The Eastern Cape government is calling on South African film producers to shoot their movies and documentaries in the province.
The call went out on Monday, via the Eastern Cape Development Corporation and the Eastern Cape Provincial Arts and Culture Council, to producers to submit proposals for feature films, short films, documentaries and series projects.
“The expression of interest closes on 2 July 2018 and the proposals will help the Eastern Cape government determine the type of support needed by filmmakers to grow the industry and to make it profitable in the province,” they said in a statement.
A panel consisting of officials from the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs, and Tourism, Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts, and Culture the Department of Trade and Industry, Industrial Development Corporation, National Film and Video Foundation and a film commission from one of the provinces will help the ECDC and ECPACC select the most deserving proposals.
“To qualify for support, the proposed film projects must be shot in the Eastern Cape and 70% of the total production and development budget must be spent in the province.”
“The expression of interest applies to South African, especially Eastern Cape-based, production companies with experience and a credible track record producing film content of international quality who have projects to be shot in the Eastern Cape.”
“Production applicants also need to submit a script outline that is ready for production, it must have relevance to a South African and Eastern Cape audience and in the case of co-productions there must be compliance with all the necessary compliance requirements.”
“Documentary applicants must also submit a research report and outline,” the statement said.
These include South African production companies who hold exclusive rights for at least 12 months on films produced in the province and those that have produced at least three documentaries in the Eastern Cape which have been broadcast on television or released theatrically in either one hour or feature-length formats.
New and emerging filmmakers or writers who have a production company attached to the project are based in the Eastern Cape are also invited to submit proposals,” said ECDC Trade, Investment and Innovation head Thabo Shenxane.
Shenxane said the Eastern Cape is an attractive film location for filmmakers and currently, “productions are shot in the Eastern Cape without the involvement of the province.”
He said the province also needs to set down regulations to guide filmmakers when they arrive to shoot films in the province.
“These regulations are present in provinces such as Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, but the Eastern Cape currently lacks this regulatory environment for the sector. We need to put some regulations on how the Eastern Cape will benefit economically from hosting film productions in the province”.
“The film sector is attractive in that it has spinoffs for other sectors such as tourism, accommodation, food industry, skills development, vehicle hire, general transport services and job creation,” Shenxane said.
