Michael Auret, CEO and Festival Director of the Cape Town World Cinema Festival (CTWCF) will participate in the Cultural Talks presented by the Cape Town Festival on the issue of 'Festivals and Economic Development' on Friday, 18 March, Centre for the Book, 4 - 6pm.
The CTWCF is proud to collaborate with the Cape Town Festival by supporting the Arts in Cape Town through the medium of film by sponsoring the Cape Town International Short Film Festival (CTISFF) currently on at the V&A Amphitheatre, Waterfront, until Sunday, 20 March.
Film, once the images are painted on the canvas that is the big screen, has the ability to speak to the viewer's senses on all levels, making it an extremely powerful medium for creative expression. These are the stimuli that determine its degree of impact on the individual, which cause the ripple effect that ultimately affects the world and its dynamics of which the global economy is paramount.
In his presentation Michael will touch on the impact that film has on the economic development in South Africa; the impact film festivals have on the local, national and global economy; what it takes for film festivals to impact positively on economic development and in particular the impact that the CTWCF has on the local, national and global economy.
The CTWCF is an annual public event and this year takes place from 11 - 20 November. For ten whole days Cape Town comes alive with the most spectacular showcase of international World and Independent feature films, short films and documentaries within various genres, with a key focus on local content.
Not only does the CTWCF bring a unique cinematic experience to all communities in Cape Town, but it introduces the concept of World Cinema to the SA public. World Cinema is defined as "Films from the South" - films from South America; Africa; Asia and Australia. The CTWCF provides alternative Cinema that is fresh, hip, inclusive and expansive and transcends all cultural and social divides.
Since our inception in 2001, we are undoubtedly succeeding in growing audiences for the CTWCF as our Festival audiences have since quadrupled in size. In 2004 the Festival boasted over 90 films from more than 25 countries. The attendance rose to approximately 16 000 people during 180 screenings at 8 venues across the city - Cinema Nouveau, V&A Waterfront; V&A Amphitheatre; The Labia; The Artscape; Joseph Stone, Athlone; FAWU Hall, Gugulethu and the Emarike Centre, Phillippi.
Given its success it is inevitable that the CTWCF is and will continue to contribute to the economic growth of SA in a number of ways. It opens up a host of employment opportunities and provides business for owners of screening venues, particularly within communities, as well as the technical services & supplies industry. As we continue to grow audiences by collaborating with other industry and related organisations, as is currently the case with the CT Festival, we also encourage public buy-in, meaning that South Africans will more and more invest in film as home grown product.
Apart from the CTWCF tantalizing audiences around Cape Town with entertaining, stimulating and thought-provoking local and international cinema, it also provides a platform for real business to take place in the Sithengi Film & Television Market, 15 - 18 November 2005. The Sithengi Film & TV Market is the only international market of its kind in Africa and has proven an influential engineer and facilitator of initiatives that affect growth and development in the film industry in the SADC Region with the aim of making a global impact. At the 2003 and 2004 Sithengi Film & TV Market South Africa signed co-production treaties with Germany and Italy respectively.
Therefore, the CTWCF presents a pivotal support for government in contributing to our country's growing economy by both facilitating the development and the showcasing of world class local product to a global market in order to encourage foreign investment.
We are proud to acknowledge the continued support from government for the CTWCF as well as its industry component, the Sithengi Film & TV Market, which is clearly reflected in the following endorsements presented at the 2004 event:
Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool, "These two events help significantly in putting Cape Town where we ultimately want it to be: on a par with the other great film festival cities of the world. Helping to make Cape Town a centre that creative people from our own country and continent and the whole world can come to find expertise, great natural beauty and a scenic relevance in which to express themselves through this barrier breaking medium of film."
Minister Z. Pallo Jordan, Minister of Arts and Culture, "In all these achievements (referring to the achievements of the South African film industry at our tenth year of democracy), Sithengi has been an integral partner and has provided a platform for leaders; decision-makers, entrants and aspirants in this industry to convene in Cape Town to trade in film and television programming, forge new relationships, buy, sell and promote their products on an international scale in an African context."
Minister Lynne Brown, Minister of Economic Development & Tourism, "We believe that the Cape Town Film Festival has the potential to lead Cape Town towards becoming the Cannes of Africa, and as a province are in full support of the festival."
For more information on the CTWCF, contact;
Tel: +27 21 430 8160
Fax: +27 21 430 8186
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: sithengi.co.za
Posted on Thursday 17 Mar 2005
Festival Daily
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