South Africa’s Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI) has announced a call for animation projects to pitch at the 16th annual Durban FilmMart Pitch and Finance Forum, Africa’s film finance and coproduction market.
Approximately eight animation projects in development will be selected to present to a panel of film professionals, including potential co-producers, broadcasters, film funds, and distributors.
The chosen project participants will undergo a mentorship programme to prepare them for their live pitch and meetings at DFM 2025. The mentorship programme will be featuring masterclasses with global industry experts in January and February 2025.
Magdalene Reddy, director of the Durban FilmMart Institute said, “Over the past 3 year’s the Durban FilmMart has not only seen an increase in the number of applications received from animators across the continent and the quality of projects has improved greatly. The animation industry in Africa is flourishing and the DFMI is proud to be contributing to this growth.”
To be eligible, projects must be from African animators, with at least one key creative, producer, writer, or director, holding an African passport.
Applications are open to both series and feature-length projects, including fiction and documentary animation. According to the DFMI, although applications must be submitted in English, the language of the project itself is up to the animator’s imagination.
Successful applicants will receive travel and accommodation support for one representative per project to attend the live Pitch and Finance Forum in July 2025. Applications are currently open and will be closing on October 27.
