Engineering News

Company Announcement - The Marché du Film of Festival du Cannes, and CineMart, part of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, have partnered with the Association for Transformation in Film and Television to create a development program for five (5) South African black producers to attend the Rotterdam Lab and the Marché du Film’s Producers Network in 2016. The five producers and their projects will be selected by the ATFT in collaboration with the Marché du Film and the Rotterdam CineMart, with preference given to producers who have completed a theatrically released film.

The program consists of three stages: firstly producers will partake in the Rotterdam Lab in January 2016, next the producers and their projects will be work-shopped in South Africa two months prior to the Marché du Film, and lastly the producers will attend Cannes and bee nrolled in the Producers Network, where they will be spotlighted at one of the Breakfast Meetings of the Producers Network. In Cannes, meetings with distributors and financiers will also be arranged to support further development of their projects.

The Rotterdam Lab is a five-day training workshop for young and emerging producers designed to build up their international network and their experience at an international festivals and markets. Participation in the Rotterdam Lab provides producers with the confidence and skills to navigate the festival circuit and meet professionals who can help finance their projects. Alongside the panel discussions, participants take part in so-called 'speed dating' sessions in which they meet with industry delegates in person and receive advice about their own projects. In addition to the organised Lab program, producers can strengthen their network and participate in all other CineMart events, like networking lunches, cocktails and other panels.

The workshop in South Africa will take place over three days with two experts bringing their expertise on international co-production and international distribution. The two experts will follow-up with the 5 delegates after the workshop to help them prepare for their participation to the Producers Network at the Marché du Film in Cannes.

The Producers Network hosts more than 500 producers from around the world for a series of meetings and unique events specifically designed to stimulate international co-production and optimize networking. During the week, with a different program each day, producers are given opportunities to meet the potential partners that will move their projects forward, namely co-producers, sales agents, distributors and financiers. The SA Producers selected will participate in this program be presented at one of the Breakfast Meetings as well as being introduced to a selection of international guests during a luncheon organized by the Marché du Film and ATFT. To apply to the program, ATFT database members need to respond to the callout they will receive on email and apply to both the Rotterdam CineMart and Marché du Film delegations and submit their project via the online application form.