Wesgro is proud to announce that our Film and Media Promotion Head, Monica Rorvik will embark on a film and media promotion mission to the 70th Cannes Film Festival as well as its industry market the Marche Du Film, on behalf of Wesgro, Cape Town and the Western Cape’s official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency from 17 to 28 May 2017.
The Cannes Film Festival is one of the world’s major film festivals and brings together the artistic and commercial dimensions of cinema by promoting cinematographic and professional exchanges. Over 50 South Africans will be attending this edition, which will be attended by approximately 12 000 of the world’s media professionals, including 3 200 producers, 1 200 sales agents, 1 750 buyers and 800 festival organizers.
The film industry produces content year round but there are significant industry calendar events where cutting-edge deals, new market strategy discussions, and co-production networking occurs, and it is with this in mind that Wesgro will participate at Cannes. “Our objective is to establish partnerships between the Western Cape, the European and global film industry; including all nine co-production countries, as well as to strengthen ties with BRICS, USA and other territories. We will also pursue opportunities for film collaboration, joint projects and establish relations with global companies operating in the film sector. The Marche forms an integral part of the Festival in that it also facilitates networking and provides accredited professionals with the services and tools they need in order to exchange information, hold negotiations and uncover new opportunities,” said Rorvik.
Rorvik will travel with Cape Town Film Studios (CTFS) CEO Nico Dekker who is hosting an event at the South Africa national pavilion on 24 May. “Attending Cannes is an important networking event for the CTFS to reconnect to global players. The team has received many invitations to speak with producers thinking about co-producing with South Africa and the possibility of a booking at the CTFS,” said Dekker.
“The number of filming permits issued by the City of Cape Town doubled over the past two financial years, showing the strength and massive growth of this industry. This industry is important to us because it creates jobs and opportunities to develop the skills of our people. Our city’s attractiveness as a filming destination is due to an abundance of beautiful, unique and diverse locations to meet any of script demands. Our competitive film tariffs and production costs underpins our attractiveness as a filming destination. We remain committed to growing this sector even more as we position Cape Town as the filming hub in Africa,” added City of Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille.
“As one of the world's most prestigious film festivals, Cannes provides an ideal opportunity for Wesgro to showcase the Western Cape's offering to international markets. The province is a versatile film destination, as evidenced in the broad range of productions which have been shot here. We know that the film sector also has a positive economic impact, employing residents. Being featured in these global productions also offers excellent promotion for our destination,” concluded Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities Alan Winde.
Some Cape Town companies are attending with film projects in development and/or looking for distribution and sales are, Big World Cinema, Light and Dark Films, Mason Bro's Films, Spier Films, TH Media, Urucu Media, as well as two law firms Fairbridges and Irish Macleod.
Other projects such as Tess, produced by Cape Town’s Boondogle are already in distribution and will have market screenings to drive further sales.
