Encounters and Sithengi are proud to announce their joint venture:
Report Back
The Encounters/Sithengi Documentary Coproduction Forum has thus far been a great success. From 170 initial entries, 58 projects were chosen to pitch in Cape Town and Johannesburg during the 5th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival 2003.
The Preliminary Pitches were moderated by Canadian Peter Wintonick [Dir: Noam Chomsky: Manufacturing Consent] and the Panel was made up of Commissioning Editors from SABC1, 2 and 3; representatives from Encounters and Sithengi, visiting filmmakers Archie Baron [UK] and Paul de Bont [NL], local producers Don Edkins and Letebele Masemola-Jones and local distributor Mike Dearham [FRU].
From the Preliminaries 13 projects have been chosen to participate in the DCF Consultations, 8 with SABC commitment attached. The Consultations will take place in Cape Town and Johannesburg with Oscar winning director & producer Vikram Jayanti [When We Were Kings Oscar winner 1997] and local acclaimed director Brian Tilley [It’s My Life 2001].
Preliminaries
EXTENDED Submission deadline for preliminaries is Monday 14 July 2003
DCF Deadline Extended: Friday 10 October 2003
All African filmmakers still have an opportunity to enter the process by submitting proposals to the DCF. Proposals submitted to the DCF for this round must have secured a minimum of 20% of the submitted budget. The commitment of a local broadcaster is beneficial.
Projects selected from these submissions will be invited to attend a 2 day Pitching Workshop in Cape Town prior to the DCF Pitch, to a panel of international commissioning editors, at the 8th Sithengi Film & TV Market.
Encounters and Sithengi have designed a programme of events leading up to the DCF. These are to assist African filmmakers develop their projects and create opportunities to pitch for a co-production deal to an international panel of broadcasters, producers and distributors.
Sithengi and Encounters will register all proposals for any documentary over 24 minutes received by the initial entry deadline. Dependent on the volume of submissions there may be a selection process for the Preliminaries.
These Preliminaries, in which filmmakers have 5 minutes to pitch their proposal to a Selection Panel, will be held in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban during the 5th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival 2003 at Cinema Nouveau screened by Nedbank.
CAPE TOWN: V&A; Waterfront Sunday 20 July – Sunday 3 August
JOHANNESBURG: Rosebank Mall Friday 1 August – Sunday 10 August
The Selection Panel consisting of a broadcaster, distributor and producer, will make recommendations, and put forward between 10-20 projects for further development.
Filmmakers selected at the Preliminaries may avail themselves of the Consultations and the Pitching Workshop. They will then be required to submit a Treatment and a Budget.
These documents will be considered by South African broadcasters, who may make an offer on, or write a letter of intent for, a project for co-production.
In the last week of September filmmakers will be invited for Consultations with the Selection Panel.
In November there will be a two-day Pitching Workshop, prior to the 8th Sithengi Southern African International Film & Television Market with an expert who will advise filmmakers on their presentations and on the international commissioning editors and broadcasters who will be attending the DCF.
A finite number of proposals will be slated for the DCF. Those that are selected from the Preliminaries and which have been through the Consultation and the Pitching Workshop will be in line for an opportunity to pitch at the DCF.
All African filmmakers who have proposals, but who have not been through the Preliminaries, Consultations and Pitching Workshop, are not excluded from the DCF. However, to be considered for the DCF these proposals must have secured a minimum of 20% of the submitted budget, and attachment of your local broadcaster is beneficial.
∗ ∗ ∗ EXTENDED Submission deadline for preliminaries is Monday 14 July 2003 ∗ ∗ ∗
∗ ∗ ∗ You can login and submit your project HERE.∗ ∗ ∗
IN BRIEF
- 7 July: Deadline for proposals over 24 min – 2 pages maximum, 1 page CV [All submissions registered, those selected put forward to preliminaries]
- 21 July – 9 Aug: Preliminaries take place during Encounters Festival in Ct, Jhb & Durban
- 1 September: Deadline for Preliminary selections to submit Treatment & Budget
- 22 September: Deadline for ALL other submissions from SA and Africa
- 22 – 27 September: Consultations in Jhb and CT
- 6 – 8 October : DCF Consultations in CT
- 9 – 11 October : DCF Consultations in JHB
- 10 October : Submissions Deadline for all other African projects
- 11 – 12 November: Two day Pitching Workshop in CT
- 13 – 16 November: Sithengi Southern African Film & TV Market
- 15 November : DCF Pitch
There are two criteria, or limitations, for the DCF. The first criterion is time. There are limits on the number of slots available for Preliminaries, Consulations, Pitching Workshop and the DCF. The second criterion is quality.
All filmmakers whose projects are selected for the DCF Pitch will be required to register as Sithengi delegates. See Sithengi website for various registration options.
Encounters and Sithengi have developed this programme to assist filmmakers to prepare their pitch to a panel of international co-producers.
For further information contact:
Tel: + 27 21 430 8160
Fax: + 27 21 430 8186
Email: info@sithengi.co.za
www.sithengi.co.za
Tel: + 27 21 426 0405
Fax: + 27 21 426 0577
Email: info@encounters.co.za
