The Durban FilmMart has confirmed that its second edition will take place from 22-25 July 2011 during the 32nd Durban International Film Festival (21-31July).

This partnership project between the Durban Film Office and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) provides film professionals from across Africa an opportunity to pitch projects to financiers, distributors and sales agents as well as participate in an exciting master-class and workshop programme.

The successful inaugural edition of Durban FilmMart hosted over 200 international producers, sales agents, distributors, financiers and funding organisations, who filled meeting lounges and seminar rooms over four days, attending meetings, project presentations and a series of master classes and workshops on latest trends in film finance, marketing, distribution and new media technologies.

Designed to create partnerships and further the development and production of African cinema, Durban FilmMart ultimately aims to raise the visibility of projects from the African continent, create networking opportunities with potential co-producers and other industry partners and act as a feeder stage for established co-production markets such as DFM's official partner, CineMart, of the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

The organisers are now calling for project submissions for the 2nd Durban FilmMart 22 - 25 July 2011, offering filmmakers from the continent of Africa the opportunity to be selected to pitch projects in one-on-one meetings with potential investors within the Finance Forum segment of the programme. African film practitioners are encouraged to take this opportunity as a means of promoting their projects, meeting experts and networking with industry professionals from across the globe. The closing date for submissions is 15 February 2011.

Entry is open to:

· Projects with an African citizen attached to one of the three key creative roles of producer, director or writer. Proof of African citizenship or birth must be provided through a certified copy of a valid African passport/ birth certificate;

· Africans living in the Diaspora, but who still have African citizenship or have proof of birth in Africa;

· Projects with a producer attached.


Feature projects in the DFM 2011 selection are:
69 Midane el Messaha (69 Messaha Square), directed by Ayten Amin and produced by Ihab Ayoub; Egypt
Ali Mea'za, directed by Ibrahim El Batout and produced by Hossam Elouan; Egypt
Boda Boda Thieves, directed by Donald Mugisha and produced by James Tayler; South Africa
Children of the Sand, directed by Ekwa Msangi-Omar and produced by Appie Matere; Kenya
Imbabazi, directed and produced by Joel Karekezi; Rwanda
Lock Yourself In, directed by Elan Gamaker and produced by Bridget Pickering; South Africa
Midnight Dogs, directed by Lassaad Dkhili and produced by Guillaume de Seille; Tunisia
Robin du Web (Robin of the Web) directed and produced by Véronique Doumbé; Ivory Coast/ United States of America
This Boy, directed by Kyle Lewis and produced by David Max Brown; South Africa
Two Princes, directed by Philippa Ndisi-Hermann and produced by Atieno Odenyo; Kenya


The selected documentary projects for DFM 2011 are:
The Black President, directed by Adze Ugah and produced by Anna Teeman; Nigeria/ United Kingdom
Femme à la Caméra, directed by Karima Zoubir and produced by Hicham Brini; Morocco
En Terre Inconnue, directed by Ariane Astrid Mbourou and produced by Cyrille Masso; Cameroon
FIDAI, directed by Damien Ounouri and co-produced by Mathieu Mullier and Alexander Singer; Algeria/ France
Homage to the Buddha, directed and produced by Nicole Schafer; South Africa
I, Afrikaner, directed by Annalet Steenkamp and produced by Lauren Groenewald; South Africa
Naana La Reine Mère (Naana, Queen Mother), directed and produced by Jean-Marie Teno; Cameroon
Ndiyindoda (I am a Man), directed by Mayenzeke Baza and produced by Bryony Roughton; South Africa
Return to Zimbabwe, directed and produced by Xoliswa Sithole; South Africa
Rollaball, directed by Eddie Edwards andproduced by Steven Markovitz; South Africa

Expert speakers Parallel to the pitching sessions for selected projects, there are four days of seminars, workshops and masterclasses featuring industry experts and filmmakers. Exciting lead experts at Durban FilmMart this year include Juliane Schulze, Peter Broderick and Hetty Naaijkens.