The 2018 edition will aim to feature an expanded and content focused market, led by the recently appointed market director Elias Ribeiro.

The CTIFM&F has reached out to various industry stakeholders in a collaborative effort in keeping with its theme of 'Create, Collaborate, Celebrate' to develop a programme with tangible outcomes.

A number of key programmes have been finalised, all designed to maximise opportunities for emerging talent and to establish long-term inclusive programmes.

Ribeiro says, "As the CTIFM&F, learning from many who have paved the way, we have taken great care in crafting an offering that is complementary to current industry offerings."

Ribeiro adds, "We hope to strengthen our bonds with partners such as the Durban Film Mart. Together, we hope to foster a dynamic and vibrant ecosystem that will contribute to assertive impact in film projects, our financial instruments and funders, policy designers and audiovisual makers at large."

"We also have prioritised an audience development programme called 'Engage', with the faith [that] we will in the long term make local films more sustainable in the domestic market," Ribeiro says.

Marketing director of the CTIFM&F Jehad Kasu adds, "It is the vision of the CTIFM&F to reposition South Africa’s film industry offering through meaningful industry collaboration."

Kasu adds, "If we harness our collective resources, we can achieve an infinite amount of collective growth and success. This will of course take a reasonable amount of time and commitment to achieve."

"So, we implore all film industry stakeholders new, established, private and state-owned to support one another and become active participants in elevating the presence and contribution of the South African film industry within the global ecosystem," Kasu says.

The WIP programme

The CTIFM&F has developed a programme that aims to elevate the bar for African content in terms of quality and innovation.

A maximum of six works in progress will be selected from the African continent to show to international industry professionals. Decision makers will be hand-picked to view the selected films and then give detailed feedback.

This initial viewing will be followed by a screening of a segment of the same works to a wider audience of invited industry stakeholders comprising of festival programmers, sales companies, distributors and post production financiers.

The WIP programme will aim to disburse finishing awards to the most promising projects: grading, final sound mix, VFX, online editing, subtitling and DCPs, with the support of South African post production facilities such as Priest Post, Rhapsody, The Refinery and The Work Room Audio Post.

The CTIFM&F has confirmed attendance from Berlinale’s European Film Market and Berlinale Africa Hub, Tribeca, TIFF, London BFI, as well as international sales companies such as Pyramide International, Flourishing Films, Talent Agents Casarotto and Curtis Brown, Mnet, Indigenous Films, Ster Kinekor and Post Production South Africa.

Entries are due no later than Friday, 10 August.

For more information, visit www.filmfestival.capetown. You can also follow the CTIFM&F on Facebook or on Instagram.