As part of efforts to sustain and escalate activities towards the implementation of joint domestic and cross border film development, participants at the just concluded South Africa 29th Democracy & Bilateral Relations Anniversary with Nigeria have said that the Nigeria-South Africa Co-operation Forum should be encouraged.
This is contained in a communique released by the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), the National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa, in collaboration with Nigeria and South African Film Stakeholders, and the South African (Consulate) High Commission.
According to the communique, the NFC has already constituted its Activation and Implementation Forum made up of film stakeholders, an outcome of the Jo’burg Film Festival held between January 31st and February 6th, 2023, and in furtherance of its quest for robust industry stakeholders’ inclusive engagements and co-production opportunity take-ups with the assistance of the “Film Co-Production Procedure & Practice Handbook” which will be formally adopted and presented to film stakeholders at the Durban International Film Festival/ Durban Film Mart Institute in July, 2023.
It was also agreed that Nigeria, through Zuma Film Festival, which is organised by the Nigerian Film Corporation shall provide the platform for coordination of official inter-country film festival engagements with a distinct annual and alternate “Nigeria-South Africa Film Festival” scheduled for December 1-10, 2023 in Abuja.
Similarly, for South Africa, the National Film & Video Foundation (NFVF), shall coordinate the Durban International Film Festival/ Durban Film Mart Institute platform in South Africa, for the hosting of the South Africa-Nigeria-Film Festival scheduled for July 2023.
“Given the improved intercountry bilateral & people to people relationships of both nations, a 10-year Visa plan for Nigerians visiting South Africa for business and leisure is to be emplaced, auspicated by the South African Consulate in Nigeria.
This is expected to add up to the ease of doing business between filmmakers from both countries; hitherto being efforts by the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and the National Film & Video Foundation in securing the cooperation and assistance of Embassy Consular Services of both nations, to ease intercountry film production engagements by film stakeholders.
“While efforts are to be made to extract film location production incentives from across the Federating States in Nigeria, there exists, among others, a 35% tax rebate on film location production/projects in South-Africa.
“Stakeholders in commending the successes recorded so far, craved that no efforts should not be spared by relevant government agencies, as well as audio-visual practitioners of both nations towards the full optimization of all processes, programmes and projects in the Cooperation Agreement to serve as a springboard for enhanced, formal and more bilateral and multilateral audio-visual co-operation agreements in Africa, and consequently between African countries and other non-African nations,” the communique added.
