Forum to boost local film
Top presenters lined up for event
AONE-DAY Eastern Cape Film forum is on at the Nelson Mandela Science Centre in Uitenhage tomorrow. Forum creator and director Nceba Mqolomba said the event ensured local filmmakers did not miss out on the wave of growth the South African film industry is experiencing.
Mqolomba, who has first hand experience in the entertainment industry having produced a number of television programmes that include All You Need Is Love, said the Film Forum would include presentations on the business of filmmaking, the state of the industry, how to get funding and how to turn an idea into a story.
Seasoned journalist Thami Dickson, actress Nomhle Nkonyeni, EC Information Technology Initiative chief executive Mncedi Mgwigwi and filmmaker Lwanda Tshabalala are among the presenters.
Port Elizabeth playwright and poet Zwai Mgijima will screen and discuss his film Troopship Tragedy, the story of the sinking of the SS Mendi in 1917 where 646 black soldiers died.
Mgijima said the documentary was based on the play he wrote in 2011 and this year is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ship.
Mqolomba said: “The session marks the beginning of an intense year-long provincial engagement with filmmakers in all the eight regions of the province which will culminate with the third Eastern Cape Film Festival in November.”
The forum, the first for Port Elizabeth, aims at empowering filmmakers in the province. The event runs from 9am to 5pm. Entry is free. For more information contact Mqolomba on 083-580-9875.