The Jumpstart participants will be mentored by Tracey-Lee Rainers, Jérémie Dubois, and Lucas Taillefer, who will bring their expertise in story development, screenwriting, and film distribution to guide and support these emerging talents.
By Helena Olori
The Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI) has unveiled the 2023 Jumpstart projects ahead of the 14th edition of the Durban FilmMart festival coming up in July.
The Jumpstart, set up 11 years ago in collaboration with Produire au Sud and with the support of Institut Français in South Africa, is an incubator programme dedicated to equipping aspiring filmmakers with the requisite skills for excellent scriptwriting. The platform has so far, nurtured numerous African directors and producers who participated in this crucial development phase.
Speaking on the progress made so far, Lucas Taillefer, the Coordinator of Produire au Sud noted, “The collaboration between Durban FilmMart and Produire au Sud is 11 years old, and we are very happy to have been able to accompany so many emergent Africans directors and producers with their projects in development during all those years. During this time, the Jumpstart programme went through many stages, and it has great potential to be further developed in the future.”
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For this year, five projects and ten filmmakers, comprising five director and five producers, have been selected from across the continent to participate in the programme which will take place online on the sidelines of the film festival from July 20 to 23, with the aim of igniting creativity and propel emerging talents to new heights.
The announced 2023 Jumpstart projects include A Lady Called Sayeda from Egypt, to be directed by Anas Salaheldin and produced by Essam Hayder; Thupo from Botswana, has Moreetsi Gabang and Frank Oteng as director and producer; Kenyan Jambo Lolita will be directed by Jake Sirma and produced by Joan Njeri; Maternal from South Africa, to be directed by Minenhle Luthuli and produced by Omolemo Nthathe; and Hotel Hillbrow, also from South Africa, which will be helmed by Malusi Bengu and Khosie Dali as director and producer, respectively.
Additionally, Blackass from Nigerian filmmakers, Tolulope Ajayi (Director) and Chioma Onyenwe (Producer), which participated in Jumpstart in 2022, will also be part of the DFM Pitch and Finance Forum this year.
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The Durban FilmMart (DFM), Africa’s leading film event, is set to hold from July 21 to 24, 2023 with the theme, “African Constellations, celebrating film industry champions and envisioning a future African Star System.” It will feature 20 live action and 8 animation projects in the Pitch and Finance Forum, as well as masterclasses, discussions, and various sessions promoting inclusivity and diversity in the African film industry.
Registration is currently ongoing until the end of June. For further details, see durbanfilmmart.co.za.