Film-makers should encourage tourism
WHEN showcasing art, creatives should never underestimate their power to promote their country as a tourism destination. This was the sentiment of South African based filmmaker Akin Omotoso, who was speaking at a Tourism Indaba dialogue that focused on uniting Africa through the arts. Omotoso, whose hit film, Tell Me Sweet Something, is set in the Maboneng precinct, showcases the urban regeneration of the Johannesburg inner city. “When we’ve shown the film overseas, there have been times people have asked ‘where is that?’ and they say that it’s a place they would visit,” he said. More film-makers were shooting in Durban, with its picturesque landscape and beauty, said Omotoso. Just last year, renowned local film-makers Khalo Matabane and Mickey Dube shot their respective feature films 28s and Comatose in the province.
“The idea of promoting ourselves is part and parcel of storytelling. We have a lot of stuff and have to be proud of it and showcase it,” Omotoso said.
The KZN Film Commission aims to encourage local film production and attract tourists to the province with its film tourism strategy.
KZN Film Commission chief executive Carol Coetzee said the commission was working with Tourism KZN to encourage tour guides to establish tours to sites where films had been shot in the province.
“It would also entail negotiating with production companies to leave behind key, iconic props from the set so that people can visit the site and recognise it from the film.
“There is a lot that could be offered but it’s at a very early stage,” Coetzee said.
Historically, films shot in KZN have used various locations to depict other areas.
Scenes of Nelson Mandela’s childhood village in the Eastern Cape in the epic Long Walk to Freedom were shot in the Drakensberg.
“We still get some exposure because the credits do say shot in KwaZulu-Natal but with projects that we are funding now we say they need to shoot something iconic about the province, something that will automatically let people know it was shot here,” Coetzee said.