The Durban Film Market kicked off in South Africa on Friday with energetic, upbeat and often controversial actors from the host nation discussing the pros and cons of the film industry after three decades of democratic rule.
“I think this industry has always been a mixture of anger and courage,” said Onke Dumiko, chief operating officer of the National Film and Video Corporation of South Africa. “You see the demand. The numbers are there. You see the beautiful work. You see the potential.”
““The challenge is how do you meet that demand. How much funding is available… when you’re really trying to work towards creating an industry that you know can make a huge difference in a country that needs it?”
Africa's largest economy has faced a host of challenges in recent years, from persistently high crime and unemployment rates to frequent power outages that have become a daily reality for South Africans of all ethnic and economic backgrounds.
Dumiko pointed to the budget shortfall at the National Film Corporation – an institution vital to both growth and transformation of South Africa’s business sector – as emblematic of larger structural issues holding back the screen industry.
“If you compare South Africa to many industries with similar GDPs, the difference here is the lack of a deliberate focus on this industry,” she said. “A deliberate focus driven by a vision, which says in 30 years’ time, what is the outcome we want for this industry and how will that impact the rest of the country?”
The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), which runs South Africa’s troubled rebate scheme, has found itself under fire from many filmmakers for what producer Mark Schwings has described as “a massive problem that is destroying our industry”. Earlier this year, industry sources told diverse The Industry and Trade Development Corporation is slowly clearing a backlog of payments that has led some producers to wait up to two years to receive compensation for expenses covered by the cashback scheme.
“Film commissions, radio and TV stations, everyone needs to deal with this, and urgently,” Schwings said. “It’s critical right now. We can’t afford anything in cash. How are we supposed to produce quality content in South Africa?”
“The ICT Foundation has bankrupted our industry,” added filmmaker Katie Winnick. “We really need, as filmmakers, to hold them accountable. We can’t keep saying we have this wonderful adversary. It’s actually so dysfunctional that it doesn’t exist. It’s so hard to be in this industry, to see talent grow. What kind of industry are we building if we don’t have this one pillar holding us together?” (The ICT Foundation did not respond to a request for comment.) diverse(Comment requested by time of publication.)
For better or worse, streaming services like local company Showmax and global platform Netflix have stepped in to fill the gap. But amid cost-cutting measures that are reshaping their business models, South African filmmakers fear they will be left in the lurch.
“Suddenly, there are a lot of opportunities. Suddenly, the budgets are bigger,” said producer Leila Swart, who was one of the keynote speakers at this year’s DFM conference. “It’s good, but at the moment, that’s the only thing we’re relying on. We don’t really have a specific local broadcaster in South Africa that’s operating. Canal+ is taking over.” [Showmax owner] Netflix is an American company. When Amazon pulled out, it crippled a lot of jobs.
“I think we’re all busy trying to fight for the same pie, but we’re looking at a pie that’s not going to feed us or satisfy us,” she continued. “At the end of the day, we’re not cultivating a new generation — new voices. And at some point, we’re going to realize we don’t have anyone. It’s so important that we start cultivating talent.”
But for all its difficulties, South Africa’s film industry looks radically different than it did three decades ago, when the country hosted its first democratic elections. Doors that had long been closed have been opened – especially to black filmmakers – and the locally produced content on screen represents the Rainbow Nation more than ever.
On Friday in Durban, many took time to reflect on the amazing journey their young country has taken – a journey it continues to take despite almost impossible odds.
“We started almost from scratch. We came from a space of prejudice that we had to dismantle to make room for new changes and new voices to be heard. It’s amazing how the film industry has changed so much,” said Yashika Singh, of the South African Public Broadcasting Corporation.
“Stories passed down through generations have shaped who we are as South Africans. It has not been easy. But at the same time, new stories have come to the fore.”
