Durban’s iconic film production and distribution house, Videovision Entertainment, has come out full support of the Durban FilmMart and the Durban International Film Festival.
 
Videovision Entertainment, which is acknowledged as the leading filmed entertainment company in South Africa, has had a strong relationship with the Durban International Film Festival for three decades, providing top local and international films to be screened at the festival.
 
More recently, the company has been supporting the growth and development of African film through various initiatives. One such initiative is its support of the Durban FilmMart since its establishment.  Since then, the company has annually sponsored the “Best South African Film Project” prize which is valued at R75 000.  The prize guarantees the winning film a commercial release once it is completed and includes marketing and distribution support from Videovision Entertainment.
 
This year, Videovision Entertainment has partnered with the Durban FilmMart by the sponsoring the awards ceremony and dinner at which selected projects that are pitched at the market will be presented a variety of awards and grants to further develop their projects.
 
“We are thrilled to be so much more involved with this year’s DFM,” says Anant Singh, CEO of Videovision Entertainment. “As a Durban-based company, we are committed to development of the South African film industry, especially in the KwaZulu Natal province. By supporting the DFM, we are able to contribute to the development of Durban as a film industry hub.”
 
The celebrated, award-winning French director of Wolf Totem, Jean-Jacques Annaud will be attending the DFM Awards Dinner this evening and he will present Wolf Totem at the premiere screening at SunCoast on Tuesday, 21 July at 20h00. Wolf Totem has received critical acclaim around the world with the leading entertainment publication, Variety calling the film a ‘viscerally powerful drama,’ while The Hollywood Reporter said that the film was ‘spectacularly staged…stunning’ and Screen International pronounced the film to be ‘a proud throwback in look and spirit to a kind of filmmaking we don’t see much anymore.’ The film has also achieved box office success, reaping in excess of US$ 111 million in China and over US$9 million in France.
 
“We are delighted that director Annaud who has a string of blockbusters to his name such as Seven Years in Tibet, Quest for Fire, The Name of the Rose and The Bear, is attending the festival.” continued Singh. “This is great news for Durban, the festival and indeed the film industry as well, as his presence will stimulate the conversation around film-making in the country, on a global level. The French Institute in South Africa and ourselves are pleased to be hosting him in Durban and giving him a unique South African experience.”
 
“Videovision has long supported various industry development programmes and projects,” says Toni Monty of the Durban FilmMart. “As a project of the DIFF and the Durban Film Office, it is vital that we gather as many industry players around to collective grow these important film events to continue to develop a robust African film industry.”