Murmures

ABOUT THE SUMMIT
The Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) of South Africa in association with the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI), will host the first African Film Summit as well as the General Congress of FEPACI, in Johannesburg from the 3rd to the 6th of April 2006.
The Summit will host over 150 delegates including, some of the continents most prolific audio visual professionals, representatives of national film associations, including the regional secretaries and secretary general of FEPACI, representatives from film institutions in the Diaspora, representatives of guilds and unions, continental and national government institutions, as well as and other key stakeholders.
The South African government has taken the initiative to host the African Film Summit as a result of a request from FEPACI and on the basis of the recommendations of the African Union Commission’s appeal for:
« the participation of the African Union, the RECs (Regional Economic Communities), African Governments, the private sector and the civil society to take appropriate steps, in conjunction with the Pan-African Federation of Film-makers, FEPACI, URTNA, MASA, FESPACO and all stakeholders to hold consultations and conduct preliminary studies with a view to establishing an African Commission on the Audiovisual and Cinema industries, as well as a Fund to promote the cinema industry and television programmes in Africa »(Decisions of the Assembly of the AU, Second Ordinary Session, 10-12 July 2003, Maputo, Mozambique)

KEY OBJECTIVES
The key objective for hosting the African film Summit and the FEPACI congress is to create a platform where various key stakeholders can engage with each other and continue dialogue towards:
Analysing the state of African cinema across the continent within the context of the global order of the cultural industries.
Evaluating the successes and challenges of national and regional film industries and interrogating the performance of African countries against international benchmarks and Conventions
Streamlining activities across the continent that are aimed at developing the African Audio Visual industries
Providing a new mandate for FEPACI to act within the NEPAD context and addressing the capacity requirements of FEPACI that are necessary to carry out the new mandate.
Proposing a way forwards on how to begin the implementation process on various instruments, motions, proposals, declarations and resolutions made and signed by the OAU and AU regarding cultural industries in general and the audio visual industry in particular.
Assessing the desirability of the drafting and adoption of an African convention on collaboration African Convention on Audio Visual collaboration and cooperation as a legally binding Pan-African agreement between member states of the African Union and as an instrument that declares the common purpose and objectives and implementation plans of these member states for the development of the Pan African audio visual industries.
Formulating recommendations and resolutions which will be presented to the meeting of the African Cultural Ministers in respect of the place of film in the AU and NEPAD agenda for sustainable growth and development

DATE, LOCATION AND PARTICIPANTS
The Summit will take place from the 3RD to the 6TH of April 2006 in Johannesburg South Africa and host 150 delegates including:
representatives of national film associations,
the regional secretaries and secretary general of FEPACI,
representatives from film institutions in the Diaspora,
representatives of guilds and unions
continental and national government institutions
audio visual professionals and other key stakeholders
The FEPACI General Conference will take place on the 6tTHof April and host delegates including
the regional secretaries and secretary general of FEPACI,
key members of FEPACI
and key invited guests

STAKEHOLDERS
The key stakeholders towards the summit are:
DAC
NFVF
South African government departments – DTI, DFA, DOC
African Union and respective commissions
NEPAD and Secretariat
FEPACI
Regional Economic Councils
Representatives of other African Governments
Representatives of select Non African countries
Funders and sponsors
Filmmakers, distributors, broadcasters, exhibitors and other film practitioners
Relevant local and continental cultural Institutions and organizations
National and continental industry organizations
Media

ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE
The organizational structure for the Summit is as follows:
The African Film Summit steering committee is chaired by the Department of Arts and Culture and comprised of representatives and senior officials of the following institutions, organizations and government departments:
Department of Arts and Culture
National Film and Video Foundation CEO
Federation of Pan African Filmmakers
NEPAD
The African Union Commission
Department of Foreign Affairs
Department of Trade and Industry
Department of Communication
Department of Home Affairs
Independent Producers organization

And the Summit organizing committee is comprised of
The CEO of the NFVF as its Chairman and other senior NFVF officials
The DAC Director for Multimedia
The African Film Summit Project Manager.
The FEPACI regional secretary as key liaison with FEPACI and its members and affiliates
AU Commission senior official
NEPAD Secretariat senior
Official from the Department of foreign affairs
and two industry representatives

SUMMIT FORMAT AND AGENDA
The Summit organising committee has proposed that the Summit be session based with various moderated and panel led discussions, presentations and key note addresses on select themes and topics that reflect the key vision, mission and objectives of hosting the Summit
The discussion themes and topics will include:
The historical challenges of African cinema. This session will be spearheaded by a panel of elders, The Pioneers of African cinema including among others Ousmane Sembene, Haile Gerima, Med Hondo, Cheik Omar Cissoko and Souleyman Cissé,
An introduction to the discussions and presentation of the Programme by the Summit Moderator and chairperson of the organizing committee
Fact or Fiction – An overview of Production, Distribution and exhibition across the continent. Regional presentations on the state of the Audio Visual industry in Africa, challenges for the future
Towards a common vision and common voice. A presentation and discussion on facilitating unity among African filmmakers – towards a common vision and common voice. A discussion on the history, challenges and future of Pan African of filmmakers’organizations and associations.
The role of the State in the development of the African film/ audio visual industries. A discussion and presentation on the development of National film policies and the legitimizing of state support and funding for African Film Industries, the setting up national film institutions, Examples from Burkina Faso, Mali, South Africa and other African countries
The role of broadcasters, in the development of the African audio visual industries. A special focus on the role of National and Public Services Broadcast
The role of the African Union and NEPAD in the development of African Audio Visual Industries and an assessment of the desirability and necessity of Pan African instruments that can facilitate development. A discussion on the Objectives, theoretical and practical implications, logistics, modalities, expected results, agenda, documents and work methods towards the African convection on cinematographic collaboration, the « African Commission on the Audiovisual and Cinema industries, as well as a Fund to promote the cinema industry and television programmes in Africa »

EXPECTED OUTPUT
The most ideal outcome of the African Film Summit is that the recommendations that are made and resolutions that are adopted should be tabled at the next Meeting of African Cultural Ministers, as the most appropriate political platform for the resolutions to be adopted as part of African Union and NEPAD programmes.
The organising committee is currently consulting with a select panel of experts and consultants and requesting them to develop discussion documents and advisory reports that will be contextualize and set the tone and parameters for the discussions at the summit as per the above objectives, themes and topics.
The steering comm. will review the documents and they will be sent to all participants in the first week of March. At the summit, the participants will present their views on the documents with the intention of developing a agreed upon document that will be presented by the South African Minister of Arts and Culture to the Meeting of African Ministers of Arts and Culture as well as to the AU and NEPAD secretariat
The documents are to detail the desirability and implementation plan towards the development of the African convention on audio visual co operation, an international agreement legitimizing strategies for continuing to state and support aid to film industry. These documents will declare a common purpose, objectives and strategies ratified by members of a pan organization. A legally binding pan African agreement between member states of the African Union.
It is hoped that this process will provide the impetus in the various countries across the continent to implement the resolutions and recommendations of the summit as part of NEPAD at the continental level and at the national level by individual countries.

HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE
The summit will be a closed forum of invited delegates. All participants will be invited by the organizing committee. Should you be interested in, finding out more information about the Summit, please contact the Project Manager, Lebone Maema on the following telephone number or email:
Tel: + 27 11 483 0880
Email: [email protected]


The African Film Summit

BACKROUND INFO
At FESPACO 2003 (The Pan African Film Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso,) the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) – an institution established to develop and promote the South African film industry, initiated discussions with FEPACI (the Federation of African Filmmakers) to explore the potential for the participation of the NFVF and the South African government in the creation of a platform to continue the dialogue regarding the establishment of the African Commission on the Audiovisual and Cinema industries as well as the restructuring of FEPACI as a Pan-African Federation of Film Associations.
The General Assembly of members of FEPACI welcomed the proposal. It was then suggested that South Africa host an African Film Summit including the next general conference of FEPACI at a date to be confirmed by the Summit Steering Committee.
Cognizant of the AU’s requests and following the meeting at FESPACO 2003, the DAC and the NFVF invited a delegation from the Burkina Faso Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Tourism and representatives from FEPACI to the Southern African International Film and TV Market known as Sithengi, in Cape Town. It was during this visit, that the DAC, NFVF and FEPACI discussed the formation of an initial steering committee comprising of the DAC, NFVF, and FEPACI, representatives of the NEPAD Secretariat, other relevant government departments, and institutions in preparation for the proposed African Film Summit.
On November 15, 2004 a planning meeting was held at Sithengi to prepare a submission for FESPACO 2005. This meeting was attended by Mr. Jacques Behanzin, Secretary General of FEPACI, Mr. Morabane Modise Regional Secretary of FEPACI, Ms. Lindi Ndebele-Koka and Mr. Lebone Maema of the DAC, Mr. Eddie Mbalo, CEO of NFVF, Mr. Dimitri Martinis, Senior Manager: Policy at the NFVF, Ms. Gina Bonmariage, Senior Manager: Human Capital Development at the NFVF, Ms. Jackie Motsepe, Senior Manager: Marketing at the NFVF, and Mr. Thami Nxasana, the Strategy advisor and Programmes manager at the NFVF.
The meeting deliberated about the objectives and logistics of the proposed African Film Summit and deliberated on the objectives of the Summit.
At Fespaco 2005, the DAC hosted a workshop towards the hosting of the African Film Summit in South Africa. The workshop was held on the 3rd March 2005, following the decision made at a November planning meeting that was held at Sithengi to open the discussions of an African Film Summit and to inform film and audio-visual practitioners as well as stakeholders. The workshop was therefore intended to be a forum to discuss the rationale, aims, objectives and framework towards the African film Summit
The workshop was attended by representatives of national film associations, the regional secretaries and secretary general of FEPACI, representatives from film institutions in the Diaspora, Audio Visual Professionals and representatives of guilds and unions as well as pother film practitioners from across the continent.
The DAC and NFVF in association with FEPACI received overwhelming support and encouragement to proceed with preparations towards the summit. Many participants argued that it would be foolhardy of African Film Practitioners to turn down an opportunity for all relevant stakeholders in the industry to regroup and focus their energy on working together to develop mechanisms to build a strong Pan African industry.
The Department of Arts and Culture and the South African Government were applauded by the workshop participants for proposing to provide a platform in the form of the African film Summit which will allow various key stakeholders to engage with each other towards streamlining activities across the continent that are aimed at developing the African film industries, a platform that will consolidate the historic, political and practical aspects that have been taking place over the past 15 to 20 years.
The Department of Arts and Culture and the South African Government were commended for taking the initiative to provide a platform to propose a way forwards on how to begin the implementation process on various instruments, motions, proposals, declarations and resolutions made and signed by the OAU and AU regarding cultural industries in general and the audio visual industry in particular. The most important of these declarations being the African Union’s Commissions request for :
« the participation of the African Union, regional economic councils, African governments, the private sector and the civil society in the activities towards the establishment of the Pan African Audiovisual Commission, as well as a Fund to promote the cinema industry and television programmes in Africa. »