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The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) hosted a networking breakfast at the Durban FilmMart on Saturday to promote the South Africa/New Zealand Co-Production Treaty.

The New Zealand Film Commission and a delegation of producers are at the FilmMart to research potential co-production opportunities and begin conversations with local producers around developing projects.

The NFVF and NZFC briefly spoke about the workings of the treaty, which was signed between the two countries in 2011, and the opportunities and support that are available in each country.

"Treaties are government trade instruments whose main objective is to promote cultures of the countries and help filmmakers to access markets of their international counterparts." explains Terrence Khumalo, Manager of Film Certification of the NFVF. "They enable filmmakers to access finance, distribution and exhibition in co-producer's territory. Treaties also serve to expose local talent to international markets."

"Since 1997 there have been 8 treaties signed with Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, UK and New Zealand. This translates into 95 projects of just under R5 billion in South Africa."

"New Zealand has co-production agreements with 13 countries, and out of these about 60 co-productions have been made, with a production budget value of around NZ$660 million." says Mladen Ivancic, Deputy CEO of New Zealand Film Commission. "We have brought three producers and one film-maker to South Africa to start the process of co-production with this country."

"I see my role, as facilitating opportunities for our film-makers and backing them up with technical advice, as well as meeting as many people as I can who might want to connect with the New Zealand Film industry." says Ivancic. "We have a particularly good connection with South Africa, in a way that we possibly don't have with some of the other treaty countries, as we share a common language, have a historical connection and there is a healthy SA migrant population in New Zealand."

"This was an initiative supported by the NFVF to kickstart talks between the South African and New Zealand film industry," says Toni Monty of the Durban FilmMart. "So we are really pleased to report that already out of this session, two producers have been able to begin discussions on possible co-productions. We look forward to more delegates from New Zealand attending the FilmMart next year and we will be holding similar initiatives at future DFM's against the backdrop of other co-production treaties that South Africa has in place."

The Durban FilmMart ends this evening with an awards ceremony at which awards and grants are given to projects that were selected to pitch at the finance forum.

For more information go to www.durbanfilmmart.com

Issued on behalf of the Durban FilmMart by:
Sharlene Versfeld / Kwazi Ngubane
Versfeld & Associates
Durban South Africa
+27 +31-8115628/ +27 +83 326 3235
sharlene@versfeld.co.za / kwazi@versfeld.co.za
www.versfeld.co.za