The 40th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) and Durban FilmMart (DFM) are
proud to announce the participants of the 12th edition of Talents Durban, within the
official DIFF/DFM programme.
Talents Durban is a five-day development programme presented in cooperation with
Berlinale Talents, an initiative of the Berlin International Film Festival, made up of
workshops and seminars for African filmmakers, delivered by film industry
professionals and academics.
After a rigorous selection process, 15 filmmakers and 3 film critics from 12 countries
across the continent made the final cut, which consists of; 3 features, 3 TV/web
series, 3 animation, 3 documentaries, 3 shorts films, and 3 film critics:
In addition to these 18 Talents, a 2018 alumnus Talents award-winner, Aliki Saragas-
Georgio will pitch her project When Shadows Move along with 20 other projects at
the Durban FilmMart Finance Forum. Aliki is co-producer with Jacqui-lee Katz and
Bridget Pickering and co-director with Jacqui-lee Katz.
Official 2019 Talents Durban Participants & Projects
Feature Selection:
Spirit (South Africa) Director: Vusiafrica Sindane
Black Widow (Rwanda) Director: Shema Deve
No Country For Little Girls’ Tantrums (Uganda) Director: Patience Nitumwesiga
Shorts Selection:
Heart Attack (South Africa) Screenwriter: Minenhle Luthuli
Strong Girls (Tunisia) Director: Inès Arsi
Organized Crime (Zimbabwe) Director: Derby Bheta
Documentary Selection:
And Who Will Cook? (Cape Verde) Director: Samira Pinto
The Sweet Cursed Dance (Rwanda) Director: Sibomana Alexandre
Twelve Pangas (South Africa) Director: Xola Mteto
Animation Selection:
The Mystery of Waza (Cameroon) Animation Director: Claye Edou
Box Cutters (South Africa) Animation Director: Naomi van Niekerk
The Course (Le Parcours) (Benin) Animation Director: Odilon Assou
TV & Web Series Selection:
Outfoxed (South Africa) Screenwriter: Jabulile Nadia Newman
Mau Mau (Kenya) Screenwriter: Damaris Irungu
Mami Wata (Gabon) Screenwriter: Samantha Biffot
Talent Press Selection:
Nkululeko Zilibokwe (South Africa) Talent Press
Jeoffrey Mukubi (Namibia) Talent Press
Kayode Faniyi (Nigeria) Talent Press
“The 12th edition is presented under the theme of “A Journey to Authenticity”
inspired by the present moment in African cinema,” explains Menzi Mhlongo,
Talents Durban Co-ordinator. “Following a global renaissance of African cinema and
television content, the demand for stories from the continent is rising. African
storytellers and audiences seeking to connect with African cinema also have to
grapple with the question of what is ‘authentic’ African cinema. For the filmmaker
this question has a far more inward dimension as well – before the auteur can offer
the answer to this question they have to ask the question of themselves – what is
authentic to me? With a four day programme of masterclasses, mentorship and
networking on offer, we are looking for the best voices in African cinema-
storytellers who represent the future of what it means to have an “Authentic Voice”
- to join this pertinent conversation.”
Participants will interact with over 600 delegates from the DIFF and Durban
FilmMart, the co-production and finance forum, which take place from 19-22 July
during the festival. The Talents will also get to be part of several project-oriented,
hands-on skills development programmes. Practical development programmes
within Talents Durban include Story Junction, masterclasses, and one-on-one
mentorships.
Story Junction is a platform showcasing projects linked to the festival. Talents will
present their project at Story Junction to peers and industry delegates. Delegates
will be able to request meetings with participants whose projects they wish to
engage with further.
Each of the Talents will receive a mentor for an intensive programme of one-on-one
consultation, and the entire group will engage in project and strategy development
workshops. The mentors selected are experts in their respective fields (e.g.
documentary, fiction, drama series, web, mobile content, TV and animation) that
suit the needs of the participants and their projects.
In collaboration with the Durban FimMart, Talents will have access to the inaugural
Durban Does Docs conference, the Locations Africa Exhibition, a programme on
women-led film hosted by Sisters Working in Film and Television (SWIFT), and a
selection of masterclasses, seminars, workshops, labs and networking opportunities
for filmmakers.
Talents Durban is one of 7 Talents International Programmes formed by Berlinale
Talents in Africa and around the world including Talents Beirut in Lebanon, Talents
Buenos Aires in Argentina, Talents Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Talents Tokyo in
Japan, Talents Guadalajara in Mexico and Talent Press Rio.
Talents Durban is supported by the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, Goethe-Institut
SA, German Embassy in South Africa, National Film and Video Foundation and
Gauteng Film Commission.
The 40th Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for Creative
Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, with support from eThekwini Municipality,
KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, the National Film and Video Foundation, German
Embassy, Goethe-Institut and a range of other valued partners.