Sithengi/Encounters Documentary Co-Production Forum (DCF)

[Taryn da Canha]

The 1^st Southern African
Documentary Co-production Forum (DCF)
“Matching projects and broadcasters”

Encounters the South African International Documentary Festival and the Sithengi Southern African International Film & Television Market are proud to announce a joint initiative aimed at improving the documentary co-production opportunities for Southern African filmmakers.

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.

Submission Deadline for Preliminaries:  Monday 7 July 2003

Sithengi and Encounters will register all proposals for any documentary over 24 minutes received by the 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 each to pitch their proposal to a Selection Panel, will be held in Cape Town and Johannesburg during the

5^th Encounters South African International Documentary Festival 2003
Cape Town 20  29 July: Johannesburg 1  7 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 proposals 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

8^th Sithengi Southern African International Film & Television Market
Cape Town 13  16 November.

At the Pitching Workshop an expert 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 (which must consist of a Treatment, Budget, CVs), 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 the attachment of their local broadcaster is beneficial.
In Brief:
7 July                  Deadline for proposals over 24 min  2 page proposal, 1 page CV
        All submissions registered, those selected put forward to Preliminaries
21 July  9 Aug  Preliminaries take place during 5^th Encounters Festival in CT, JHB & DBN
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
11  12 November Two - day Pitching Workshop in CT
13  16 November 8^th Sithengi Southern African Film & TV Market

·       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, Consultations, Pitching Workshop and the DCF. The second criterion is quality. Encounters and Sithengi have developed this programme to assist filmmakers to prepare their pitch to a panel of international co-producers.


TO APPLY FOR THE DOCUMENTARY CO-PRODUCTION FORUM, VISIT WWW.SITHENGI.CO.ZA


For further information contact:

SITHENGI
Tel: + 27 21 430 8160
Fax: + 27 21 430 8186
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.sithengi.co.za

ENCOUNTERS
Tel: + 27 21 448 0608
Fax: + 27 21 448 1065

AFTER 17 JUNE 2003
Tel: + 27 21 426 0405
Fax: + 27 21 426 0577
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.encounters.co.za

Taryn da Canha
Product Co-ordinator
Sithengi Film and Television Market
C/O SABC
209 Beach Road
Sea Point
8001
+27 21 430 8427
+27 21 430 8240
[EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
You are currently subscribed to african-cinema-conference as: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To unsubscribe, forward this message to [EMAIL PROTECTED]