Durban FilmMart Institute Announces the Selection of Participants for Talents Durban 2026

The Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI) announces the lineup of participants for the 19th edition of Talents Durban, taking place during the Durban FilmMart (DFM) in Durban from 9 – 12 October 2026. As the African satellite programme of Berlinale Talents, Talents Durban continues to play a vital role in nurturing emerging African filmmakers, animators, and film critics through mentorship, professional development, and international networking opportunities. 

Berlinale Talents is a networking platform organised by the Berlin International Film Festival, offering a space for emerging filmmakers to connect, learn, and collaborate. Talents Durban serves as its African counterpart, providing a similar platform specifically tailored to the continent's unique filmmaking landscape.

DFMI Director, Magdalene Reddy, explains, “The Durban FilmMart Institute remains committed to advancing African cinema through strategic collaborations that expand international access to professional networks, markets, and sustainable industry opportunities. Talents Durban is central to this vision. Now in its 19th year of partnership with Berlinale Talents,  this partnership helps to contribute meaningfully to the long-term growth and sustainability of the African film ecosystem.”

The 2026 edition reflects the diversity of African storytelling, bringing together participants from 18 African countries. This year’s selection process was highly competitive, receiving a record 551 applications. From these submissions, 26 participants and six film critics were selected across fiction features, documentaries, short films, episodic content, animation, and film criticism.

Selected participants will engage in an intensive programme of project-oriented and hands-on professional development initiatives, including Story Junction pitching sessions, masterclasses, mentorship engagements, and one-on-one consultations with leading industry experts.

Mentors for the 2026 edition include Akosua Adoma Owusu, Amine Hattou, Bongi Ndaba, Comfort Arthur, Jihane Bougrine, Mayye Zayed, Nicole Schafer, Oris Aigbokhaevbolo, Ramadan Suleman and Razanajaona Ambinintsoa Luck.

A highlight of this year’s programme is the evolution of the Talent Press stream through the introduction of a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Digital Newsroom model. Moving beyond the traditional workshop format, the programme will simulate a live festival newsroom environment.

Acclaimed alumni Wilfred Okiche and Domoina Ratsara return as Section Editors, mentoring and collaborating directly with a new generation of emerging African critics serving as Festival Film Writers. The initiative is further strengthened through partnerships with the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival (04-14 June 2026) and the Durban International Film Festival (23 July - 2 August 2026), providing participants with real-world reporting experience, and opportunities to publish critical writing from the forefront of African cinema.

Talent Press is an initiative of Talents Durban in collaboration with FIPRESCI. A new collaboration between the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF), the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), and the Durban FilmMart Institute was announced during FIPRESCI's annual reception. The partnership will see FIPRESCI select an outstanding participant from the Talents Durban Press programme at Durban FilmMart 2026 to receive an award presented by CIFF. The selected critic will be invited to attend the Cairo International Film Festival, cover the festival's activities, and contribute to its English-language daily publication. This initiative represents an important step in strengthening film criticism across the African continent and creating greater opportunities for emerging critical voices to engage with international film culture and discourse.

Official 2026 Talents Durban Participants and Projects:

Fiction Features

Kelvin Kagambo – Dogi Dogi (Tanzania)

Lawrencia Aphua Larbi-Amoah – Bare Feet (Ghana)

Meekaaeel Adam – The Violent Type (South Africa)

Mélanie K. ZAWADI – THE BASEMENT (DRC)

Russell Oru – The Things We Leave Behind (Nigeria)

Shandra Apondi – The Words I Do Not Have (Kenya)

Documentaries

Ahmed Shams Nagm Eldin – SABARY (Sudan)

Hussein Eddeb – The birth of Derna (Libya)

Junior Mozese – ABÉTI (DRC)

Michelle Simon – Rivers: Under Threat  (South Africa)

Ramaroson Razafimbelo Anatole – Fitampoha, the return of the king of Menabe (Madagascar)

Sarra El Abed – Goodbye Party (Tunisia)

 

Fiction Shorts

Daisy Masembe – Rukia (Uganda)

Ghazzal Abdullah – Facing the Sun (Egypt)

Moso Sematlane – Nightbirds (Lesotho)

Sarah Abena Adjei – Awake (Ghana)

Tendaiishe Chitima – The Last Tree on Kilimanjaro (Zimbabwe)

Xola Limba – Only We Remain (South Africa)

 

Episodic

Cheyi Okoaye – Cause, Effect & Maybe Consequences? (Nigeria)

Des Dlamini – Slightly Awkward (South Africa)

Rudo Furusa – Borrowed Skin (Botswana)

SOGOBA Hawa – The Eleventh Year (Mali)

 

Animation

Jack Machiridza – All You Sheep (Zimbabwe)

Kirollos George – Alexandria forever (Egypt)

Pule Mohotsi –  Amandla (South Africa)

Talent Press 

Elijah Oluwanisola (Nigeria)

Hlumela Luvuno (South Africa)

NEYA Harouna (Burkina Faso)

Michelle Abuti (Kenya)

Domoina Ratsara (Madagascar) – Alumni

Wilfred Okiche (Nigeria) – Alumni 

The Heads of Berlinale Talents, Nikola Joetze and Tobias Pausinger, highlight their anticipation, stating: “At Berlinale Talents, we regard Talents Durban as an essential creative partner and a space where exceptional filmmakers and storytellers from across the African continent continue to push boundaries, challenge form, and expand the global cinematic imagination. Year after year, we are inspired by how Talents Durban nurtures bold artistic voices that embody the spirit of this year’s Berlinale Talents theme, Creating and Confusion, transforming uncertainty into innovation and new narrative possibilities.

Equally vital is the internationally renowned Durban Film Market itself, which stands as one of the continent’s most significant platforms for connecting emerging and established talent with industry opportunity. It plays a decisive role in strengthening the creative ecosystem, while underscoring South Africa’s position as a dynamic and indispensable hub for the international film industry.”

As the premier film market in Africa, the 17th edition of the Durban FilmMart, under the theme “Shifting Worlds: Turning Towards Ourselves”. Inspired by the words of Ousmane Sembène, often referred to as the “father of African cinema” who said, “Why be a sunflower and turn toward the sun? I, myself, am the sun,” the 17th edition of the Durban FilmMart will be the space for discussions that advance alternative film funding pathways, revise models for distribution, consider equitable co-production frameworks and create authentic partnerships. DFM 2026 will encourage looking within to forge relationships and design new strategies that will brace a world in flux and endure the economic and social structures that are changing and destabilising the film industry.

More information on this year’s theme can be found on the Durban FilmMart Institute’s website, https://durbanfilmmart.co.za/

Delegate registration and programme details will be announced in due course.

The 17th edition Durban FilmMart is funded by the Durban Film Office, eThekwini Municipality, Ford Foundation, the National Film and Video Foundation and IEFTF.

Talents Durban 2016 Participants Announced

Media Release

TALENTS DURBAN 2016 PARTICIPANTS ANNOUNCED

The 37th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is proud to announce the participants of the 9th edition of Talents Durban, presented in cooperation with the Berlinale Talents, an initiative of the Berlin International Film Festival. Talents Durban is a five-day development programme consisting of workshops and seminars for African filmmakers delivered by film professionals and academics. The Talents, who are selected through a rigorous application process, will also have the opportunity to attend screenings and other events at the Festival.

Talents Durban is one of the six Talents International programmes formed by Berlinale Talents. The other Talents programmes include Talents Beirut in Lebanon, Talents Buenos Aires in Argentina, Talents Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Talents Tokyo in Japan and Talents Guadalajara in Mexico.

20 filmmakers from eight countries across the continent, including South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Egypt and Madagascar, will be in attendance.

The selected participants for Durban Talents 2016 are:

Adefoyeke Ajao (Nigeria), Amirah Tadjin (Kenya), Desmond Denton (South Africa), Flavia Motsisi (South Africa), Hiwot Getaneh (Ethiopia), Izette Mostert (South Africa), Kennedy Omoro (Kenya), Maragert Wacera (South Africa), Nathan Rice (South Africa), Peter Seduffia (Ghana), Razanajaona Luck (Madagascar), Sakhumzi Mati (South Africa), Sameh Morsy (Egypt), Sheetal Magan (South Africa), Tamara Dawit (Ethiopia), Thea Small (South Africa), Tumelo Moutlana (South Africa), Wim Steytler (South Africa), Wome Uyeye (Nigeria), and Yara Pereira (Mozambique).

Presented under the theme Degrees of Separation: Connecting People and Story, Talents Durban aims to boost the already rising flow of contemporary filmmaking in Africa, and to encourage filmmakers on the continent to share their stories through the lens of their own own particular culture. Participants will interact with over 600 delegates from DIFF and Durban FilmMart, the co-production and finance forum which takes place from 17-20 June during the festival. The talents will also get to be part of several project-oriented, hands-on skills development programmes. Practical development programmes within Talents Durban include Story Junction, masterclasses, and one-on-one mentorships.

Story Junction is a platform showcasing projects linked to the festival. Participants will present their project at Story Junction to peers and industry delegates. Delegates will be able to request meetings with projects that they wish to engage with further.

Like last year, Talents Durban participants will have access to all industry master classes, panel discussions and festival functions. In addition, the Talents will be invited to all festival functions as well as events of the Durban FilmMart.

Each of the Talents Durban participants will receive a mentor for an intensive programme of one-on-one consultation and project and strategy development workshops for the entire group. The mentors selected are experts in their respective fields (e.g. documentary, fiction, drama series, web, mobile content, TV) that suit the needs of the participant and their projects.

Talents Durban is supported by the Goethe Institut SA, the German Embassy in South Africa and the Gauteng Film Commission.

For more information about Talents Durban at the DIFF go to www.durbanfilmfest.co.za.

The Durban International Film Festival takes place from 16-26 June 2016. The Festival includes nearly 200 theatrical screenings, as well as the Wavescape Film Festival and various industry initiatives, including the 9th Talents Durban programme (in cooperation with the Berlin Talent Campus) and the 7th Durban FilmMart co-production market (in partnership with the Durban Film Office). 

The 37th Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, with support from the National Film and Video Foundation, Durban Film Office,  eThekwini Municipality, German Embassy, Goethe Institut, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture, and a range of other valued partners.

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Talents Durban

TALENTS DURBAN – START MOTION

In cooperation with Berlinale Talents at the 36th Durban International Film Festival

17 – 21 July 2015

The industry development programme for young film-makers, Talents Durban, in cooperation with Berlinale Talents, will take place from 17 to 21 July as part of the 36th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) which runs from 16 to 26 July. The DIFF reminds participants to apply for the programme before April 13, 2015.

Forty selected participants from all over Africa will be given a chance to forge relationships with their global counterparts in an intensive programme of seminars, hands-on training, workshops and industry networking activities, as well as having access to hundreds of film screenings at the festival..

“The theme of the programme this year is Start-Motion,” says Tiny Mungwe, Project Manager at the DIFF. “At the turn of the 20th century, early filmmakers used stop-motion techniques to bring a sequence of still images to life on screen, astonishing audiences with the fantastical new medium. Throughout the history of film, new technologies have continued to revolutionize the way we make and watch films.”

“The 8th edition of Talents Durban aims to identify the compelling new voices of emerging African filmmakers and invites them to re-invent the approach to making films on the continent.” explains Mungwe. “With this, the idea of Start-Motion is born. It is how we bring together the knowledge of traditional practices, combined with the latest techniques, to create momentum for emerging African filmmakers to harness and use to fuel progress in our global society. Furthermore, the approach highlights changes in the current mode of storytelling in Africa, encouraging filmmakers on the continent to share their stories through their own cultural, economic and political lenses.”

With access to screenings throughout the festival and through participating in conversations with experts from around the world, Talents Durban seeks to boost the already rising flow of current filmmaking in Africa.  The 8th Talents Durban programme will consist of master classes lead by leading experts in filmmaking, panel discussions by the key industry players, networking opportunities with fellow Talents Durban participants and over 600 delegates of the Durban International Film Festival and Durban FilmMart as well numerous project orientated skills development programmes. Combined these elements will set off a chain reaction of perpetual motion in the contemporary African film industry that will continue to expand and thrive.

Applications are now open and deadline for completed application will be 13 April 2015.

To apply online go to: http://www.berlinale-talents.de/bt/ap/select/event/50 or visitwww.durbanfilmfest.co.za

Talents Durban is presented in co-operation with Berlinale Talents and is made possible by the KZN Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the German Embassy, the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, the Goethe-Institut and the Gauteng Film Commission.

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For more information contact:

Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Tel: +27 31 260 2506/1816

Fax: +27 31 260 3074

Email: talentsdurban@gmail.com

For media enquiries please contact:

Sharlene Versfeld

Mobile: +27 (0) 83 326 3235

Tel: +27 (0) 31 811 5628

Email: sharlene@versfeld.co.za

Twitter: sharlvers

Website: www.versfeld.co.za

Talents Durban at 35th Durban International Film Festival

Durban, South Africa: The 35th Durban International Film Festival (July 17 to 27) is proud to present the 7th edition of Talents Durban (formerly named Talent Campus Durban) – a skills sharing, development and networking platform or emerging filmmakers from Africa. Talents Durban is presented in collaboration with the Berlinale Talents programme of the Berlinale Film Festival with support from the KZN Film Commission, German Embassy, Goethe Institute and Gauteng Film Commission. Talents Durban, along with the Durban FilmMart (which is a co-production between DIFF and the Durban Film Office) forms part of the Durban International Film Festival Industry Programme.

40 filmmakers from 10 countries across the continent including South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Madagascar, Tunisia and Namibia will be in attendance. The programme consists of master classes, in depth discussions with critically acclaimed film professionals from across the globe, hands-on training programme as well as networking opportunities for selected participants.

Master Classes
Talents Durban participants will be able to participate in a co-production master class with French producer Denis Vaslin. Vaslin is a producer of documentary and fiction, and his titles include 40 Days of Silence, Solo, The World Belongs to Us, The Hum of Holland and Snackbar. He heads up a Dutch production company Voyla Films and co-owns a French production company Madra Films.

Australian documentary development expert, Julia Overton will present a Documentary Finance master class on Documentary Financing. Overton is a Development and Investment Manager at Screen Australia where she is instrumental in assisting filmmakers with getting their projects produced with local or international support. Overton has been involved in the development of several critically acclaimed films including The Snowman, A Good Man, Forbidden Lies, First Australians, Contact and Salt.

Talents Durban participants will also have access to a master class with pitch expert Stefano Teadly, a South African-born, Italy-based producer, director and pitch expert. Teadly has produced and directed numerous films including A World of Pasta, Doctor Ice, Coffee Please and Tea for All and the series Food Markets - In the Belly of the City. Recent works produced include Mostar United, Vinylmania and Char, No Man’s Island.  Teadly is a graduate of the EAVE programme and director of the Italian workshop, Documentary in Europe, has chaired EDN and is a national coordinator for INPUT. He also tutors film development and production at numerous universities and organizations including ; Biennale Cinema College, Cannes Film Market, Films de 3 Continents – Produire au Sud, Media Business School,Med Film Factory, Scuola Holden, TFL-Torino Film Lab, ZELIG Film School.

The above master classes will also be open to Durban FilmMart delegates.

Talents Durban will also feature a hands-on training programme including Doc Station, Script Station and Talent Press. 

Doc Station selects three documentary projects in development for coaching and mentoring towards participation in a public pitch at the DFM’s pitching forum – The African Pitch. Participants are given mentoring prior to the pitch and during preparations at the festival. After the pitch they are given advice from mentors on how to proceed with their projects.
Script Station is a script development programme for short films which pairs four participants with script editors who assist in clarifying story and getting to an advanced draft of their script. 

Talent Press is presented in cooperation with Fipresci, an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world which lobbies for the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests. The programme invites four critics to cover the films and events of the Durban International Film Festival for online and print publication.

The following are the selected participants of the Talents Durban:
Susan Wanjiru (KENYA), Christiaan Kritzinger (SOUTH AFRICA), Timoteo Edzeani Doh (GHANA), Donovan Orr (SOUTH AFRICA), Alexander Melck (SOUTH AFRICA), Jozua Malherbe (SOUTH AFRICA), Bahaaeldin Elgamal (EGYPT), Frances Bodomo (GHANA), Shane Vermooten (SOUTH AFRICA) Abdellatif Amajgag (MOROCCO), Mohamed Siam (EGYPT), She Mulinya (KENYA), Harold Holscher (SOUTH AFRICA), Udoka Oyeka (NIGERIA), James Walsh (SOUTH AFRICA), Diana Keam (SOUTH AFRICA), Willem Grobler (SOUTH AFRICA), Francis William Nicholson (SOUTH AFRICA), Zolani Ndevu (SOUTH AFRICA), Roger Young (SOUTH AFRICA), Sitraka Randriamahaly (MADAGASCAR), Fatma Azibi (TUNISIA), Perivi John Katjavivi (NAMIBIA), Manqoba  Nkosi (SOUTH AFRICA), Miklas Simeon Manneke (SOUTH AFRICA), Aidan Whytock (SOUTH AFRICA), Mustafa Aiman (EGYPT), Henok Birhanu (ETHIOPIA), Ofonime Inyang (SOUTH AFRICA), Terhemen  Agbedeh (NIGERIA), Monica Obaga (KENYA), Oribhabor Kelvin Aigbokhaevbolo (NIGERIA), Saskia  Schiel (SOUTH AFRICA), Morokwe Kaizer Mokgobu Mokgobu (SOUTH AFRICA), Ntuthuko Qwabe (SOUTH AFRICA), Caroline Doherty (SOUTH AFRICA), Mark Middlewick (SOUTH AFRICA), Kulanen Ikyo (NIGERIA), Penelope  Tshilwane (SOUTH AFRICA), Marcus  Hebbelmann (SOUTH AFRICA), Emma Bestall (SOUTH AFRICA)
 
“The Durban International Film Festival welcomes these filmmakers to the Industry Programme and are proud to present them as the future of African Cinema,” says DIFF festival manager Peter Machen, “The diversity of voices in this selection echoes the theme of this year’s Talents Durban – Continent of Contrasts/de Contraste – inspired by a revered elder of African cinema Djibril Diop Mambéty whose 1968 short films was entitled Contras’city (City of Contrasts). We hope this crop of Talents at DIFF will follow in the footsteps of giants of African cinema.”
Talents Durban takes place on 18-22 July within the DIFF Industry Hub at Elangeni Hotel on the Durban beach front.

Talents Durban is produced by the Durban International Film Festival and Berlinale Talents, and is supported by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, German Embassy in South Africa and the Goethe-Institut South Africa and Gauteng Film Commission.

The 35th Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (a special project of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Humanities, Cheryl Potgieter) with support from the National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development & Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institut, Industrial Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture and a range of other valued partners.

For more information go to www.durbanfilmfestival.co.za

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7th Talents Durban extends deadline for application by one week!

Talents Durban will be extending the closing date of applications for 2014 by a week, making the new closing date 8 April 2014.

The 35th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, with support from Berlinale Talents, would like to announce the extension of applications for 7th Talents Durban taking place 18-22 July. Applicants can apply online at www.durbanfilmfest.co.za before the closing date of 10 April 2014.

What we’re looking for:

{C}·         Filmmakers from Africa.

{C}·         Filmmakers with at least one film that has been screened at a recognised film festival or has been broadcast.

{C}·         Final year/postgraduate students of film.

{C}·         Film critics from Africa.

More information/ participation conditions are available on the online application tool.

This year’s Talents Durban’ theme, Continent of Contrast/de Contrastes, is an ode to the godfather of African cinema, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s, first film Contras'city (City of Contrast). Celebrating the 45th anniversary of the film, the 7th Talents Durban will bring film makers from across the continent that will draw inspiration from Africa’s long tradition of story-telling. Breaking away from the stereotypical and homogenous narrative Africa, this year’s edition of Talents Durban aims to highlight the fact that the continent is home to a diversity of cultures, colours and stories. The 7th Talents Durban will not only highlight the stories of Africa, but will help to advance a culture of Africans telling their own stories.

Now in its 7th edition, Talent’s Durban looks to continue its proud history of acting as a launch pad for filmmakers from Africa. Understanding the unique needs and challenges facing film makers on the continent, Talent’s Durban will provide filmmakers with the tools to enable their careers to thrive in the international film industry.

The programme provides the selected participants with a unique opportunity to meet with international industry professionals, experts and mentors in various aspects of the filmmaking business through participation in a 5-day programme of master classes, workshops and industry networking events. Running in parallel to the 35th Durban International Festival programme, this year’s Talent Campus Durban will offer three hands-on training programmes: Doc Station which will focus on documentary-making, Talent Press which is dedicated to film criticism, and Script Station which will support story development.

Doc Station will offer three selected Talents the opportunity to refine and polish documentary projects for pitching at the 5th Durban FilmMart’s DOC Circle. Meanwhile, Talent Press will mentor four African journalists in the art of film criticism with access to all the screenings of the 35th Durban International Film Festival, creating reviews that will be published on numerous platforms. Script Station will offer the opportunity to writers to develop their stories while pitching their ideas to a panel of industry experts. Talents will also have access to the networking events available during the film festival.

Applications for the 7th Talents Durban are completed through an online application process. Applicants must meet the criteria found on website. The new application deadline is midnight (CAT) on 8 April 2014. Applications and materials which arrive after 8 April will not be considered. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Successful applicants will be informed via email and the website by 21 April 2014.

Talent’s Durban is presented in partnership with Berlinale Talents, with support from the German Embassy of South Africa, the Goethe-Institute of South Africa, and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Through the international programme, with a networks that extends to Talents International events in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Sarajevo and Tokyo, as well as Durban, participants are initiated into a global community of filmmakers and connected via a wide social network platform operated through the Berlin Film Festival.

Application forms and full regulations are available at www.durbanfilmfest.co.za

7th Talents Durban at the Durban International Film Festival 18-22 July 2014

The 35th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, with support from Berlinale Talents, is proud to announce the opening of applications for 7th Talents Durban taking place 18-22 July. Applicants can apply online atwww.durbanfilmfest.co.za before the closing date of 31 March 2014.

This year’s Talents Durban’ theme Continent of Contrast/ de Contrastes is an ode to the godfather of African cinema, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s, first film Contras'city (City of Contrast). Celebrating the 45th anniversary of the film, the 7th Talents Durban looks to bring film makers from across the continent draw inspiration from Africa’s long tradition of story-telling. Breaking away from the stereotypical and homogenous narrative Africa, this year’s edition of Talents Durban aims to highlight the truth that this continent is home to a myriad of cultures, colours, stories. The 7th Talents Durban looks to not only highlight the stories of Africa, but create a culture of Africans telling their own stories.

Now in its 7th edition, Talent’s Durban looks to continue its proud history of acting as a launching pad for filmmakers from Africa. Understanding the unique needs and challenges facing film makers on the continent, Talent’s Durban looks to provide film makers with the tools to enable their careers to thrive in the international film industry.

 The programme provides the selected participants with a unique opportunity to meet with international industry professionals, experts and mentors in various aspects of the filmmaking business through participation in a 5-day programme of master classes, workshops and industry networking events. Running in parallel to the 35th Durban International Festival programme, this year’s Talent Campus Durban will offer three hands-on training programmes: Doc Station which will focus on documentary-making, Talent Press which is dedicated to film criticism and Script Station which will supports story development. Doc Station will offer three selected Talents the opportunity to refine and polish documentary projects for pitching at the 5th Durban FilmMart’s DOC Circle. Meanwhile, Talent Press will mentor four African journalists in the art of film criticism with access to all the screenings of the 35th Durban International Film Festival, creating reviews that will be published on numerous platforms. Script Station will offer the opportunity to writers to develop their stories while pitching their ideas to a panel of industry experts. Talents will also have access to the networking events available during the film festival.

Applications for the 7th Talents Durban are completed through an online application process. Applicants must meet the criteria found on website. The application deadline is 31 March 2014. Applications and materials which arrive after 31 March will not be considered. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Successful applicants will be informed via email and the website by 21 April 2014.

Application forms and full regulations available at www.durbanfilmfest.co.za

Talent’s Durban is presented in partnership with Berlinale Talents, with support from the German Embassy of South Africa, the Goethe-Institute of South Africa, and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Through the international programme, with a networks that extends to Talents International events in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Sarajevo and Tokyo, as well as Durban, participants are initiated into a global community of filmmakers and connected via a wide social network platform operated through the Berlinale.

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