After receiving a record number of applications for the third edition of the DFMI Business Lab, the Durban FilmMart Institute is pleased to announce 35 participants from 22 countries across the continent. Habtamu Mekonen from Ethiopia is among them.

The selected participants will undergo a 12-week online business development programme aimed at nurturing and empowering producers with the necessary skills to effectively engage in a global market.

“The Lab is now in its third year. We would like to thank DW Akademie for their continued investment into capacity-building on the African continent,” says Magdalene Reddy, director of DFMI. “In addition to providing filmmakers with the expertise to expand their film career, the lab has created a sense of community between the producers inviting them into a peer-to-peer support system where they are free to share opportunities and learnings as they engage in the film industry.” 

The Lab will focus on modules such as Financial management, Business management, Intellectual Property and  Entertainment Law, Distribution, and coproduction led by film and creative industry professionals from Burkina Faso, Canada, France, Kenya, South Africa, and the USA.

The programme is presented in partnership with DW Akademie and supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The online programme will commence in October 2023.

The Durban FilmMart Institute receives principal funding from the Durban Film Office and the eThekwini Municipality.