The Durban FilmMart Institute Announce Its Official Animation Programme For The 2022 Edition

After expanding into the animation space in last year’s edition, the animation focus at the 13th Durban FilmMart has grown substantially with the help of funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), implemented by GIZ in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut to support the cultural and creative industries (CCI) in South Africa and a number of other countries in Africa and the Middle East through various projects since 2018.

“Over the last few years there has been an exponential increase of animation productions in Africa. Despite the scarcity of training and development opportunities for animation professionals, there has been notable interest by international networks and broadcasters to purchase African animation content as they see the huge potential of unlocking African consumer markets,” says Magdalene Reddy, General Manager of the Durban FilmMart Institute. “Recognising the growth, skills and energy of the animation industry and the value it brings to the creative economy, DFM has opened up an enlarged space for animators in the 2022 programme.”

The animation programme includes a partnership with Tshimologong through which 10 animation creatives will be given the opportunity to participate at the DFM Pitch and Finance Forum.

 

“Tshimologong is proud to partner with DFM. This is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate festivals collaborating to raise the opportunity and voice of digital creatives in Africa. We have got to create a clear value chain of how a creative can determine the pathway of getting support for their projects based on its stage of development. The broader ecosystem is strengthened through this form of partnership,” says Lesley Donna Williams, CEO Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct.

The animation projects in the market are as follows:

Fiction series:
Aminah's Journey (Nigeria) - Producer and Director: Brian O Wilson
Grit (Nigeria) - Producer and Director: Ajibola Adewole-Oyebokun
Hovers (South Africa) - Director: Bokang Koatjia
Knittyville (South Africa) - Producer and Director: Clare Louis
Lolo (South Africa) - Producer: Sithembiso Mpehle and Director: Jeani Varty
The Memory Keepers (South Africa & Côte d'Ivoire ) - Producer: Deidre Jantjies and Director: Roland Oka

Documentary Series:
Jupiter's Cogitations (Burkina Faso) - Producer: Stephanie Launay Director: Moumouni Sodré
Fiction Features:
Kinafo (Côte d'Ivoire) - Producer: Alexandre Charlet Director: Adja Mariam Soro
OKIKI - The Legend of The Half God (Nigeria) - Producer: Joseph Eseme Director: Brian O Wilson
PTD (Prepared To Die) (Nigeria) - Producer and Director: Esther Kemi Gbadamosi
Prior to the Pitching Forum the 2022 DFM projects will receive mentorship assistance from producers and professionals. The mentors for this year are - Vanessa Sinden, award-winning producer of both live action and animated films with more than 20 years of filmmaking experience, and Oliver Catherin who has produced, among others, Kiki of Montparnasse, which won a César for best short animation film. He is also one of the co-founders and administrators of the European Animation Awards (Emile Awards).

 

In collaboration with African Animation Network, the Animation industry sessions at this year’s DFM will feature across both the virtual and physical events; the virtual stream will focus on distribution, production, funding and gaming, while the physical stream will look at distribution, and industry development in the film industry within South Africa. The animation discussions will highlight not just the nuanced differences between animation and live action terrains but engage on the challenges and opportunities that exist for film professionals through animation storytelling mediums.

The speakers for the online segment of Animation @DFM will include discussions with Jérome Soffo Simo (Yaoundé African Cinema Animation), Ariane Suveg (Cartoon Network), Diana Rosu (Accra Animation Film Festival), Tendayi Nyeke (Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire), Francis Y Brown (Animax FYB Studios), Nick Wilson (Fupitoons) and Ziyanda Macingwane (KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission). Emmy-nominated animation writer and director Mike de Seve from Baboon Animation INC, will present in the DFM Conversation series. de Seve has worked extensively in both television and feature films, has been named as a headline speaker in the DFM Conversations stream. A director and writer at Dreamworks, he has honed his craft as a story consultant and project developer across the globe.

REGISTER NOW
DFM 2022 will be presented under the theme ‘Revolution Evolution: Changing the Narrative’ as both an online and physical programme during the period 22-31 July. Registrations are open for both online and physical participation at Durban FilmMart. Visit https://
durbanfilmmart.co.za/dfm-event-2022/ to review the participation options, and to explore the full programme of activities and opportunities on offer.

 

The DFM animation programme is supported by the project “Cultural and Creative Industries”, which is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and in cooperation with the Goethe-Institute. By promoting the development of entrepreneurial, digital, creative, and technical skills through training programmes and by strengthening the ecosystem, the project aims to improve employment and income opportunities for creative professionals Africa and in the Middle East.

The Durban FilmMart Institute receives principal funding from the Durban Film Office and the eThekwini Municipality. The DFM 2022 event is kindly supported by the National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission and Wesgro.

How The Walt Disney Company Ruined And Killed Off Star On Disney+?

Star is a content hub within the Disney+ streaming service that is responsible for handling series like American Dad, How I Met Your Mother, Helstorm, Scream Queens, Little Fireflies Everywhere alongside movies like Deadpool, Little Monsters and Vacation Friends.

Before that, the Star brand name was and is currently used in India for original programs and movies which come with linear channels that can be viewed in countries outside the region.

Due to criticism by several consumers regarding the lack of adult entertainment on the platform I mean several shows like Modern Family and Glee weren't present at the time despite fitting the description of Disney+ which was rated family at the time.

 

Star is a brand that catered to consumers aged 18-49 while some regions had to pay extra to view the bulk of entertainment on a seperate service (Hulu or Star+) others were able to view it under a tile on Disney+.

For several months into 2021, as Star began to rollout onto Disney+ in other countries came the attention span The Walt Disney Company had toward the brand. You'd find several adverts for the content under this brand labelled as Disney+ while others were labelled under another property.

From my observation, Star hardly had original content except for where it was deemed relevant which is India and even then most of the content would compliment other tiles on Disney+ and not go for the edgy stuff that would seem less Disney.

 

Worst part in regard to all of this is how some parts of Europe had to phase out the Star brand in favour of Utsav which is based on irrelevant channel only for India to go head with Star as the main company rebranded to Disney Star hopefully there's no mix-up when referring to streamer Disney+ Star.

Last year, it was reported that they'd be exiting the English market in India and likely global which appears to be on some limbo as the reported new channels had been delayed or scrapped but we'll see what happens when those delays eventually hit the surface.

The Walt Disney Company was always about alignment as several Disney channels were sacrificed for Disney+ and ESPN but these inconsistencies just prove that any brand can be mismanaged whether its fresh like Magnolia or old as TCM.

What Happened To Joey Greco From Cheaters?

From 2002-2012, Joey captivated us with his soul patch, glasses, and calculated tone. He confronted cheaters with the evidence that they, in fact, cheated on their significant other or long-term partner.

So, what happened to 'Cheaters' host Joey Greco?

The concept of the show is simple. If someone feels that their partner is not being faithful, they seek out the help of the Cheaters team. The show then sends out its private investigators to essentially spy on the partner in question. Over the course of a few days, the PIs collect evidence that either proves or disproves their suspicions. 

Due to the sensitive nature of these confrontations between the host, the cheater, and the client, things tend to get quite fiery on the show. In 2003, Joey was the victim of a stabbing during one of these confrontations. This incident raised questions over the show’s validity, leading it to be considered “fake” by critics.

 

However, it gave Joey notoriety. Cheap stunt or not, it was one of the few things that contributed to him becoming a fan-favorite of the show.

Joey was replaced on 'Cheaters' in 2012 with Clark Gable III.

Despite his popularity, Joey was replaced for the 13th season of the show in 2012 by the late Clark Gable III (Clark Gable’s grandson who passed in 2019 from a drug overdose). According to executive producer and creator Bobby Goldstein, “We just felt it was time to freshen up the show with a new host.”

Joey was asked to finish out the end of Season 15 of Cheaters in 2015. Not much has been heard of Joey since then, but rest assured, he’s still around — just not confronting cheaters.

Joey got back into acting after leaving 'Cheaters'...
Joey was an actor before he became the host of Cheaters. After his decade-long stint on the show, he landed some small roles here and there but mostly appeared as himself for nostalgia’s sake.

His credits post-Cheaters include Charlie: A Toy Story (2013) and the television show Hot Package “Sex and Violence” (2015).

 

He’s had recurring roles on the television series Ghostbreakers from 2011-2016 as himself and has appeared in various product and service commercials. He also hosted Netflix Cheaterz in 2017, a parody surrounding the issue of Netflix cheating.

In 2020, Joey works as a fitness trainer and real estate agent.

Actors are not obligated to continue acting once they’re out of a gig and some choose to pursue other careers. This is true of Joey Greco. He is a counselor, a fitness trainer, and, if you live in Dallas, Texas, then chances are that Joey could be your new real estate agent!

That’s right, Joey works for Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty. He appears to have some decent testimonials, too.

Although Joey spends most of his time on real estate, there is a chance that you’ll catch him in some form on TV, either in commercials or perhaps as the occasional host of a reality show. The fact is, there isn’t any "news" about Joey.

He lives a seemingly unbothered life down in Texas, and sorry, he won’t even be returning to host the latest seasons of Cheaters — and we don't blame him.

Credit: Reese Watson

Cartoon Network Africa Climate Champions - Take Action!

Being a Cartoon Network Climate Champion means caring about our planet, wanting to make a difference, and having fun while you do it! And this month, Cartoon Network Africa is cutting through the chill and putting the winter school holidays to use with so much for you to do to help protect our planet.

The action begins with a Climate Champions on-air stunt with fun and adventurous, eco-tastic episodes every day from Monday, 11 July to 18 July @ 09:40 CAT. Laugh along with your favourite cartoon characters from Teen Titans Go!, Craig of the Creek, The Amazing World of Gumball, DC Super Hero Girls, We Baby Bears, Coach Me If You Can, and Ben 10 as they tackle environmental issues. From cleaning up the ocean to protecting an ancient tree, our heroes will face many unexpected adventures while learning about climate change.

 

To add to the fun, Cartoon Network has partnered with DStv to launch a new mobile game called Grubby Shores that goes live on 11 July on DStv's mobile edutainment game, Island Adventures available on the MyDStv app. Come along and explore a newly discovered grubby island destroyed by pollution and climate change. The dirty island needs all Cartoon Network Climate Champions to save it! So don't miss out on the chance to play, learn, and win one of 10 DIY Vegetable Garden kits weekly or an incredible family getaway.

You can also join the Cartoon Network Climate Champions crew for even more activities, more games and cool tips to help protect our planet during the eco-packed holiday activations at Menlyn Park Shopping Centre (Pretoria) from 6 to 10 July and Tyger Valley Shopping Centre (Cape Town) between 13 and 17 July.

All that's needed now is for everyone to jump into holiday mode with a difference. Mother Earth needs everyone to get busy in their home, school, and community as they join the ultimate force of change-makers, the Cartoon Network Climate Champions. Tune in to Cartoon Network Africa and visit the Climate Champions website to take up the challenge. Say yes, you’re ready, because no act is too small to save the planet and make a world of difference!

Studio Universal Is Your #1 Alternative To eMovies

Since 2011, Studio Universal owned by NBCUniversal serves as one of the core entertainment channels by the company dedicated to films either based on a genre or an actor kind of like the main channel, Universal and in between those films there's series.

For nearly a decade, Studio Universal has been taking on other existing movie channels part of which on DStv while others in various regions like M-Net Movies, TNT, FilmBox, eMovies and AMC but one thing all these brands have in common is repeats.

Sure they may not repeat the exact same movies as much the other but one thing I kind of disliked about Studio Universal happened to be duplicated e.tv offering as most of their offering was usually seen on the station months prior to their rollout.

 

To top it off, DreamWorks is undergoing a similar procedure with the latest content folded under eToonz as DStv consumers have to start from scratch with most of the content.

Point being made Studio Universal was kind of a push over at the time and even after their duplicate eMovies and eMovies Extra was scrapped from the DStv platform. That tendency still lives on through the Openview platform.

For those who stuck with DStv are probably trying to figure out the best alternative to kung fu KIX or the animation skewed M-Net Movies 3 & 4. The answer to that is simple, Studio Universal.

Sure TNT is there but as mentioned when TCM was phased out this channel would incorporate a bit of nostalgia so if anything it could work as an accessory or an alternative to Studio Universal but wouldn't match the standards found on eMovies.

 

eMovies was that portal from M-Net Movies 1 & 2 catered to low income households as they are able source movies from these channels in under 5 years while as 3 & 4 worked to a similar extent but there was still a lot more that hasn't been explored on those channels.

While M-Net Movies 3 & 4 would give you the latest instalments to Terminator, eMovies offered a selection of Marvel films and while those M-Net channels gave you animation like Uglydolls and My Little Pony: The Movie with eMovies you could get a variety of films from Pixar.

Studio Universal kind of like Universal and DreamWorks all owned by NBCUniversal are pretty much alternatives to these eChannels I mean eMedia supplies a content from their studios and the only downside would be accessibility as Studio Universal caters for the mid masses.