Cape Town will once again play host to the biggest film event in Africa - the Sithengi Film and TV Market.
From 16-20 November, the Artscape Complex will be abuzz with industry professionals from all over the world.
Cape Town will once again play host to the biggest film event in Africa - the Sithengi Film and TV Market. From 16-20 November, the Artscape Complex will be abuzz with industry professionals from all over the world. With over 1400 delegates attending from more than 50 countries in 2003, join the Sithengi community where you will always know what's on everywhere in the world where film business is happening.
Currently in its 9th successful year, you will be able to gain insight into the international film market place at Sithengi 2004. You will also get the chance to meet potential international distribution, exhibition and investment partners, not to mention the chance to promote and pitch your upcoming projects to major industry players.
Why register for Sithengi 2004? Apart from it being the only film and TV market of its kind in Africa, Sithengi 2004 promises a bigger and more targeted programme of events that you as aspiring or established filmmaker, simply cannot afford to miss. Here are some of the highlights for this year:
1. The Feature Film Co-production Forum. (FFCF)
Over the last two years the FFCF has been on a mission to revolutionise the feature film industry by providing a platform which offers increased opportunities for African filmmakers to raise funding, find co-production partners and close deals on their projects. FFCF, which is modeled on Cinemart, the Rotterdam Co-production market, is open to all producers of full-length feature films from South Africa and Africa and who have well-developed projects that have secured either 20% of their budget and/or secured a pre-sale.
In a Sithengi first, international sales agents will be included in the panel at the FFCF which will take place on 16 and 17 November at the Artscape Complex. The panel will also include overseas producers and financiers. The rebate scheme introduced by the DTI earlier this year, makes 2004 FFCF even more exciting.
International sales agents and distributors that will be participating in the FFCF are:
Mark Vennis, Moviehouse (UK) Joy Wong, The Works (UK) Wouter Barendrecht, Fortissimo (Netherlands) Stephen Kelliher, Beyond Films (UK) Christian Martin, Parasol Pecadillo Releasing LTD (UK) Michael Schlagman, Programs4Media LTD (UK) Overseas producers will also be part of the FFCF panel. These include: Christoph Thoke, Thoke and Moebius Film (Germany) Ernst Szebedits, Pegasos Filmverleih and Produktion (Germany) Alexander Behse, Monsoon Pictures, (Germany) Andreas Grundberg, (Germany) Hal Sadoff, (UK) Olivier Laouchez, Trace TV, (France) Andrea Occhipinti (Italy) Domenica Procacci (Italy)
2. The Sithengi / Encounters Documentary Co-production Forum (DCF)
Though only two years old, the DCF is proving to be at the forefront of the documentary project development in South Africa. DCF is fully financed by Sithengi and run in partnership with Encounters, the South African International Documentary Festival.
International panel of commissioning editors who will participate in the 2004 DCF are:
Sabine Bubeck-Paaz, ZDF ARTE (Germany) Anna Miralis, SBS, (Australia) Hans Robert-Eisenhauer, ARTE (France) Ikka Vehkalahti, TV2, (Finland) Cindy Witten, Alliance Atlantis (Canada) Claire Aguilar, ITVS, (Canada) Michael Burns, The Documentary Channel, (Canada) Susan Mackinnon, FFC (Australia Festivals) Jean-Jacques Peretti, Sunny Side of the Doc (France)
3. The Sithengi Writers Forum (WF)
Sithengi recently issued a final call for scripts, with five projects selected to go through to the WF at Sithengi. These were then submitted to local and international script editors / doctors for comment and input.
The script editors include Dermod Judge (South Africa), Simon van der Borgh (UK) and Jonathan Rawlinson (UK). Open to all writers of full-length feature film scripts / screenplays from South Africa and Africa, the WF aims to attract well written indigenous stories that are attractive to both the local and international markets.
4. The Sithengi Talent Campus
Sithengi's first ever Talent Campus offers a platform for students as well as aspiring filmmakers to meet with experts and exchange ideas on the various aspects of the filmmaking process. An impressive list of international and local masters are lined up to take part in the Talent Campus which runs from 13-19 November at the Artscape. The Sithengi Talent Campus is done in co-operation with the Berlinale Talent Campus.
The Talent Campus sessions will accommodate 70 participants. Twenty registered film students and 10 aspirants will be selected. Various topics of the filmmaking process will be covered.
Classes will be presented by the following international Masters:
Jonathan Rawlinson, First Films, (UK) Simon van der Borgh , First Films (UK) Antoinette MacDonald, Scarlett Media TV, (Canada) Susan O' Connor, Scarlett Media TV, (Canada) Walter Cudlip, Scarlett Media TV, (Canada) Patricia Scarlett, Scarlett Media TV, (Canada) Peter Broderick, formerly of Next Wave Films Ben Gibson, Independent Producer and Director of the London Film School (UK) Pia Nielsen, head of post production, Zentropa, (Denmark) Earle Sebastian, who has worked with names in the music industry such as Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Destiny's Child, Mary.J. Blige, Macy Grey and Missy Elliot to name a few Andy Gillis, president and CEO of Cinevest Hal Sadoff, entertainment finance consultant and executive producer (USA) Richard Moxon, Parter Media Group, (Davenport Lyons UK) Michael Murphy, film financier, (USA) Brigid Olen, producer DO Productions (SA) Dimitri Martinis, NFVF (SA) Craig Foster, Independent Filmmaker (SA) Damon Foster, Independent Filmmaker (SA) Carina Ruben, Producer, Aland Pictures (SA) Guy Macloed, Entertainment Attorney, Irish Ashman (SA) Pat van Heerden , commissioning editor, SABC 1 (SA) Helen Kuun, Ster Kinekor, (SA)
5. The Product Market
Described as the leading business space at Sithengi, the Product Market aims to attract independent filmmakers to ply their trade and showcase their merchandise by offering screening facilities to programme buyers. Asset management software for Sithengi's Product Library, an integral part of the Product Market, is supplied by Knowledge Focus for 2004.
It's easy and affordable to register for Sithengi 2004. You can either register online or offline. Online registrations are quick and easy. Simply click "Register for 2004" and select one of the following options (corporate membership; individual membership; delegate, student or day pass delegates) and complete your registration process. It's that simple.
Please note that the membership term runs from 1st January to 31st December every year. Offline registration is often tedious, but well worth the wait. Our registration offices open on 12 November at the Artscape Complex. Our registration staff will be awaiting your arrival to assist you through the registration process and help make this process as comfortable and easy for you as possible. Please note an admin fee will be charged if you register offline.
Member registration delivers more value to its members. We hope membership will also encourage industry professionals to invest more than money in the Market, but also their ideas so that Sithengi can grow into a vibrant member-driven organization.
In addition, if you register by Friday, 12 November 2004, you will feature in our first-ever delegates' guide, which will include your contact details with head-&-shoulders photograph. The delegates guide offers you the unique opportunity to present your details to an international market.
Register for Sithengi 2004 now and e-mail your head-&-shoulders picture, 180X240 pixels, in jpeg or bitmap format to Sadiah Smith, registration co-ordinator,
[email protected].
Please bear in mind that all registrations not done online will carry a R100-00 administration charge, except registrations that will take place at the Sithengi Film & TV Market at the Artscape, Cape Town, opening on Friday, 12 November 2004.
Register now and get maximum exposure as a 2004 Sithengi delegate by having your details and photograph in the Sithengi Delegates Guide, as well as participate in a host of business and developmental activities at Africa's single most important platform for film, television and related business.
For More Information, contact
Sadiah Smith, Registration Co-ordinator
Tel: +27 21 430 8286
Fax: +27 21 430 8186
E-mail:
[email protected]
Posted on Saturday 6 Nov 2004
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