The Youth Filmmaker Project is a Natives At Large Project in partnership with the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa, in association with Jungle Works, Kwa-Zulu Natal Film Commission, and the Ford Foundation to enable young filmmakers from previously disadvantaged and marginalized groups to make their first professional short film.

Objectives of Youth Filmmaker Project

  1. To build, strengthen and nurture first time writers and directors from underrepresented groups so that they can realize their first films with all the support necessary to achieve the highest level of storytelling and production values.
  2. To showcase new South African stories from a youthful perspective at both a national and global level.
  3. To create a platform for young emerging filmmakers to hone their skills at a practical level so that they are enabled to produce quality films to meet both national and international criteria and standards.
  4. To give first-time writers and directors the opportunity to collaborate closely with local and international industry professionals including producers, writers, script editors, editors, sound and production designers amongst others so that they can understand the entire production environment.
  5. To expose young South African writers and directors to alternative cinematic forms rather than only mainstream cinema.

One of the biggest gaps and glaring omissions in transforming the film industry in South Africa is the absence or under-representation of black youth, particularly women and members of the LGBT community.

The Youth Filmmaker Project presents an opportunity for long-term development of underrepresented groups in the South African film industry.

How do we do it

The young writers and directors are mentored through a structured workshop-based programme over a period of 6 months to develop and write their scripts. Under the guidance of South African producers (Bhekizizwe Peterson, Neville Josie and Ramadan Suleman) and script advisor Franz Rodenkirchen the story ideas were developed into scripts.

The project methodology is participatory and experiential. The mentors facilitate, guide and enable. The mentoring and training is workshop based and hands on. Participants are exposed to and work with a range of local and international industry professionals during all phases of pre-production, production and post-production.

Morning Live Interview, 2015

YFP 01 – Rights Of Passage

https://www.youtu.BE/0C0Co7ZQPxI

Morning Live Interview, 2016

YFP 02 – Push & Shove

Partners

National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa, (an agency of the Department of Arts and Culture), Kwa-Zulu Natal Film Commission in partnership with Natives At Large, Jungle Works, Lotto, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Ford Foundation and the Goethe Institute.

The next phase of the Youth Filmmaker Project is to help the past participants develop and produce their first feature films.