South Africa and The Netherlands renew joint scheme Thuthuka at Cannes Film Festival
South Africa's National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and the Netherlands Film Fund celebrated the renewal of their joint scheme Thuthuka at the Cannes Film Festival. Besides continuing the collaboration, the scheme is also broadened to include a production pilot. In the presence of Dutch Minister of Culture Fleur Gräper-van Koolwijk, a new agreement until December 2025 was signed.
"The strength of this program is that it allows creatives to come together, who all have their own background and who all look differently at the world around them. That is why I am extremely glad we are continuing with Thuthuka. I am curious to see what films will come out of Thuthuka and which stories will be told", says Dutch minister of Culture Fleur Gräper-van Koolwijk.
Thuthuka, launched in 2021, is an initiative to promote cooperation between South Africa and the Netherlands. Under this joint scheme, producers with a feature film, long documentary or animated film can apply for a contribution for writing a script and a pitch book. Each year, a maximum of four projects (two Dutch, two South African) are selected for a contribution. The selected teams are also offered the opportunity to join workshops, receive feedback and expand their network.
Within the new production pilot, one project - developed within Thuthuka - will be selected for production support each year. The conditions and criteria for this pilot will be published in the fall of 2024 on the websites of the Netherlands Film Fund and NFVF.
The next deadline for script development will be announced in July during the Durban Filmmart.
During the small ceremony today also the latest selections for Thuthuka were announced:
Brace Yourself (production support)
Director/Writer: Thati Pele
Producers: BALDR Film, Urucu
Logline: On a failed romantic island getaway, straitlaced orthodontist Dr. Shaloba Molefe decides to kidnap her unravelling family and won’t let them leave until they love her again...
Granted support: € 500.000,- combined support from both funds.
Third Wheel (script development support)
Director/writer: Zoe Ramushu
Producers: PRPL, Totem ZEA
Logline: Thina’s pre-wedding getaway goes horribly wrong, when members of her wedding party start disappearing mysteriously.
Granted support: € 40.000,-
Rain Animals (script development support)
Director: Louw Venter
Writers: Louw Venter, Eva Aben, Buhle Ngaba
Producers: Pretty Neat, KeyFilm
Logline: Michelle embarks on a quest to unearth the buried stories of her ancestor, in the process unearthing an intricate tapestry of human connection.
Granted support: € 40.000,-
During this year’s edition of the Cannes Film Festival, one Thuthuka project is selected for Cannes Docs Spotlight:
Karatara – Place of Deep Shadows
Director: Teboho Edkins
Producers: Muyi Film, Edkins
Logline: A ghost film in which the ghosts, both real and imagined, haunt the lives of a racially mixed community in a small town in post-apartheid South Africa.
Granted support: € 40.000,-
Photo: Sandra den Hamer (CEO of the Netherlands Film Fund) and Thobela Mayinje (CEO of the National Film and Video Foundation)
