18 Mar 2020
Durban, South Africa. The
Durban FilmMart has announced a new partnership with Talents Durban, as
applications open for the 2020 edition.
Talents Durban is a five-day
talent development programme, which has been presented in Durban, South Africa
for the past 12 years in co-operation with Berlinale Talents, an initiative of
the Berlin International Film Festival. This year’s Talents Durban
edition is scheduled to take place from 16 to 20 July.
Up to 20 emerging African
filmmakers and emerging film critics are selected to attend the
programme. Talents Durban comprises workshops and seminars by industry
experts with opportunities to connect with a global network of film industry
professionals, and benchmark their work against African and global trends.
“Through discussion with the
Berlinale Talents and the Durban International Film Festival, in which Talents
was previously housed, we felt that as an industry facing programme, that it
was a logical fit for it to be incorporated into the Durban FilmMart,” said
Toni Monty, current Head of the DFM.
Christine Tröstrum, Project
Manager of the Berlinale Talents commented, “Talents began in Durban ahead of
the creation of the DFM 13 years ago. The Talents programme and the DFM have
both now evolved into solid vital industry initiatives on the African
continent. With our shared aim to create again more synergies in project
development and promotion, we are sure that the intensified collaboration will
provide some excellent opportunities for the participants.”
The DFM also announced the
appointment, Menzi Mhlongo as the Manager of the programme for the 13th edition
in 2020. “Menzi Mhlongo has been the Project Manager of Talents since 2017, and
brings a wealth of institutional knowledge to the table, providing programme
stability and excellent curatorial experience,’ said Toni Monty.
“The framework for the Talents
Durban programme remains the same,” said Menzi Mhlongo. “This is a just an
operational shift, and we will continue to support emerging talents from the
continent – with a special attention to promoting a community of filmmakers to
inspire growth and expansion of African cinema. I am very excited about working
more closely with the industry through the platforms that the DFM provides.”
The Talents Durban programme
comprises a Storytelling Lab for three features, three shorts
and three TV/Web series currently in development; a Doc Lab in
which three Talents Durban with documentary projects are given expert
mentorship and can pitch their projects at the Durban FilmMart’s African
Pitching Forum; the Animation Lab which is open to
screenwriters and animation directors with animation projects and Talent
Press which offers mentorship for three emerging African film critics
and journalists
The Talents will also be able to
participate and interact within the formal DFM (17-20 July) programme with the
expected 1000 delegates in attendance this year.
Applications for Talents Durban
are now open online via http://www.berlinale-talents.de/bt/durban/ap/info/index. Talents
Durban will cover participants’ accommodation, airfare, and market
accreditation. Deadline for application is 24 April 2020. Selected projects
will be announced mid- May 2020.
Talents Durban is one of seven
Talents International initiatives around the world formed by Berlinale Talents.
It is an initiative of the Durban FilmMart in cooperation with Berlinale
Talents, with support from the Durban FIlm Office, the Gauteng Film Commission,
the International Emerging Film Talent Association, and the Namibia Film
Commission.
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