Pretoria - A new incentive has been launched to support emerging black filmmakers that will nurture them to take-up big productions that will assist in the creation of jobs.
Department of Trade and Industry (dti) Minister Rob Davies on Monday launched the R1 million South African Emerging Black Filmmakers Incentive Programme.
In order to qualify for the incentive, companies need to be on level 3 of their BBBEE status.
“The programme will provide financial assistance to qualifying applicants in a form of a rebate of 50% for the first R6 million of the qualifying South African Production Expenditure (QSAPE) and 25% thereafter for the remainder,” said dti Deputy Minister Mzwandile Masina.
The incentive, which became effective from 1 September, will be administered over a three year period, running up until 31 March 2017.
Speaking at the launch, Minister Davies said the new incentive would provide a possible and direct mechanism to support emerging filmmakers that were previously not covered under the Film and Television Production and Co-Production Incentive programme, which came into effect in 2004.
The scheme that came into effect in 2004 was created to stimulate economic growth and participation in the industry.
“The film industry through various engagements and consultations indicated that the previous scheme and threshold did not accommodate nor support emerging filmmakers. The dti has now reduced the threshold and upped the incentive in an effort to create many opportunities for people with low-budget productions for televisions and films. In this way more productions will be supported than ever before,” explained the Minister.
In May, the Minister held an engagement session with the film and television industry, in Pretoria, where he said that the dti would continue to improve its incentive scheme for the industry.
On Monday, Minister Davies emphasised that the country’s film industry needs quality filmmakers in order to live up to its reputation of being a competitive driver of the economy.
The dti will in the future put together a trade mission to Hollywood, USA, to showcase what the South African film industry is capable of and what they could do with the resources that they had.
Uzanenkosi Mahlangu from the local film industry said South African black artists and filmmakers found it very difficult to write a script that is not prescribed to them and that the new incentive will benefit them.
“The South African Emerging Black Filmmakers incentive programme will change all of that. Although it might not persuade lawyers and economists to turn into filmmakers but it might stop some filmmakers from feeling like they needed something to fall back on,” said Mahlangu.
The incentive is available to South African black-owned qualifying productions with a total production budget of R1 million and above.
To qualify for funding, an emerging black filmmaker must among others employ a black producer or director who is credited for that role in the production and that at least 65% of the holding/service company must be owned by a black person. - SAnews.gov.za
