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Encounters

Encounters, the South African International Documentary Festival, in association with Mobfest, will serve as the launch pad for the country´s first new media film foray.

Encounters and Mobfest will run two new media components on the festival´s 2007 bill, the first being a New Media Discussion panel to both educate and excite filmmaking community and audience about the benefits of using the growing mobile platform as a medium on which to display their work. The New Media Discussion panelists are key players in the current local digital and mobile climate and related industries.

The second is an exhibition of films made specifically as mobile content. Seven hand-picked documentary directors were presented with Nokia handsets on which a 3-minute movie on “How a cellphone changed my life” had to be produced. This is the first time documentary filmmakers will be exposed to the mobile medium – whilst showcasing content produced specifically for this platform.

Dates

Johannesburg: Nu Metro Hyde Park, 14 – 19 July 2007
Cape Town: Nu Metro V&A Waterfront, 21 July – 24 July 2007

New Media Discussion Panel

The new media panelists will be discussing the topic “Embracing the connected consumer – Entertainment and Technology – from the home to the mobile universe. What are the implications for both the user and the content generator?”

The aim of the dialogue is to look at the significance of the growing mobile phone and new media based industry, and the delivery of content to the market, especially in Africa. The panel will look at the new media landscape, the need for content for these new platforms, and the opportunities for filmmakers, producers, and audiences.

The discussion will broach issues from content through to media rights and authorship.

Dates

Johannesburg: Nu Metro Hyde Park: 6.30pm - 9pm 18 July
Cape Town: Nu Metro V&A Waterfront: 6.30pm - 9pm 23 July

Panelists

Lana Strydom: Senior Manager of Portals & Interactive-Business Strategy and Product Innovation, MTN
Jennifer Marshall: Content Manager of Mobile Entertainment for Vodacom, Vodafone Live
Astrid Ascar: General Manager of M-Mobile, Multichoice
Jonathan McKay: Creative Director of Eject Media
Siven Pillay: Head of Endemol SA
Thomas Wallner: Emmy Winner, Best Interactive entry

Mobile Documentary Film-Makers

Each critically acclaimed director was given a Nokia N93 or N95 handset with which to shoot their 3-minute documentary: “How a cellphone changed my life.”

The film-makers

Rehad Desai

Rehad started his career as a TV journalist before directing and producing numerous award-winning documentary films for Uhuru Productions, his own company based in Johannesburg. Rehad´s film Born into Struggle won the Encounters Jameson Audience Award for Best South African Documentary and was later released theatrically. Rehad is the Executive Director of the Tri-Continental Film Festival and the Chairperson of the South African Screen Federation.

Karin Slater

After winning the ‘best student director’ award in 1988 while still at Natal Tech, Karin cute her teeth in Namibia, Israel and South Africa as both an editor and camera operator. Karin joined Londolozi Productions in 1993, after which her film Animal Powers won four Avanti Craft Awards, including direction. In 2004 The Meaning of the Buffalo premiered at Sundance Film festival and screened at Berlin, Hot Docs and The Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 2001 she formed Durga Shakti Films producing, directing and shooting independently and also for BBC, Discovery, Granada Television and National Geographic. Her latest film is a co-production with the Netherlands Buddhist Channel.

Riaan Hendricks

Riaan´s directorial debut, A Fisherman´s Tale, was screened at Encounters 2004. The film took three years to complete, and captured Riaan´s remarkable blend of personal reflection and social concerns. At 28, Riaan´s heart and eyes are set on bringing to life South African Cinema in its most evocative form. His new project is Dream Young Lions Dream.

Michael Raimondo

Michael runs the Film Unit for the World Conservation Union based in South Africa. Together with Mafisa Media the World Conservation Union produces films about the fragile and intimate bond between people and Africa´s wilderness. Michael was executive producer on the Buffalo Thorn and Associate Producer on Perfect. At present, Michael is the Series Producer for The Healing Power of Nature, to be screened on SABC 3 from August 2006. Johnny Appels the Last Strandloper, opening film for Encounters 2006, was his successful debut as a director.

Padraic O´Meara

Cape-based Padriac O’Meara is a 26-year old director who has spent time honing his talents as a visual storyteller. After a brief stint in animation, Padriac graduated from AFDA with honours at the end of 2005 majoring in Directing and Screenwriting.
Padraic is currently directing the animated television series, URBO the adventures of Pax Afrika, and has recently started BigEyedDeer – his own production company.

Jacquie Trowell/Fiona Mac Pherson collaboration

Jacquie Trowell is one of the South Africa´s leading animations specialists. Director of many 2D, 3D, Flash and Stop Frame animation productions, Jacquie was nominated for the Golden Bear Award at the 2006 Berlinale Festival for her documentary Beyond Freedom. She attributes her continued success to an inherent gift for collaboration.  By opting to collude with artists, handpicked for suitability to a specific job, her productions have a perpetually fresh, unique and exciting quality.

Fiona MacPherson´s formal training is in stills photography which led to her being a devotee of all things visual. Specialising in beauty, album covers, and coffee table books Fiona eventually turned her focus to moving film. While she has a successful career in directing commercials, Fiona´s passion is story telling – especially stories where success triumphs in the face of adversity. She has shot and directed several documentaries and holds the dubious distinction of shooting one of the only two films to be banned under the new constitution - Mother City Sex. 

Vincent Moloi

Moloi worked at Soweto Community Television, completed his Media Studies at Boston Media House/RAU, and interned at the SABC. He has made a number of documentaries, including Men of Gold for the series Black on White, which won the Jameson Encounters Audience award 2006. He was nominated by Encounters as an African Trailblazer at MIPDOC 2007. Moloi produces his films through his production company Hamaloi, where he blatantly displays his unique blend of streetwise attitude and sharp intellect.

Sponsors

Mobfest would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous donations in this collaboration with Encounters: