Tilane shows how to

ONE of the key figures attending the Durban FilmMart this year, Tilane Jones, is the executive director of Array, the film distribution collaborative founded by Oscar-winner Ava DuVernay which is focused on women filmmakers and film-makers of colour.

Since 2011, Array has acquired key titles, including Ava DuVernay’s Middle of Nowhere, Andrew Dosunmu’s Restless City and Haile Gerima’s Ashes and Embers. In the process, Jones has shifted the position of films made by women and people of colour, bringing an audience to films that would otherwise struggle to find screens. As well as her position at Array, Jones is also a production manager with several high-profile titles to her name, including a range of fashion and beauty films and television productions.

Talking about her first visit to South Africa and her engagement with the local film market, Jones says that she hopes to inspire and encourage women to overcome the challenges they face on the continent as women film-makers.

“I want to let women filmmakers know that there is an audience that is hungry for stories told from their perspective. Array has worked hard to cultivate that audience and we are eagerly awaiting them and their films.”

Tilane will also be meeting local women film-makers to find out what their needs are and what hurdles they need to overcome to better inform herself on how she might be able to inspire and encourage them in the important work that they are doing.

“I look forward to meeting emerging film-makers from the continent, with the aim of acquiring more African titles to be distributed in the US.”

Asked whether there was a defining moment when she had cut through the barriers that traditionally held women back from being major players in the global film industry, Jones takes a somewhat pragmatic approach. “There always have been and always will be barriers to break