Reel Epics represents at Talents Durban

Mia Cilliers was selected to participate in the 10th edition of Talents Durban this year which formed part of the 38th Durban International Festival (DIFF). This five-day development programme (14 – 18 July) is presented in cooperation with Berlinale Talents, an initiative of the Berlin International Film Festival, and is made up of workshops and seminars for African filmmakers, delivered by film industry professionals and academics.

After a rigorous selection process, 30 filmmakers and film critics from 19 countries across the continent made the cut. Presented under the theme “Perspective: Seeing Things Differently”, Talents Durban aims to boost the already rising flow of contemporary filmmaking in Africa, and to encourage filmmakers on the continent to share their stories through the lens of their own particular culture.

Participants connected with over 600 delegates from DIFF and Durban FilmMart (DFM), the co-production and finance forum which takes place during the festival. Talents offers an incredible networking opportunity with key players in the local and international industry, notably the DFM’s Africa Pitch, a where a selection of documentary projects from across the continent pitch to a panel of experts and funders.

Each of the Talents received a mentor for an intensive programme of one-on-one consultation and the entire group engaged in project and strategy development workshops. The mentors selected were experts in their respective fields (e.g. documentary, fiction, drama series, web, mobile content, TV and animation) and specifically worked with the Talents on their individual projects.