The Finance Forum awards of the 4th Durban FilmMart 2013, the co-production programme between the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which took place from 19 to 22 July in Durban, South Africa have been announced.
The recipients who were selected by official partners and sponsors of the awards are as follows:
International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) gave an award for ‘Most Promising Documentary Project’ to Blindness (Kom Haal My) directed by Sarah Ping Nie Jones and produced Jean Meeran (South Africa) to attend IDFA 2013 later this year.
ARTE France’s ‘ARTE International Award’ to the value of €6000, went to Black Sunshine, directed by Akosua Adoma Owusu and co-produced by Julio Chavezmontes and Angele Diabang (Ghana).
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) award for a producer to attend 2013’s ‘No Borders International Co-Production Market’ in New York, USA, went to Solidarity, directed by Rungano Nyoni and produced by Juliette Grandmont (Zambia).
Paris Cinema, ‘Paris Project Award’ to attend Paris Project at the Paris Cinema International Film Festival, went to Blindness (Kom Haal My), directed by Sarah Ping Nie Jones (and produced by Jean Meeran) (South Africa).
The Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie ‘OIF Prize’ of €5000 was awarded to GITI – Paradise in Hell, produced and directed by Yves Montand Niyongabo (Rwanda).
Two development grants of €2,500 each from WorldView went to Unearthed, directed by Jolynn Minnaar and produced by Dylan Voogt (South Africa) and Talent Campus Durban/Doc Station project Parole Camp directed by Maanda Ntfandeni (South Africa)
The Your WorldView Online Short Film Challenge prize of £1,000 pounds was awarded to Freetown Home from Sierra Leone.
Videovision Entertainment’s award for ‘Best South African Film Project’ valued at R75 000 went to Five Fingers for Marseilles, directed and produced by Michael Matthews and written and co-produced by Sean Drummond (South Africa).
The Produire au Sud - Festival des 3 Continents, Nantes award went to two projects to enable them to attend the “Produire au Sud (PAS) Script Studio” at the festival: The Bill directed by Nosipho Dumisa, (co-produced by Travis Taute and Junaid Ahmed) (South Africa) and Whiplash, directed by Meg Rickards (and produced by Jacky Lourens) (South Africa).
As part of the France South Africa Seasons, another project had been pre-selected for the “Produire au Sud (PAS) Script Studio”: Hhola, Hhola directed by Madoda Ncayiyana (and produced by Julie Frederikse) (South Africa).
Additionally International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) and Hubert Bals Fund awarded the MEDIA Mundus ‘Boost’ Project prize two months ago to a pre-selected African project Wasswa – Twins’ Blessing, directed by Donald Mugisha and produced by Robert Nyanzi (Uganda) to attend DFM 2013 and ‘CineMart Rotterdam Lab 2014’.
“It has been a robust market this year, with over 200 meetings taking place with official DFM projects.” says Toni Monty of the Durban Film Office. “We are really grateful to our partners and sponsors for the valuable contributions they have made to engaging with the film-makers. The DFM is an important market for the continent, and we are encouraged by the quality of projects pitched and the interest shown in the development of African content.”
-Ends