Christopher Vourlias The 15th edition of the Durban FilmMart, which ran July 19 – 22 in South Africa’s sun-splashed coastal mecca, wrapped on a high note this week with an invigorating sense of possibility among the industry professionals making the trek from all corners of the continent.
The future of film finance in Africa, the prospects of pan-African collaboration and the pressing need to build a sustainable industry in the face of climate change were all on the agenda.
Nearly 1,500 delegates attended this year’s DFM from 58 countries in Africa and beyond, with a lineup that included Netflix’s director of content in sub-Saharan Africa, Dorothy Ghettuba, and creative talent director, Chris Mack; Red Sea Film Fund head Emad Eskander; Frédéric Fiore, president of film and TV equity outfit Logical Pictures Group; Nicola Ofoego, head of acquisitions at Paris-based Black Mic Mac; and Katie Irwin, agent and co-head of international at WME Independent.
Joining the roster of international executives was an invigorating contingent of African filmmakers that highlighted the youth and dynamism powering the continent’s screen industries into the future.
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