival 2014 starts 26 September

TRI CONTINENTAL FILM FESTIVAL 2014

How Fair Use Brought Dream Deceivers to Home Video

Posted by Patricia Aufderheide on August 06, 2014

A new generation is going to see the fabled documentary "Dream Deceivers," because its director employed fair use. 

Back in 1992, David Van Taylor ("A Perfect Candidate," "Good Ol' Charles Schulz") went behind the scenes of a notorious "heavy metal/suicide" trial for his first film.  Two young men had shot themselves, and their parents sued Judas Priest, claiming the youths were mesmerized by subliminal messages.  The masterfully-edited documentary was a look inside the vortex of moral panic.

It was also a copyright nightmare. The music and lyrics of Judas Priest laced through the film. A hyper-responsible Van Taylor, confirming to the "clearance culture" of the era, diligently sought the rights from Sony to it all.

“We cleared things that, even then, we shouldn’t have,” said Van Taylor. “People reciting lyrics in the court room, snippets of songs being played backward--everything.”

"Dream Deceivers" was a hit. It premiered at New York's Film Forum, garnered record-high ratings on PBS POV, and won an award from the Independent Documentary Association. But when Van Taylor tried to get home-video licenses, Sony refused, claiming the film would compete with a Judas Priest "greatest hits" video. With that arbitrary decision, Dream Deceivers became lost to posterity, seemingly forever.

But now, 20 years later, it’s out on DVD and digital (on August 5). What changed?

“The fair use revolution,” said Van Taylor.  What he meant was the sea change in the documentary field since the creation of the Documentary Filmmakers Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use in 2005. Van Taylor, one of the documentarians who helped create the Statement originally, had closely followed the increased acceptance of the law’s limited right to employ copyrighted material without licensing, when repurposing and using appropriate amounts.

And since, Van Taylor has become a leading spokesperson for the Statement in the documentary community. He has spread the gospel of fair use to filmmakers one-on-one and at public events from New York to Norway.  

Now "Dream Deceivers," Van Taylor's first film, is benefiting from the fair use movement he helped create.  

“So much of what I cleared back in 1992 was absurd to clear,” he said, “and now the film seems like such a slam dunk for fair use. We have no qualms.”

Van Taylor had no trouble getting standard-rate errors and omissions insurance, and his distributor, First Run Icarus, was enthusiastic about his decision to make his choices public.

"For years I've felt honored to take part in the fair-use revolution, which has accomplished so much for documentarians," Van Taylor concluded.  "To bring "Dream Deceivers" back to the public finally--and to shout its fair-use bona fides from the rooftops--seems like a perfect ending to the story."

For this original article as well as more about Copyrighting and Fair Use in America, click here.

Call for entries - AfricaMagic Viewers' Choice Awards

AfricaMagic, in association with MultiChoice and proud sponsors Amstel Malta, is announcing the call to entry for the 2015 edition of the AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs), the prestigious initiative that honours film and TV talent across the continent. 

A special announcement will be screened on all Africa Magic channels on Wednesday 3 September at 20:00 CAT, when entry for the awards will be officially opened. 

The AMVCAs were created to celebrate the contribution of African filmmakers, actors and technicians in the success of the continent’s film and television industry and with the success of the 2013 and 2014 editions, preparations are in top gear for the 2015 edition. 

Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, Regional Director for M-Net (West), said: “We are pleased to announce the call to entry for the 2015 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards. The African movie and television industry is brimming with exciting talent, and at Africa Magic we contribute to the industry by not only giving these talents the platform to showcase their art and celebrating their achievements, we also encourage them to keep honing their craft.”

This year, a number of awards in different categories will be presented ranging from acting and directing to scriptwriting and cinematography. Other categories will include: editing, make-up, sound, and lighting amongst others. 

John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, expressed his delight at the growing success of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, saying: “There have been two editions of the AMVCAs and so far, the improvement that this award has brought to African film production cannot be ignored. For us as MultiChoice, the success of these awards further showcases our commitment to recognising the amazing skills that exist in this ever-growing industry. Furthermore, our continued investment demonstrates our dedication in helping unearth and celebrate talent in the whole continent. I have much confidence that the next edition in 2015 will leave an even bigger impact on the African film production industry than the previous two.”

Also expressing her excitement for being part of the AMVCAs, Brand Manager, Amstel Malta, Miss Hannatu Ageni-Yusuf said: “As the number one premium Malt brand in Nigeria, Amstel Malta is again pleased to be part of this year’s Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards. It is truly a unique platform which aligns perfectly with the brand’s essence, encouraging and also rewarding young ambitious Africans. Last year on this platform, Amstel Malta launched its new campaign, tagged ‘the journey’. This year, the brand is set to allow consumers to witness the joys of being focused on their goals and even beating their best, while on their journey to success.”

The first edition of the AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards ceremony took place in Lagos in March, 2013, and was broadcast live to DStv and GOtv audiences across the continent. The event drew big names from across the continent’s TV and film industry and saw the Best Actor and Best Actress in a Drama awards going to Nigerian OC Ukeje and Ghanaian Jackie Appiah, in the respective categories.

In the 2014 edition, multi-award winning actress, Nse Ikpe-Etim, took home the award for Best Actress in a Drama while Ghanaian film producer/director, Shirley Frimpong-Manso’s movie The Contract won in several categories. The 2014 AMVCAs also saw renowned film and TV veteran, Pete Edochie, clinching the prestigious lifetime achievement award.

Entry for the AMVCAs is free and the closing date for submissions is the 31 October, 2014. 
Entries should be sent to:
AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards, PO Box 2963, Pinegowrie, 2123, South Africa, with attention to the Manager, Local Productions Africa. 

They can also log on to www.africamagic.tv  for more details on the submission procedure and requirements.

For the original article on DSTV click here.

Global Online Competition about Nonlinear Narratives in Apps

The Innovation and Research group at Al Jazeera Media Network has kicked off its first major community initiative with an online Innovation Challenge. This is an open competition aiming to surface new ideas about storytelling in mobile and web applications.

The Innovation Challenge competition offers substantial rewards, including the possibility of future incubation of winning ideas, invitations to large innovation events in the future, and $25,000 in cash prizes.

Morad Rayyan from Al Jazeera Innovation and Research invited software designers, technologists, and developers from around the world to participate:

 "The topic of exploration for this first Challenge will be 'nonlinear narratives'."

http://mangaplustv.com/al-jazeera-tv/

"Typically, the stories and content we create and consume are linear, and follow a logical, cause and effect structure. Yet our minds and memories work in a nonlinear way, and this offers an opportunity for new types of storytelling, and new methods of media consumption.

"The applications and software put together for the Innovation Challenge should provide new, flexible, and reusable methods of creating or consuming such nonlinear narratives."

An Invitation to Participate
Al Jazeera is looking for participants from its global audience with a variety of expertise, ranging from idea conception, through design/prototyping, and all the way to development. Full eligibility requirements are available at the Challenge website.

Early registration is encouraged so participants can start drafting their submissions, or browse existing submissions as they begin appearing.

Challenge participants can also team up through the platform with others who are looking for assistance with their ideas — which will be helpful considering the time period for submissions is limited.

How to Get Involved
Participants can go to http://aljazeera.challengepost.com and register. The submission period will be open until September 30, 2014, 14:00 GMT.

For more information, contact @aljazeerair on Twitter or e-mail innovation@aljazeera.net