“IF Content is King, Platforms are Queen.”
This is the theme of the fifth Eastern Cape Film Festival which will be held in Buffalo City from 12 to 15 March.
The festival has been running without funding for five years and the Eastern Cape Provincial Arts and Culture Council (ECPACC) has partnered to ensure that it grows into a nationally and internationally renowned content market and platform.
According to festival director, Nceba Mqolomba, who hails from Uitenhage, this event seeks to be a platform to build audiences, network and production deals for commercial success.
“It is also to promote the province as a film destination and contribute in growing tourism,” said Mqolomba.
The annual Eastern Cape Film Festival is a platform promoting film as an all-encompassing sector drawing filmmakers, professional and aspiring as well as supporting industries (among others tourism and hospitality) to be part of a conversation that talks to the entrenchment of film in the Eastern Cape as an important and core economic driver.
“It serves as a platform for Eastern Cape filmmakers to showcase their unique artistic capabilities, get critical career defining information and network. A huge part of this festival will serve to capacitate filmmakers with prerequisite skills to perform better in the sector. Consequently, a strong horde of experts within the sector and supporting professions have been secured for the event,” said Mqolomba.
According to him, the film industry contributes R12.2 billion annually to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and creates 30 000 jobs.
The festival offers networking opportunities for emerging and established filmmakers in a developmental environment. Furthermore, screenings from budding producers showcasing their work becomes an integral part of the programme, creating new markets for content. There will be daily screenings of documentaries, feature films, short films, student films, animation and music videos.
- Interested filmmakers wishing to be part of the fifth Eastern Cape Film Festival must send an email to submissions@ecfilmfestival.co.za or contact Nceba Mqolomba at 083 580 9875 or e-mail radioyabantu@gmail.com
