By Iminza Keboge
Published March 3, 2020
A leading African film market is set to be registered as an independent not-for-profit organisation.
Durban FilmMart (DFM), that was created in 2009, has been operating as a programme of Durban Film Office (DFO) in partnership with Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).
Saying “This had always been part of the business plan of DFM since its establishment,” Toni Monty, who heads both DFO and DFM Head of DFM, says ‘the continued growth and expansion’ of DFM have outgrown the current structure.
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Monty says DFO will continue to support DFM and that the new ‘structure will allow possibilities for new partnerships and fundraising that will ensure the growth and stability of the annual initiative.
Monty says “the new Institute will open greater opportunities for the Durban FilmMart to continue playing an important role in promoting African film and television content.”
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In a statement issued to the media, Monty says the new institution ‘will uphold its mandate to contribute to the film industry on the continent, through networking, project development and upskilling, but will also explore the potential for developing year-round development programmes in partnership with key industry role-players’.
Consequently, Magdalene Reddy, a South African arts administrator, has been appointed as the project manager to oversee the setting up of the institute ahead of the 2020 edition of DFM that is scheduled for July 17 – 20.
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“Magdalene Reddy joins our team with a wealth of experience in governance and management in the Arts,” says Monty. “As a former senior administrator at the Durban International Film Festival, not to mention a string of other major international and national arts projects to her name, we believe that she is best placed to take this process forward with passion and integrity.”
