SA at the Tribeca Film Festival

The Gauteng Film Commission, Cape Film Commission and Durban Film Office, in collaboration with the South African Consulate General in New York, are embarking on a joint venture to take a delegation of South African filmmakers to the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. The festival runs from 18 to 29 April 2012. The South African delegation will participate on the sideline events organised by the Tribeca Film Festival. 

The South African Consulate General’s office will arrange meetings with key industry players in the New York film industry. Upon confirmation of the dates for the visit, the SACG will confirm the meetings with identified institutions/film companies The Tribeca Film Festival’s mission is to help filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience, enable the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema and promote New York City as a major filmmaking center. Tribeca Film Festival is well known for being a diverse international film festival that supports emerging and established directors. The Festival has screened over 1300 films from over 80 countries since its first festival in 2002. Since its founding, it has attracted an international audience of more than 3.7 million attendees and has generated an estimated $725 million in economic activity for New York City.

The purpose of the mission is to expose South African filmmakers to the Tribeca Film Festival with a view to forge partnerships with US filmmakers and producers participating in the festival. In this regard, the South African Consulate General will arrange a series of meetings for the SA filmmakers to engage and interact with their counterparts in the US film industry.

South Africa is known in the US film industry as a destination for film making with a potential to produce world–class films. A case in point is the recently produced “SAFE HOUSE” film in Cape Town, which showcased not only the scenic views but also the huge potential for the growth of the film industry in South Africa.

It is anticipated that this mission will provide an opportunity for South African filmmakers to showcase their projects and talent in future events organized by the Tribeca Film Festival and other similar organizations in the US.