Scharl van der Merwe, from Nagvlug Films, with other judges were tasked with selecting the finalists to proceed to the second round in this year’s film competition. PICTURE: STEFAN LOUW
The second annual Filmit Festival, launched by Paul Roos Gymnasium in March 2022 is in full swing and the second round has now commenced.
The Filmit Festival, a film competition for high school learners from Southern Africa, gives aspiring young filmmakers the chance to enter their work and be exposed to educational sessions by industry experts.
On Tuesday April 5, young entrants got the chance to pitch their ideas for short films, documentaries, music videos and animation projects and from these entries, finalists were selected to proceed to the second round of the Filmit competition.
Finalists were selected by Richard Truter, from BANG ON Films; Zandré Coetzer and Scharl van der Merwe from Nagvlug Films; and Bradley Joshua, from Gambit Films. Twenty short film, 8 music video, 6 documentary, and 2 “other” concepts (which includes animation) were selected to move on to the next round.
Finalists include learners from schools in the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, Northwest, Namibia and Zimbabwe. These finalists have free access to the Filmit Festival Shop Talk Sessions where industry specialists present informal talks about their respective fields of expertise, and learners have the opportunity to ask questions and engage in creative conversation with them.
The Shop Talk Sessions will be filmed and recorded and made available on the Filmit Festival YouTube Channel which will enable finalists from all South African provinces, Namibia and Zimbabwe to experience the Shop Talk Sessions, should it not be possible to attend the sessions in person.
All finalists have the opportunity to submit their questions in advance to ensure their questions are addressed during the Shop Talk Sessions. The Shop Talk Sessions will be presented over four consecutive Saturdays, it kicked off on Saturday May 28 and comes to conclusion on Saturday June 18.
Thereafter finalists need to start completing their scripts, and start with production. The final films need to be submitted by the 16th of September 2022.
These Shop Talk Sessions are also open to high school learners who did not make it to the final round or who did not manage to submit a pitch in time. These young filmmakers can attend the session of their choice at a cost of R100 per session.
Finalists and other high school learners who dream of making films should book well in advance by contacting Luna Paige at media@paulroos.co.za. Bookings close on every Thursday at 5pm prior to each scheduled group of Shop Talk Sessions on the Saturday.