BASA's Artist Sponsorship Toolkit now available

BASA’s Artist Sponsorship Toolkit set to significantly strengthen role of arts in business.

Strategic integration of the arts and business partnership is at the heart of the recently launched Business and Arts South Africa’s Artist Sponsorship Toolkit. 

The Artist Sponsorship Toolkit provides a way for the management team of an arts organisation to review, refresh and enhance their sponsorship practice – and acts as a complement to the Business Sponsorship Toolkit that was launched by BASA in 2012. 

Conceived as a step-by-step way for arts organisations to engage in the sponsorship environment, the Artist Sponsorship Toolkit was created by Michael Goldman, Senior Lecturer at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, in partnership with the BASA team. 

“South African arts organisations and projects continue to have a significant impact on our society, although many of the leaders of these organisations are less familiar with the marketing and sponsorship management practices required to access the financial and other resources needed to sustain and grow their organisations,” explains Goldman. 

“The Artist Sponsorship Toolkit provides arts organisation managers with a set of practical templates, exercises and techniques that can be used to develop more successful sponsorship-raising strategies.” 

Goldman points to the fact that the sponsorship environment is becoming more competitive, requiring arts organisations to be more clear and strongly define their value to audiences, participants, sponsors and society. 

“Arts organisation managers therefore need to demonstrate how their proposed partnership with a corporate sponsor will provide specific and relevant value to the company's business.” 

The Artist Sponsorship Toolkit provides a way for arts organisations – particularly those with less of an established track record - to build a long-term relationship with corporate sponsors. 

Arts organisations are now able to use the toolkit to guide a more strategic integration between the partners involved in a sponsorship relationship. This includes a fusion between the core values of the arts organisation and the sponsoring business, and an exploration of the areas and functions of the sponsoring business in which the involvement in the arts can have an impact. 

The Artist Sponsorship Toolkit now acts as a superb complement to the Business Sponsorship Toolkit. 

Launched in 2012, this toolkit is already being used by many South African businesses as a way of navigating through a sponsorship cycle and, ultimately, the ability to measure the effectiveness of an arts sponsorship as a strategic part of any business.  

Both toolkits are available for free download off the BASA website as part of Business and Arts South Africa’s commitment to stimulating excellence, innovation and value in the business and arts partnership. 

The BASA website is www.basa.co.za 

About Business and Arts South Africa NPC: 

Business and Arts South Africa NPC is an internationally recognised South African development agency which incorporates the arts into, and contributes to, corporates' commercial success. With a suite of integrated programmes, Business and Arts South Africa NPC encourages mutually beneficial partnerships between business and the arts. Business and Arts South Africa NPC was founded in 1997 as a joint initiative of government and the business sector, to secure the future development of the arts industry in South Africa, through increased corporate sector involvement. Established as a Non Profit Company, Business and Arts South Africa NPC is accountable to both government and its business members.

Change to the musical line up of 15th African Renaissance Africa Day Concert. Zonke withdraws, Lira steps in...

Change to the musical line up of 15thAfrican Renaissance Africa Day Concert.

Zonke withdraws, Lira steps in...

Durban ICC Arena - May 25, 2013

DURBAN: The African Renaissance Festival and Conference have had to make an urgent change to their line up for the Africa Day concert on Saturday, with Zonke withdrawing from the concert following the unexpected passing of her sister, to be replaced by Lira who joins  Mafikozolo and Professor on Saturday, May 25 at 6.30pm at the ICC Arena in Durban.

Zonke – who had been booked to perform – is disappointed to have to withdraw, but has to put her family ahead of her professional commitments at this difficult time. She is shattered at unexpectedly losing her sister, Busisiwe (Busi) Dikana, on Saturday evening, 18 May.

Zonke and her family are devastated at this sudden loss, but she wishes to extend her greatest apologies to the media and fans out there and thanks them for the continuous support.

Lira, known for her emotional ballads and uplifting songs about journeying and self fulfilment, didn’t hesitate to step in to support a fellow musician in her hour of need. Lira  performed at the African Renaissance concert last year and is delighted to be back at this significant annual event. “The quest for unity in Africa is an important one. That music has been identified as one of the ways we can continue to engage with this concept, is hugely significant and an immense honour for us musicians,” said Lira.

Africa Day (May 25), marks the founding day of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963 and for many years has been a celebration of African unity. This was the first time that African Heads of State and Government got together in an effort to define Africa on its own terms and to be responsible for the continent’s shared destiny.

The African Day Concert takes place during the African Renaissance Festival, which began 15 years ago in an endeavour to reignite Africa’s own belief in itself and in its potential to develop its own resources. Joining Lira, the concert will feature some of the biggest names on the SA music scene: award-winning vintage-inspired Afro-Pop outfit Mafikizolo and Professor with Ukhozi Fm’s Mr Magic Linda Sibiya as the host and MC.

The concert will start at 6.30pm until late at the Durban ICC Arena and tickets are R100 and are available from Computicket. For more information and the full African Renaissance programme, contact reception@wozani.co.za or telephone 031-266 9792

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New Manager of Durban International Film Festival Announced

NEW MANAGER ANNOUNCED -  Durban International Film Festival

Peter Machen, is the new DIFF manager

Plans are well underway for the 34th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), South Africa’s largest and longest running film festival hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts (CCA), reports Kishore Gobardan Director of Professional Services in the College of Humanities at UKZN in which the CCA is housed. The CCA is currently a special project of the newly appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Cheryl Potgieter, in the College of Humanities.

“We are pleased to announce the appointment of well-known film critic and arts journalist, Peter Machen, as the DIFF Manager,” says Gobardan.

“Peter has been working with the Durban International Film Festival for the last seven years as a programme advisor,” says Gobardan. “He comes to the Festival with a wealth of institutional knowledge which provides much needed continuity.  Along with a solid knowledge of the programming requirements, Peter has also been responsible for writing synopses in the festival publications and editing and designing the festivals' Reel Times daily newsletters. He has appeared on various DIFF panels, as well as introduced directors and facilitated Q&A sessions during festivals. So we are pleased to welcome him on board the team and look forward to the significant value he will add to the mix.”

Machen, who has a BA Honours degree in economics from UKZN, is one of South Africa's leading arts writers and communication consultants. A talented publication designer, Peter has produced a range of publications and is author and designer of two coffee-table books Durban - A Paradise and its People and Durban - A Return to Paradise. He is currently Sunday Tribune's resident film columnist.

Earlier this year Machen attend the Rotterdam and Berlin Film Festivals as part of his research as a programme advisor for DIFF, and is excited about the challenges that lie ahead. “It is quite a daunting task to step into someone else’s programming shoes,” he says, “but because I have been so intimately involved in the festival for some time now, I know my way around and look forward to creating a programme that will be interesting and varied for our audiences.” To that end, Peter will be heading off to the Cannes Film Festival next month to seek out additional cinematic treasures for the DIFF 2013 programme.

“The Assistant Film Festival Manager position will be announced within the next few weeks, and the CCA Director’s post has been advertised and should be filled soon.”

It’s business as usual for the Durban FilmMart, the co-production project of the Durban Film Office and DIFF, this according to Toni Monty of the Durban Film Office. “We have had a great response to the call out for projects for this year’s Durban FilmMart. Submissions are now with adjudicators and we await their selection. We are proceeding with the plans to present a strong fourth market, and we are pleased to receive continued support from our partners and supporters, Rotterdam Film Festival’s CineMart, IDFA, Arte France, Hot Docs and EAVE, as well as the inclusion of other awards from new strategic partners, Paris Project, the co-production and development platform of the Paris Cinema International Film Festival,  Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) and No Borders, a co-production market of the Independent Filmmakers Project In the USA.”

The 34th Durban International Film Festival will take place from July 18 to 28. The full programme will be in the www.durbanfilmfestival.co.za website five weeks before the festival begins.

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BASA Launches Sponsorship Toolkit for the Arts

This May sees Business and Arts South Africa launch a new partnership with Shanduka Black Umbrellas’ Incubator Programme as well as unveil the much-anticipated BASA Sponsorship Toolkit for the Arts.

Taking place on May 6th at the Soweto Theatre, the launch of BASA’s partnership with Shanduka Black Umbrellas is part of BASA’s ongoing commitment to providing arts organisations and practitioners with the skills to run their own business.

Says Mark Frankel CEO of Shanduka Black Umbrellas, “All business owners, no matter which sector they operate in, should have the requisite skills in place to operate their businesses effectively and profitably

“In addition to the skills required, businesses from previously disadvantaged backgrounds should be provided with assistance to access networks, markets and finance to help ensure their sustainability. This is the nature of the work we do at Shanduka Black Umbrellas.

“The partnership with BASA enables us to jointly identify potential high impact businesses in the arts sector and provide these businesses with the skills, support and development they require in order to become sustainable and create jobs.”

The newly minted BASA Sponsorship Toolkit for the Arts – also launching on May 6 – is additionally set to play an important role in the sustainability of arts organisations. With a strong focus on providing a way for the management team of an arts organisation to review, refresh and enhance their sponsorship practice, the toolkit is likely to become an indispensable part of the way arts organisations work. The BASA Sponsorship Toolkit for the Arts is a complement to the BASA Arts Sponsorship Management Toolkit for business that was launched last year.

The BASA Sponsorship Toolkit for the Arts has been created for both arts organisations with existing sponsorship relations and those looking for new and additional partners.

For arts organisations with existing sponsorship relationships, the toolkit provides an opportunity to assess the depth and breadth of their practices, as well as develop the ability to nurture a more sustainable arts partnership approach.

For organisations searching for new or additional partners, the toolkit provides a step-by-step guide and set of exercises to craft a well-considered, longer-term arts partnership strategy.

For more information and to RSVP for the launch of the Shanduka Black Umbrellas’ Incubator Programme and unveiling of the BASA Sponsorship Toolkit for the Arts contact: Jessica Dennison at Jessica@basa.co.za or 011 447 2295

Date and Time:
Monday 6 May 2013
9h30 for 10h00

Venue:
Soweto Theatre

Durban to host BASA Business Breakfast and Education Programme

With a new KwaZulu-Natal representative on the ground and an increased focus on the relevance, advancement and sustainability of the arts in the region, the upcoming Business Arts SA - BASA Education Programme, supported by Etana Insurance, are not to be missed by arts practitioners.

The first Durban series of workshops in the 2013 BASA Education Programme, supported by Etana Insurance, take place on April 11th at the KZNSA Gallery in Bulwer Road, Glenwood and are free to pre-registered participants.

Businesses will also be able to take part in the focused activities on April 11th by attending a business breakfast also at the KZNSA Gallery.

The business breakfast will include national and regional Business and Arts South Africa representatives and will give insight into a number of initiatives aimed at business. These include the first-of-its-kind BASA Arts Sponsorship Management Toolkit, which gives South African businesses a tool to navigating the sponsorship cycle and, ultimately, the ability to measure the effectiveness of arts sponsorship as a strategic part of any business.

The Durban workshops are also a chance for businesses and arts practitioners to connect with newly appointed Business and Arts South Africa representative in the region - Sharlene Versfeld of Versfeld & Associates.

Versfeld has been involved professionally in the South African arts sector since 1987 and has a long-standing reputation for her extensive work as an arts marketer most notably with the various festivals hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.  In 2012 Versfeld undertook research for the British Council, with Nicolette du Plessis of Cultural Radius, on the South African arts landscape in relation to international agencies and collaborations. She is additionally a Board member of the Flatfoot Dance Company and does pro bono marketing for Action in Autism in KwaZulu-Natal.

“This is a challenging chapter in the arts industry in South Africa,” Versfeld says of her new tenure.

“Tough as it may be, we truly believe that businesses are looking for new and innovative ways to leverage their brands, whether from a sponsorship point of view or from a meaningful corporate social responsibility perspective.

“The research that BASA has done, the relationships developed with business and the inroads made into professionalising the arts industry provides a solid foundation for the further development of arts and business relationships, and we look forward to being part of a motivated and skilled team to help facilitate this in KZN.”

The Durban BASA Education Programme workshops, supported by Etana Insurance, are divided into three sessions and will cover social media, publicity basics (as part of the Back To Basics programme) and fundraising.

Are you all aTwitter and LinkedIn to Facebook? 11:00-12:30

Alma Maxwell of Outsourced Communications will share some insights about Social Media and how arts organisations can use these "versatile free-to-use" platforms to get the conversations going.

Back to Basics 13:00-14:30

Publicity and the Art of getting your message across in a very cluttered media space. Sharlene Versfeld and Kwazi Ngubane of Versfeld & Associates, unpack the basics of publicity and share some useful tips in getting media coverage.

Fundraising 14:45-16:00

Gordon McDonald, Director of Community Chest will look at hints and tips to increase your opportunity of raising funds for your organisation/project.

The BASA Education Programme, supported by Etana Insurance, has seen workshops already held in Johannesburg and Cape Town and upcoming workshops planned for the Eastern Cape as well as Limpopo regions.

To be part of the BASA Education Programme, supported by Etana Insurance, and attend these important, insightful and stimulating workshops contact: Kwazi Ngubane on 031-8115628 or email kwazi@versfeld.co.za.

16th TIME OF THE WRITER International Writers Festival Durban: 18 - 23 March 2013

Media Release

16th TIME OF THE WRITER International Writers Festival

Durban: 18 - 23 March 2013

The written word will envelop Durban as nineteen writers from South Africa, Africa and abroad, gather for a thought-provoking week of literary dialogue, exchange of ideas and stimulating discussion at the 16th Time of the Writer International Writers Festival (18 - 23 March). The festival, hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal), with principal support by National Lottery Distribution Fund, will feature a diverse gathering of leading novelists, social commentators, activists, playwrights and short story writers.

Opening night will feature all participating writers as they make brief presentations at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, while the newly appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor of the School of Humanities, Prof Cheryl Potgieter will make a keynote address. A tribute to the late Phyllis Naidoo will be read by struggle veteran Ella Ghandi. The rest of the week’s evening presentations will be panel discussions with writers talking about their writing and the issues dealt with in their work. The musical act opening the festival is Zimbabwean band Tanga Pasi.

The panel discussion titled Perspectives in South African Writing on Tuesday 19th March will feature South African writers Kabelo Duncan Kgatea and Jo-Anne Richards. Trained as a journalist and working as a miner, it was after Kgatea’s first book Njeng manong fa ke sule! (Devour me, vultures, when I’m dead!) was published and won the Sanlam Prize Youth Literature (silver) in the Sotho category, that he got promoted to communications officer and no longer worked below ground. When The Innocence of Roast Chicken, the debut novel of internationally published author and journalist Richards first appeared, it topped the South African best seller list in its first week and remained there for 15 weeks. This discussion will be facilitated by Zukiswa Wanner.

Controversial human rights issues are brought to the fore in the evening’s second panel titled Africa Writing Queer Identity, featuring leading Nigerian writer Jude Dibia and Graeme Reid of South Africa, and will be facilitated by Sarojini Nadar. Dibia’s books address issues which range from sexuality, gender roles, race to the stigma of HIV/AIDS in modern day Africa. Reid, the director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Programme and founding director of the Gay and Lesbian Archives of South Africa, explores gay identities in South Africa in his book How to be a Real Gay. Music by Durban duo Njeza and Siphelele Dlamini will commence the evening proceedings at 19h30. 

Book launches take place at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre’s Wellington Tavern deck prior to the evening shows, from 18h45. The first book launch of the festival is the UKZN English/IsiZulu Book (UKZN Press) – a collaborative venture of stories by various authors. 

On Wednesday 20th March, the first panel, titled Reflections on the Palestinian State, features Palestinian-born American-based novelist and essayist, Susan Abulhawa, in an interview discussion with Lubna Nadvi. Abulhawa’s Mornings in Jenin was translated into 24 languages worldwide and hailed by The Times as the “first English-language novel to express fully the human dimension of the Palestinian tragedy”. Exploring Genre in African Literature is the topic of the second panel, featuring South African author, photographer and filmmaker, Zinaid Meeran, alongside Nnedi Okorafor, award-winning author born in the United States and of Nigerian descent. Meeran was awarded the European Union Literary award for his debut Saracen at the Gates in 2009. About a curious exploration of living raceless in a country where just about everybody seems to have one, this debut was also shortlisted for the Sunday Times fiction prize in 2010. A professor of creative writing, Okorafor has received numerous accolades for her books, which are often characterized by African culture infused with reminiscent settings and memorable characters. This panel will be facilitated by True Love books editor and publisher Melinda Ferguson. Music by Durban duo Nhlanhla Zondi and Zulublue will kick start the evening presentation, while Molope’s book, This Book Betrays my Brother launches prior to the show.

On the evening of Human Rights Day, Thursday 21st March is the panel titled Perspectives in SA Writing, with a panel which features Elana Bregin and Damon Galgut, and facilitated by Siphiwo Mahala. Galgut’s In a Strange Room, a novel which follows the journey of an isolated South African traveler seeking a deep satisfaction in life, was shortlisted for several awards, including the 2010 Man Booker Prize and M-Net Literary Award. Bregin is well known for her award-winning young adult titles, which include The Kayaboeties and The Red-haired Khumalo, which all deal with the social realities of a changing South Africa. 

Under the title The Reporter as Writer, Jackee Batanda from Uganda and Aman Sethi from India, both novelists and journalists, feature in the evening’s second panel discussion. Together with the numerous awards for her fiction writing, Batanda also featured in the London Times alongside 19 young women shaping the future of Africa. A seasoned journalist working as a correspondent for The Hindu, a newspaper in India with a daily readership of about 2.5 million, Sethi has also contributed articles to various publications, around health policies in India. The evening’s musical act is the pair Mike Muyo and Tom Watkeys. 

Following the book launch of The Imagined Child (Picador) by festival participant Jo-Anne Richards, and a music performance by the band Nje, the presentation of prizes to winners of the schools short story competition will take place on Friday 22nd March. The first session titled Youth Literature, similarly puts a spotlight on young people, and features writers Elieshi Lema from Tanzania and BD Khawula from South Africa. Lema started off writing poetry before moving on to children’s books. Her first novel Parched Earth - A Love Story received an honorable mention in the Noma Award for Publishing in Africa and forms part of the curriculum in various universities. Based in Durban, Khawula’s inspiration to write stems from his love for his country. His debut novel Yihlathi Leli, won a silver award in the African Languages category at the Sanlam Youth Literature Awards. 

The second panel for the evening, Writing Transformation, features South African critical thinkers and writers Andile Mngxitama and Prof Sampie Terreblanche. While Mngxitama writes significantly around the philosophy and writings of late Black Consciousness leader, Steve Biko, Terreblanche’s focuses lies on the history of economic thought and policy matters in South and Southern Africa. 

The Saturday evening book launch is On Being Human featuring contributions by various writers and edited by Duduzile Mabaso (Black Letter Media). Music and song by Durban songbird Skye Wanda will precede the discussion Writing the Other, featuring the South African panel of Ashwin Desai and Jonny Steinberg. An activist intellectual, Desai is celebrated the world over, for his poignant articulation of stories about struggle, oppression and resistance. Award-winning author Steinberg, writes about experiences about everyday life in the wake of South Africa’s transition to democracy. His debut novel Midlands, about the murder of a white South African farmer, won the Sunday Times Alan Paton Prize in 2003. This panel discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Frederico Settler from the Philosophy department at UKZN.

The festival closes with a look at the pertinent issue with South African writers Shafinaaz Hassim and Kagiso Lesego Molope, in a panel titled Writing Gender Violence. Hassim, a writer, poet and sociologist and driving force behind Johannesburg-based publishers, WordFire Press, recently published a novel on domestic violence titled SoPhia in November 2012, while Molope’s third novel This Book Betrays my Brother raises many gender equality issues prevalent in South Africa, amongst them the perception that women who wear revealing clothing invite sexual advances. Molope's first novel, Dancing in the Dust, was put on the IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) list for 2006, making her the first Black South African to make the list. 

Publishing is undoubtedly one of the central elements in the development of a local literary culture. That said a notable event that has become a significant part of the annual Time of the Writer international writers’ festival, is the Publishing Forum.  Taking place on Wednesday, 20th March between 10h00 – 14h00 at the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, this year’s forum will feature a range of panels on salient issues within the publishing landscape. Topics discussed will cover the magazine industry, maximizing exposure in the world of digital publishing, converting your PhD thesis into a book and what publishers look for in a manuscript.

In addition to the nightly showcases at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, a broad range of day activities including seminars and workshops are formulated to promote a culture of reading, writing and creative expression. This includes the educator’s forum with teachers on the implementation of literature in the classroom, the community writing forum with members of the public interested in literature, visits to schools, and a prison writing programme.

Tickets are R25 for the evening sessions, R10 for students, and can be purchased through Computicket or at the door one hour before the event. Workshops and seminarsarefree. 

The full programme of activities, biographies, and photos of participants is available on www.cca.ukzn.ac.za. For more information contact the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts on 031 260 2506/1816 or e-mail cca@ukzn.ac.za 

Organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal), the 16th Time of the Writer festival is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (principal funder), City of Durban, Adams Campus Books, Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre and the University of KwaZulu-Natal. 

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For Media Queries: 

Sharlene Versfeld/Kwazi Ngubane

Mobile: +27 (0) 83 326 3235/ (073) 442 9347

Tel: +27 (0) 31 811 5628

Email: sharlene@versfeld.co.za or kwazi@versfeld.co.za

AFDA Durban (The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance) to host Open Day

AFDA Durban (The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and live Performance) to host Open Day

AFDA (The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance) Durban will host an Open Day on Saturday, 2 March from 10am to 12noon.

This is the third AFDA campus to open in South Africa and was officially opened  by Mayor of eThekwini Cllr James Nxumalo on February 11 with an enrolment of 63 students. 

The AFDA Durban Campus is situated in Glen Anil, Durban North, and boasts a strong line up academic staff drawn from the film and live performance industries. Franco Human, an experienced producer and film maker, is Dean, with film-maker Richard Green Head of the Film School, director, actor and playwright Rajesh Gopie, Head of the Live Performance School, and scriptwriter and film-maker Janet van Eeden, as production course administrator and script writing lecturer. 

At the open day students will be shown around the warship-themed campus, given introductions to the curriculum and course work and on how to apply and there will be a chance to discuss potential job opportunities and career options in entertainment.  There will also be an opportunity to view students’ films and to meet and chat to current and past students.

Prospective students can contact Durban-based Marketing Officer, Milena Gevers for more information on milenag@afda.co.za or call 031 569 2252. For more info about the school go to www.afda.co.za

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Durban FilmMart Project Snapped up by Three International Film Festivals

Durban FilmMart Project Snapped up by Three International Film Festivals

A film, which was one of the officially selected projects in the 2011 Durban FilmMart (DFM), a joint programme of the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), recently enjoyed its World Premiere at the Gotebord Film Festival in Sweden and has been snapped up by two other major international film festivals.

Imbabazi: the Pardon, produced and directed by Rwandan film-maker Joel Karekezi, was one of the features that was selected for the 2011 Durban FilmMart, where the film was also awarded the CineMart Rotterdam Lab Award at the DFM, which provided the up and coming producer with accreditation, accommodation and transportation to attend the Lab, an incubator for producers of new projects which ran concurrently with the 2012 International Film Festival of Rotterdam.

Imbabazi: the Pardon had its USA premiere at the San Diego Black Film Festival in January and this month will enjoy its Los Angeles premiere at the prestigious Pan-African Film Festival.

Clearly Karekezi is a young film-maker to watch. With a diploma in film directing from Cinecours Canada, he has fast garnered accolades, awards and notice for his work. In 2010 his short film The Pardon won the best short film award at Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF), California. In 2012 he had a second project, The Mercy of the Jungle, in the DFM, which was awarded the Canal France International (CFI) Award for the Most Promising Project with a prize of 5000 Euros. 

Imbabazi: the Pardon tells the story of the Tutsi Genocide through the friendship and separation of two protagonists and carries a deep reconciliation message. 

“As an African and Rwandan director, I am proud to have helped bring this story to a wider audience.” explains Karekezi, who is himself a genocide survivor. “I was honoured to work together with my team through pre-production, production and post-production to bring this story to life. I hope that audiences will embrace the message of hope and forgiveness that is at the heart of the film.”

 “Over the past three years, we have seen how the Durban FilmMart has provided important stepping blocks for film projects.” says Toni Monty, of the Durban Film Office. “The process of creating film is long and arduous, and it is vital that emerging film-makers and projects are given the creative space to be able to develop their ideas and vision in the right kind of environment. Joel has clearly grasped at all the opportunities presented to him to develop this film. So we are truly pleased to see this, one of our selected projects, make it through to multi-festival festival releases. ”

The 4th edition of Durban FilmMart takes place from 19 – 22 July 2013 during the Durban International Film Festival (18 – 28 July) and is open for documentary and fiction project submissions.  The closing date for project submissions is the 15 February 2013. 

For more information on the Durban FilmMart and to submit a project visit www.durbanfilmmart.com

For further enquires and submission correspondence contact info@durbanfilmmart.com

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February 10, 2012

Issued on behalf of the Durban FilmMart by:

Sharlene Versfeld / Kwazi Ngubane

Versfeld & Associates

031-8115628/ 083 326 3235

sharlene@versfeld.co.za / kwazi@versfeld.co.za

Note to Editors : 

The Durban FilmMart (DFM) is  a co-production and finance market and is a joint programme of the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF). DFM provides filmmakers from across Africa a valued opportunity to pitch projects to financiers, distributors, sales agents and potential co-producers, and participate in meetings, project presentations and a series of master classes and workshops on latest industry trends. www.durbanfilmmart.com

The Durban Film Office (DFO) is the film industry development arm of the eThekwini Municipality, mandated to position Durban as a world-class film production destination and facilitator for the development of the local film industry.  The DFO drives activity and development in the sector in order to boost tourism, job creation and the development of core skills and SMME’s in the region.   www.durbanfilmoffice.com

The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) presents over 250 screenings from different countries and cultures with special focus on Africa; it includes development programmes such as Talent Campus Durban. DIFF is a flagship project of the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, which facilitates creative platforms and economic opportunities for artists and related industries, intercultural exchange and network development, training, audience development and strategic Pan-African and international cooperation in the cultural sectors.  www.cca.ukzn.ac.za

Sizzling Salsa on Durban's Beachfront

The heat is on as Salsa hits the beachfront this Sunday

Feel the Heat with Durban's much-talked about salsa band, Manteca at Suncoast's Beach Promenade on Sunday, February 10 at 3pm until 6pm.  The vibrant, 12-piece Afro-Caribbean band will perform in a fun-filled, salsa-inspired mini-festival featuring dancing, dance lessons and sizzling sounds as part of Suncoast's Valentine's entertainment line up. 

The fest  is free and audience members can join in the fun and learn the basic steps of this exciting dance form with beginner and intermediate classes by a Cuban dance instructor. Professional dancers from local salsa dance schools will be taking to the dance floor in demos too .    

Manteca features vocalists Liana Allegra Barciela and the legendary Sam Marais from KZN, Raul Rodriguez from Cuba and Kelly Burrows from Madagascar, award winning Durban pianist David Langely, Durban's own Mark Momple on bass, another Durbanite Jonathon Judge and Johan van der Molen from Holland on saxophones, local jazz trumpeter Daniel Sheldon, and percussionists John Drace from California and Alberto Chemane from Mozambique

The band plays a classic salsa repertoire from New York, Puerto Rico and Cuba, plus their own adaptations of jazz and funk classics.

For more info contact Daniel on

daniel@beat-route.co.za

or call 082 622 6902.

BRIDGES – AN EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHY @ DURBAN ART GALLERY

BRIDGES – AN EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHY AT THE DURBAN ART GALLERY

Bridges, the exhibition of photographs by documentary photographers South African Andrew Tshabangu and Ren-Paul Savignan from Reunion Island, currently on at the Durban Art Gallery has been extended to January 27, 2013.é

The exhibition which is part of the France/South Africa Season, has as its focal point of the work spiritual and religious practices in South Africa and Reunion Island, and represents a 15 year collaboration between the two artists. The artists spent time researching and documenting in both countries. The presence of a rich diversity of religious practices is common to both locations. On Reunion Island, due to a long history of inhabitation by people of diverse ethnicities, a complex range of religious beliefs is found. The focus in South Africa has been the many ways in which Christianity is interpreted and experienced by Africans.

Savignan, who was born in Le Port in 1970, began his career working in a ‘fast lab’; after two years of workshop studies he started his own laboratory and his works are regularly exhibited on Reunion Island and internationally. Tshabangu was born in Soweto, in 1966, and currently teaches photography at the Alexander Community Art Centre and is represented by Johannesburg gallery MOMO.

The photographers agreed to a unique and interesting approach: they would always take photographs at the same time and place. In visiting each other’s countries the artists were able to connect with their respective history and culture as well as revising their awareness of their own.  “Reunion Island can be considered as a laboratory of the meetings of civilizations,” says Savignan, who observed that the diversity of religious beliefs connected people rather than divided them, with many islanders embracing more than one belief system without prejudice.

“The religious ceremony is a critical vehicle through which the community and the individual communes with the creator and with nature,” says Tshabangu. “In this body of work, I am portraying Christian practices from an African perspective and expressing the passion for a brand of faith steeped in both the Western Christian doctrine and African religions. This brew of spirituality is rooted in the heart of African communities.”

BRIDGES comprises eighty black and white photographs selected from thousands of images captured over the years. Together they explore and document that most fundamental of human needs: the expression of spiritual longing through communal ritual. 

 For more information contact Jenny Stretton on 031-3327286 or email jenny.stretton@durban.gov.za

AFDA Film Festival

AFDA ANNULA FILM FESTIVAL

Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban

23, 24 and 25 November 2012

Each year AFDA (The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance) hosts an annual film festival which showcases more than 50 new third year graduates and fourth year honours (post graduate) students’ films.  The festival is a unique opportunity for graduate students to attract and experience an audience in a public cinema environment.

The festival is held at Ster-Kinekor Cinema Nouveau in Johannesburg (Rosebank) and Cape Town (Cavendish) on November 23 and 24 and for the first time in Durban at the Gateway’s Cinema Nouveau on November 25.

“Although it’s a fun and exciting event for everyone concerned, the festival is unique as it uses a audience response rubric directly aligned to the learning inputs and modelling process that AFDA utilizes.” says AFDA Chairman Garth Holmes. “This gives students the experience of the visceral emotional response of the audience – a key learning moment in terms of learning to identify and develop audiences for the future”.

This year will also see the festival go online for the first time – a pilot process driven by the AFDA digital innovation laboratory and two of its key participants Wicus Labuschagne and Jeffrey Rusch.

“We’re constantly sharing and tweeting about experiences, pinning videos for our friends and some might argue that our digital footprint is becoming as much of an identity as the brands we wear on our clothes” says Labuschagne.

The AFDA Online Festival website www.afdafestival.com which allows people to interact with the films they see at the Cinema Festivals.  The AFDA Online Festival website will also showcase film that you can’t watch at the Cinema Festival. Second year films, fourth year documentaries and even a few first year films will be included online.

The online festival will be run for a week after the Ster Kinekor festival and there will be activities prior and during the festival from 25 to 30 November.  

The film festival in Johannesburg begins at 11h45 to 23h00 on Friday, November 23 and 12h15 to 22h00 on Saturday, November 24; in Cape Town from 11h30 to 23h00 Friday, November 23 and 10h30 to 22h00 on Saturday, November 24 and Durban from 10h00 to 20h00 on Sunday, November 25. There are a total of 24 hours of fascinating short films to take in.

Tickets for Johannesburg are R20 per screening, Cape Town are R15 per screening and Durban’s screenings are free. (Donations, however are welcome which will go to Vision Mission - Ster Kinekor's  CSI initiative to assist youngsters in underpriveleged communities by identifying and helping those with visual problems nationwide.)

For the programme, trailers and behind the scenes info for the festival go to www.afdafestival.com