TALENT CAMPUS DURBAN 25-29 July 2008
at the 29th Durban International Film Festival
(23 July – 3 August 2008)

The 29th Durban International Film Festival (23rd July to 3 August 2008) is proud to announce the first edition of Talent Campus Durban held in cooperation with the Berlinale Talent Campus from 25 to 29 July 2008.

TALENT CAMPUS DURBAN - 25th to 29th July 2008

Talent Campus Durban is an intensive 5-day programme of workshops and seminars that will be delivered by film professionals, academics and intellectuals. Under the theme “Producing African Cinema for a New World ”, participating filmmakers will benefit from both theoretical and practical approaches that will enhance their cinematographic and creative experience.

Talent Campus Durban is held in cooperation with the Berlinale Talent Campus, the 6th edition of which formed part of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival in February this year. The Berlinale has in recent years exported the Talent Campus concept to selected festivals in other countries. Currently, aside from the main event in Berlin, Talent Campus takes place in Buenos Aires New Delhi and Sarajevo, and it is a considerable privilege that DIFF has been invited to host a Talent Campus in South Africa . This provides DIFF with a wonderful opportunity to enhance its existing training programmes with a new initiative that brings a group of promising, new African filmmakers together with seasoned professionals.

The call for entries to the Talent Campus Durban specifically targeted African filmmakers living in Africa, and the five-person selection committee spent three days deliberating over 140 qualifying submissions before choosing 40 candidates.

Despite the inherent freedom of the new wave of digital media allowing for ever smaller and less expensive production, film is essentially still a collaborative medium. Production requires creative talent, combined with technical and financial acumen. In this period of social unrest wrongly targeting “foreigners” the Talent Campus Durban, with its 40 participants representing 19 countries, can demonstrate the art of African collaboration in action and celebrate the creative strength of diversity. The overall objective is to empower a new generation of African filmmakers.

Talent Campus Durban is a partnership project between the Durban International Film Festival in cooperation with the Berlinale Talent Campus, Berlin International Film Festival, and is supported by the German Embassy in South Africa and the Goethe Institute South Africa .

Note that the call for entries for the 2009 Talent Campus Berlin will be announced at the end of July.

The Talent Campus Durban 2008 Participants are as follows:

Phone: +27 (0)31 260 2506/1367

Fax : +27 (0)31 260 3074

Email: talent@ukzn.ac.za

For media queries contact:
Sharlene Versfeld
T: 031 201 1650
F: 031 201 1654

E: sharlene@versfeld.co.za

Last updated on 21 August 2008

All information Copyright ©2000-2009 University of KwaZulu-Natal. All rights reserved.
Any queries or broken links, please e-mail cca@ukzn.ac.za
Telephone:+27 (0) 31 260 2506
Fax: +27 (0) 31 260 3074

Original photography by: Val Adamson, Rafs Mayet, Precious Ngcobo, Jeeva Rajgopaul, Monica Rorvik, and Peter Rorvik