South Africa and NZ Join Film Forces

Executives from the New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) have been meeting with producers at the Durban FilmMart (DFM) to research potential development and co-production opportunities. Representatives from the NZFC and the National Film & Video Foundation spoke about the South Africa/New Zealand Co-Production Treaty, which was signed in 2011. “I see my role as facilitating opportunities for our filmmakers 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,” deputy CEO of the NZFC Mladen Ivancic said.

“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,” Ivancic continued. “We have brought three producers and one film-maker to South Africa to start the process of co-production with this country.” Toni Monty of the Durban FilmMart said: “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.”