FOUR South African directors have been selected for the Cannes SA Film Factory. Sheetal Magan, Samantha Nell, Zamo Mkhwanazi and Zee Ntuli will join forces with four international directors to direct four short films.The films will be produced in KwaZulu-Natal and screened on the opening day of the Cannes Directors Fortnight/la Quinzaine, at the Cannes Film Festival next year.

The project is a joint initiative between DW (France) and Zidaka (South Africa), in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), and the Cannes Quinzaine Directors Fortnight.

More than 30 high quality entries were received and a short list of 12 directors were invited to attend final interviews in Durban on July 15.

The four finalists will be taking part in a workshop at the Durban International Film Festival until July 25.

Says Edouard Waintrop, artistic director of the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight section: “The Factory enjoys exploring new territories of cinema… The South African cinema scene, which, in recent years, has often surprised us in major festivals, remains, however, little known in our hemisphere.

“Four short films that will be soon directed by South African and international young filmmakers will enable the public of the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes to discover the unsuspected realities of South Africa. We look forward to discover films that will be made and then screened in Cannes. Vive the SA Factory!”

Dominique Welinski, curator and producer, added: “This is the fourth factory and, after Asia, Europe and South America, this is the first one in Africa. I’m amazed by the high quality of the directors and it was heartbreaking to select only four.”

Carol Coetzee, chief executive officer of the KZN Film Commission described the results as very exciting, adding: “We are definitely moving in the right direction towards a transformed and sustainable film industry. To have young talents and particularly women being exposed to such an opportunity is a milestone indeed.”

AFDA Durban has offered its facilities for production and post-production.

For more information on the Cannes South Africa Factory go to http://www.zidaka.co.za.