The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) has partnered with Netflix and Indigenous Film Distribution to launch six micro-budget films through their Joint Film Fund. The US$1,4 million Joint Film Fund is designed to finance each production at 100% of their budget.
The partnership with Netflix, which was announced in March 2021, is a welcome development for emerging filmmakers in light of the disruptions caused by Covid-19 lockdowns. Both partners contributed US$735,230 each to support the production of local films, which will debut exclusively on Netflix.
According to NFVF acting CEO Thobela Mayinje, this partnership with Netflix has been instrumental in promoting the South African film industry locally and internationally. The completion of the six films is a testament to the talent and hard work of the cast and crews involved.
“These South African stories by South African filmmakers demonstrate our commitment to growing and nurturing the next generation of talent and storytellers. We remain committed to investing in local storytellers to keep bringing exciting local stories from emerging and established filmmakers to our local and global audiences,” says Ben Amadasun, VP of content for Middle East and Africa at Netflix.
The six local films are divided into two streams: four feature films with a budget of US$210,065 each and two feature films with a budget of US$315,139 each. Four fictional feature films by emerging filmmakers were funded at a capped amount of US$210,065 under Stream 1, while Stream 2 featured fictional feature films by established filmmakers capped at US$315,139.
The films, which include Runs in the Family, Prime, Inkabi: The Hitman, Smart Casual, Soweto Blaze, and Real Estate Sisters, cover a wide range of genres and reflect the diversity of South African culture.
Indigenous Film Distribution founder and managing director Helen Kuun expressed her excitement at working with such an ambitious group of new filmmakers across multiple genres. She further commended NFVF and Netflix for creating this opportunity for filmmakers.
