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Government through National Department of Arts and Culture will host the South African Film Summit from 04 - 05 February 2019 at Skyrink Studios, in Johannesburg Gauteng. The Summit will be held under the theme: “Transformation and innovation in the South African Film/Audio-Visual Industry and the 4th Industrial Revolution. Are we geared for change?”
 
Industry experts and policy makers within the audio-visual industry will deliberate on key resolutions as guiding efforts towards the development of the local film industry in alignment with emerging trends and global developments.
 
The South African Film Summit seeks to:
 

• Assess the extent to which the current or emerging legislation and policies either enhance or hinder the transformation and development of the film and television industry in South Africa.
• Evaluate the extent to which the South African Film Industry is catching up or aligning itself with emerging trends and global developments, premised by Pan-Africanism.
• Create a platform for knowledge sharing through case studies and benchmarking with similar countries in the developing world.
• Evaluating the successes and challenges of national and regional film industries with particular reference to funding and resources of the sector.

 
The South African Film Industry refers to the broader audio-visual media industry which includes film, television and digital media as defined in the Revised White Paper, 2017. The film industry is one of the oldest in the world having initiated in 1896. Despite such a long history, the South African film industry’s place within the local economy and globally is a contested one. This is in terms of its contribution in both social and economic value.
 
As such, whether the industry is in its infancy or not remains a contentious matter. This is considering the low film production volumes, unsustainable business models and a largely freelance workforce because South Africa is not short on policies and strategies to support the industry.
 
“Policy coordination and coherence is important to ensure there are no unnecessary bottlenecks, contradictions and gaps that will negatively impact on the business environment while simultaneously encouraging investment, particularly from the private sector”, states Minister Nathi Mthethwa.
 
About 300 experts and policy makers from key organizations, Government and industry institutions such as: the South African Broadcasting Corporation National Film and Video Foundation; South African Screen Federation; South African Guild of Actors, South African Arts & Culture Youth Forum and Independent Black Filmmakers Collective as well as other local and international key stakeholders will take part in the summit.
 
“Addressing South Africa’s positioning in the film sector, not only in the continent but also globally, is an important one if the country is to compete in the creative economy”, concludes the Minister.
 

Issued by GCIS on behalf of the Department of Arts and Culture