The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) will be leading a delegation of South African filmmakers to the 22nd edition of the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF).

ZIFF is East Africa’s largest film and arts festival, and provides an important platform to profile Africa’s burgeoning film industry. The NFVF has formalised a relationship with ZIFF, through the signing of an MoU which will focus on training and development opportunities for young filmmakers as well as identifying co-production opportunities. As part of the partnership, the NFVF will also be hosting the South African pavilion and launching the first-ever student mentorship programme where six South African students will participate in a short film competition alongside Tanzania and Saudia Arabia. The programme is a skills exchange initiative which is meant to develop scriptwriting and production skills.

The 11 South African films in the ZIFF 2019 Official Selection:

• Deep End

• Someone to Blame – the Ahmed Timol Inquest

• Coming Home

• Our Albertina

• The Moon Falls Unconscious

• Whispering Truth to Power

• Not in My Neighbourhood

• Five Fingers for Marseilles

• Burkinabè Bounty: Agroecology in Burkina Faso

• Please Frog, just one sip!

• My Country

“The NFVF-ZIFF partnership will allow us the opportunity to grow our relationship with the festival as we continue on our quest to create more skills exchange and development

opportunities for South African filmmakers internationally. I particularly look forward to seeing what our students can produce and wish the films in competition the best of luck,” said Makhosazana Khanyile, CEO of the NFVF.