The film adaptation of Nelson Mandela’s autobiography has generated a real buzz since the poster for the film was unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival in May. It’s another step towards the release of the film later this year and the culmination of a dream for renowned South African producer Anant Singh.

The film, which chronicles Mandela’s journey from childhood in a rural village through his 27 years in prison and to his inauguration as President, aims to be a benchmark film for South Africa. The cochairperson of The Weinstein Company, Harvey Weinstein, has acquired the distribution rights for the movie in the US.

The international scope of the film is also an indication of how our local film industry has come of age.

The launch of Cape Town Film Studios in 2010, South Africa’s first-ever Hollywood-style film studio complex, and a series of developments in the local film industry have raised the country’s profile as an international film-making destination.

Backing for the industry has come partly from the Department of Trade and Industry, whose Minister, Rob Davies, has high expectations for the industry.

“Within the next five years, South Africa must be able to produce world-class films with local stories and actors that are accepted internationally.”

While there is much to achieve still, it has been quite a climb to reach the position the industry is in today.

Unlike countries like Australia and Ireland, which offered generous incentives to their local film producers, the South African industry had to largely go it alone before 2004. But then it received a boost, when the DTI decided to highlight the film and television production sector as one which had great potential to flourish.

It introduced a film incentive scheme to stimulate economic growth and participation in the industry. One of the major goals was to attract big-budget foreign films to use South Africa as a location.

The uptake was steady for the first four years. Between 2004 and 2008, the department approved 49 productions, of which just over half were foreign. The DTI paid out incentives of R370-million and estimates that R2.5-billion was injected into the South African economy through goods and services.

The department said it also reacted to the knock to the international film industry during the global recession, which resulted in drastic funding cuts.

"Economic turbulence meant a dramatic reduction in the funds available for film production internationally, resulting in fewer films being made and at significantly lower budgets,” says Davies.

The DTI introduced some changes to help buoy the struggling industry. It introduced milestone payments to assist local productions in cash-flowing their production expenditure. It also removed the rebate cap. Foreign film producers now get tax breaks for investing in South Africa films.

STRONG RISE IN PRODUCTIONS

Davies says these moves have resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of productions being approved.

Over the past five years, the industry has grown significantly. The DTI upped the number of productions it supported more than sixfold, compared with the previous five-year period.

Since 2008, more than 300 applications for film and television productions have been approved, with incentive payouts of R1.5-billion. Total cash expenditure in the economy has been estimated at R6.8-billion.

The incentives, as well as renewed confidence in the sector and a shift to digital technology, have resulted in a spate of both South African and foreign films being made locally.

Marketing executive for Ster Kinekor Doug Pace sees the local industry as looking healthier than ever. He says, last year, there were 50% more local films on Ster Kinekor screens than in 2011.

“We’re starting to see far more audience interest. The Leon Schuster films will always be popular, but we’re seeing a string of witty, romantic comedies like Semi-Soet as well as worthy dramas like Wonderwerker and other South African films hitting the screens.

Afrikaans audiences, in particular, have always been loyal and have become even more supportive as the scope of Afrikaans-language films widens.

Pace believes South African film-makers are getting better at reading their audiences and working out what South Africans want to see. They’re also thinking beyond the local market.

He considers Material, which was produced by established local film producer Ronnie Apteker, as an excellent example of this.

Focusing on a young Muslim man who works in his father’s fabric shop and discovers a hidden talent for stand-up comedy, the film became an art house hit last year, winning praise and endearing South African audiences.

“Material is the kind of film that tells a universal story. It has jokes everyone can understand. . . . It’s a film that South Africans can appreciate, yet it would appeal to a typical Bollywood audience as well. Beyond that, anyone who has enjoyed a movie like My Big Fat Greek Wedding would enjoy it,” says Pace.

Apteker, who has made his name in film production since selling his technology company, Internet Solutions, to Dimension Data in 1996, is hoping to distribute Material in both the UK and India.

For Apteker, the film’s success in South Africa has been both a great joy and a huge relief. After producing nine other films, he knows how tough the South African film industry can be.

“The film business is one big casino. That is the view across the world. It’s a big gamble and the South African film business is generally full of pain and loss. But Material inspired so many people . . . so it has its rewards.”

The film became part of dinner table conversations and won over more viewers.

“It’s a magical film. The script is all heart and the word of mouth about the film made it a winner,” says Apteker, who credits comedian Riaad Moosa as an actor of “pure grace” and the talent and energy of Vincent Ebrahim, who made his name in the British sitcom, The Kumars at 42.

Davies is keen to see more South African films make it big internationally.

 

NICHE MARKETS
“Moving into the future, one of our biggest challenges is to identify niche international markets for local films.”

 

Clinching big name actors and using universal themes have proved a winning formula for Spud – The Movie, which was screened internationally. Spud, produced by Ross Garland and adapted from the book by John van de Ruit, grossed R9-million in its first week in South Africa.

“It opened bigger than the Harry Potter movie on at the same time,” says Pace.

The film was also distributed in the UK, Australia, the Middle East, Turkey, New Zealand and Scandinavia.

The sequel, Spud – the Madness Continues, again features well-known British actor John Cleese and is expected to fill up movie theatres when it is released locally on June 21.

“It’s a very South African story, yet so many people around the world relate to it.”

Pace believes there’s also potential for low-budget, niche films, such as Otelo Burning a feel-good local film about surfing, filmed in Durban, which has scooped several international festival awards.

While there is no shortage of slapstick-style films in South Africa, Pace believes there are gaps in other areas. “South African film-makers haven’t quite cracked the market of major action films, which tend to be very expensive to produce, or sporting films – the kind that are so popular in the US.”

Government is starting to see the benefits of the film industry and the spillover into other sectors.

 

JOB CREATOR
According to the DTI, the film and television production sector created over 80 000 direct industry jobs between 2008 and 2012, with another 150 000 indirect jobs being created.

 

The DTI says the local film market stands at R2.9-billion and has become an increasingly important player in the local economy.

“The film sector is key in promoting economic activity across a number of other sectors of the economy. For instance, one film can have a significant influence on the hospitality, transportation, clothing, rental, advertising, retail, legal and accounting services industries,” says Davies.

The Cape Film Commission, headed by Denis Lille, is working with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) Jobs Fund in transferring skills learnt in the film industry.

“If you look at set building, carpentry and painting skills – these can easily be transferred into other industries. We also have skilled drivers, security guards, location scouts and caterers. It’s a broad footprint,” says Lille.

Apart from the films being made in South Africa, Lille says many cooking, travelling and adventure reality shows for television are shot in Cape Town. These include The Bachelor and The Amazing Race.

Gauteng has a very active film industry and a major share of the market in television production. The Gauteng Film Commission says seven of the top ten most-watched South African TV shows are produced in Gauteng.

The DTI supports the film and television production sector through various programmes, split between the DTI, the DBSA Jobs Fund, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the National Lottery Board.

The DTI’s incentive programme allocates 35% for the first R6 million spent by producers or on coproductions, and 25% thereafter. Foreign products attract a 20% incentive rate on their South African spend.

International films such as Safe House, Dredd, Blood Diamond and Invictus have all being filmed in South Africa. The country has attracted big names such as Denzel Washington, Nicholas Cage, Hilary Swank, Daniel Craig and Tim Robbins.

Mad Max: Fury Road, starring Charlize Theron, is a recent project and due to be released next year, while Zulu, starring Orlando Bloom and Forest Whittaker and filmed entirely in Cape Town, was chosen to be the closing film at the Cannes film festival.

A short drive along Cape Town’s N2 freeway is proof that the film industry is on the rise.

TELEVISION PRODUCTION

For the past couple of months, a ship has loomed on the horizon, off the dusty sands of the Cape Flats.

It is the setting for a pirate adventure series called Black Sails and it is the biggest spend on a television production yet in South Africa. The eight-episode series is being shot at the Cape Town Film Studios, which is chaired by Singh.

The series is seen as a coup for the South African film industry. The studio has built an infrastructure, including a beach and an island, resembling an island paradise.

Cape Town Film Studios has been seen as a fillip for the industry and a potential job creator. It boasts 7 000 m² of soundproof stages spread over four buildings. The studios include greenrooms, dressing rooms, luxury furnished rooms for film stars, a 37-seater cinema, workshops for set construction and extensive editing facilities.

The developments in the film industry have sparked an interest in emerging filmmakers, who are passionate about getting their stories told and their films screened.

Lille says he is encouraged by the talent that is emerging within the country.

He has been on a series of very promising trade missions to some of the world’s leading film festivals. Fourteen film-makers travelled with him to Cannes, where three South African films were screened – Black South-Easter, the animated film Kumba and Blitz Patrollie.

Delegations of film-makers from around the country have also been to the Berlin Film Festival and the Tribeca Festival, in New York, where forums with key broadcasters were organised for the South Africans.

The festivals have been invaluable in exposing local film-makers to international developments.

“Our local guys get to understand how business is done internationally. They see how other people sell their work and they pick up tips on how to develop an inter- national market for their films. They also see the kind of content being produced and understand the international shift from film to digital media.”

Despite being in an industry peppered with risk, many film-makers say they would not swop their careers for anything – the combination of creativity and adrenalin is a great pull.

Fortunately for many people in the industry, the sector has seen a steady rise in South Africa, with more opportunities opening up.

“You’ve got to be resilient, but it’s a very exciting time to be in the film industry,” says Lille.