In the wake of the ongoing unrest, violence and widespread destruction of property taking place in parts of the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in recent days, the Durban FilmMart has postponed the virtual event that was meant to run from July 16 to 25.
The 12th edition of the Durban FilmMart will now take place from August 13 to 22.



Magdalene Reddy, Acting General Manager for the Durban FilmMart, said the decision to postpone the virtual event by a month was not taken lightly. "The board of the Durban FilmMart has decided, that in good conscience, we cannot host an event that celebrates African film while large parts of South Africa are experiencing such trauma. We remain sensitive to what South Africa and its citizens are going through, and this decision takes into account both operational integrity and the safety of all concerned."

This year's Durban FilmMart will take place under the theme,'Disrupt! The shape of stories to come' and will interrogate the challenges and opportunities the changes in the film industry represent, while celebrating the new contours of access as online leads the way, as remote working connects us differently, and new collaborations emerge.

"What we are experiencing right now is disruption on a massive scale, and it directly informs the stories we tell and the way we work," says Jacintha de Nobrega, chairperson of the Durban FilmMart Institute, "this is a potent reminder that we are not divorced from the reality of the world around us."

The DFMI board further notes, "The DFMI Partners, General Manager and staff are determined to give true meaning to this year's "Disrupt" theme, by rising to the challenges currently faced by South Africa generally and the filmmaking community specifically. Using the opportunity to harness the transformative nature of disruption to come out the other side stronger as an institution and more resilient, we are determined to use the power of story-telling as a catalyst to build and strengthen the enormous talent pool that exists in South Africa and across the continent."

Delegate registration is still open on the following link: http://www.durbanfilmmart.co.za/Delegate-Registration.aspx

The Durban FilmMart 2021 is produced by the Durban FilmMart Institute with principal funding from the Durban Film Office and Ethekwini Municipality. The DFM 2021 virtual event is supported by the National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, Film and Publications Board, International Emerging Film Talent Association, Institut Francais - South Africa, Wesgro and Namibian Film Commission with the following programme partners - AfriDocs and Avek, Berlinale Talent, Cape Town International Animation Film Festival, Digital Lab Africa, Documentary Filmmakers Association, Documentary Association of Europe, DOK.fest München, Dok Leipzig, Dolby, Durban International Film Festival, FidaDoc, Hot Docs Blue Ice Fund, Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Independent Producers Organisation, Miradas Doc, Norwegian South Film Fund, Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, Produire au Sud, Rotterdam, Cinemart, South African Guild of Actors, SASFED, SWIFT, Trace TV, Writers Guild of South Africa.

Thierno I. DIA