1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:05,800 Speaker 1: Seven Seas Weekend Breakfast Film and TV. 2 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 2: But some for our Form and TV feature. And it's 3 00:00:12,560 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 2: the conversation today, you know, is not as joyful as 4 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:19,799 Speaker 2: it usually is around film and TV. So my broadband 5 00:00:19,960 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 2: article has highlighted house of Africa's once thriving film industry 6 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 2: says it's on the verge of collapse. And according to 7 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 2: this it says it's because of government withholding financial support 8 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 2: for the past two years. Someone who's far more well 9 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 2: aversed in the form and TV space regular on the 10 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:39,559 Speaker 2: show is Tennis Ferreira and he joins us on the 11 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 2: line this morning, ten Us, good morning, thank you for 12 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:46,319 Speaker 2: your time. Hello, they look so, I mean, I've been 13 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 2: reading this article and I mean it's it's incredibly sad, 14 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 2: particularly you know, because of the jobs in the space 15 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 2: in entertainment and in film in the country. But it's 16 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 2: also being referred to as a no go zone South 17 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:07,040 Speaker 2: Africa's struggling TV film industry. What does that mean? 18 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 1: So we're in March and in two weeks time we're 19 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 1: going to see again the gold and the gowns at 20 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:21,039 Speaker 1: the SAFTAs the South African Film and TV Awards and 21 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,039 Speaker 1: for a lot of people for a lot of consumers, 22 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 1: your TV viewers, your movie goers. That's sort of the 23 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:30,559 Speaker 1: image that you have, so you think all is hunky 24 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: dory and all well, but behind the scenes, it's really 25 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:38,919 Speaker 1: a stark, horrific other story where the industry is really struggling. 26 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: We're losing jobs, which is not necessary. There's funding that's 27 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 1: not happening, and it's because of the lack of well 28 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: basically incompetence and mismanagement at the Department of Trade and 29 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 1: Industry and Competition, which for the past several years have 30 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 1: not payed out a filming center sort of like a 31 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: tax rebate or a discount or a payback that you 32 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: get for doing a project. So you would say, I'm 33 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 1: a South African company, we're filming here, but we're partnering 34 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: with an overseas or international production company and then you 35 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 1: can sort of claim twenty up to twenty five percent 36 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: back after overall production costs. And because that system completely 37 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: broke down, all of those international productions decide to rather 38 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: go to other countries where there are similar rebate systems 39 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: still work. So we're losing out on that mass of 40 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: international funding money coming in and productions coming in. That 41 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: creates jobs, creates exposure because you see South African screen 42 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: and a lack of local productions being done in South Africa, and. 43 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 2: Do we know what's what's at the heart of these 44 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 2: of the financial support being held by government. 45 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:07,280 Speaker 1: So the Department doesn't even respond to media queries when 46 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:09,640 Speaker 1: I asked or other people in the media ask They 47 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:14,359 Speaker 1: don't even respond to the film industry and film industry organizations. 48 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: There's very clearly mismanagement there. There's very clearly also a 49 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: kind of an attitude of that we don't want to 50 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: help the film industry for instants. Last week in a 51 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:33,679 Speaker 1: meeting of Parliament's Portfolio Committee for DTIC linked emails came 52 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: out and it's horrific things. So one official what in 53 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: the department would write to someone else and say make 54 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: sure the compliance documents are too tough to get, including 55 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,600 Speaker 1: fresh letters of funding commitments which I do not think 56 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 1: she can provide, talking and gossiping for instance about film producer. 57 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: So they don't want to help. They would say there's 58 00:03:56,720 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 1: no money. The Minister is on record for saying that 59 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: it's a non performing type of a thing, although very 60 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:08,240 Speaker 1: clear research exists that would show that for every one 61 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:11,080 Speaker 1: rand that the government in the past has spent on 62 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 1: a production it created five rands. So you can imagine 63 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: the job opportunities and things like that that this system 64 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:22,839 Speaker 1: that used to work no longer provides. 65 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, I am. I have seen a response from the 66 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 2: Trade and Industry in Minista Parks Douss. The issue is 67 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:32,080 Speaker 2: being addressed and they are addressing the backlogs. I know 68 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 2: that even ground Up has written, you know, a piece 69 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:38,600 Speaker 2: about government's promises to fix the payment backlog. Now you've 70 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,159 Speaker 2: spoken about this on the international front at Tennis, but 71 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 2: we've also been seeing the end of many shows locally 72 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 2: as well. These are major television shows, the likes of Scandal, 73 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 2: Muvango and the likes. Can this also be linked to 74 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 2: this crisis. 75 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: It's sort of separate reasons, but that together with this 76 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:04,719 Speaker 1: is really creating this growing desert. If you've ever sort 77 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:07,720 Speaker 1: of seen in the Sahara where there's store jungle and 78 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:11,600 Speaker 1: sort of how the desert keeps creeping creeping. These are 79 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:15,640 Speaker 1: all sort of separate macro factors influencing the overall picture. 80 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: But it's definitely so not really local productions, but imagine 81 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:24,240 Speaker 1: the international ones no longer looking even or considering South 82 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:28,840 Speaker 1: Africa and then local production shutting down. How devastating that 83 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:33,159 Speaker 1: is for the local industry. Next week, on Tuesday, we 84 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 1: will see the start of the eighth Joe Burk Film Festival. 85 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:40,480 Speaker 1: This topic will once again be a panel discussion there 86 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 1: and the Department, the Government Department, will once again just 87 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: be absent. So how do you want something in your 88 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 1: country that is such a pivotal industry to thrive and survive? 89 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 1: And us the government just say sorry, what we've done 90 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: is no longer happening and we have no interest being 91 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:03,559 Speaker 1: part of the conversation. So where is the department? Last 92 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: week in Parliament there were also calls for an investigation, 93 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 1: and I would say we long past investigation. We know 94 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 1: this is a problem. What is urgently needed is actually 95 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:19,839 Speaker 1: actionable behavior and responses, for that money to come back, 96 00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:23,719 Speaker 1: those budgets and allocations to come back, for those adjudications 97 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: to come back to the site which projects qualify, and 98 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: for that money to start flowing into this industry that 99 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: desperately needs it. 100 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:35,280 Speaker 2: Again, and what does this mean and how does it 101 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 2: affect your the ability for South Africa to showcase its 102 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 2: talent on the international stages. 103 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 1: So we we're just really not seen, and as you 104 00:06:45,200 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: rightly said, like we've basically seeing as this Nogo area 105 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 1: and what's so fascinating were great about our TV and 106 00:06:52,839 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 1: film industry. It's because it's driven by a lot of 107 00:06:56,279 --> 00:07:01,040 Speaker 1: freelance work. You immediately see those dividends. Production exists. It 108 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:06,279 Speaker 1: doesn't take years for those jobs to materialize. People become 109 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 1: part of a project, they work on a project from 110 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: pre production to the forming, and people are employed. So 111 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:19,880 Speaker 1: it's so easy for job creation to happen. And the 112 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:22,920 Speaker 1: government is just sort of turning a blind eye for 113 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: the past two or three years already. 114 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 2: And in terms of the outlook, dyllis, what can we expect? 115 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 2: Because I know that this is currently in the courts 116 00:07:31,240 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 2: as well. The industry or industry players have taken government 117 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 2: to court and according to reports, governments are still violating 118 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 2: court orders. What's the outlook now? 119 00:07:44,080 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 1: So I think the government should prepare that the industry 120 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: is not going to remain silent. Last month I reported 121 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:56,840 Speaker 1: that there's been public picketing that the industry collective industry 122 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: did last month. They did it last year as well, 123 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 1: and I'm sure sure they're going to be become much 124 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,760 Speaker 1: more vocal about this issue. It is a big problem. 125 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: Why have the money been allocated and never been paid out? 126 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,760 Speaker 1: And then there's also more than thirty projects that were 127 00:08:11,840 --> 00:08:16,520 Speaker 1: approved and suddenly saw their funding being withdrawn. So all 128 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: of these hollow promises about the government saying yes they 129 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:23,680 Speaker 1: for job creation and for solving these problems are not 130 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:27,840 Speaker 1: going to be repaired or addressed if the government isn't 131 00:08:27,840 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: going to get its acting order and it's an industry 132 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 1: that's suffering, it's an industry that's receiving and disappearing, and 133 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:38,440 Speaker 1: we're going to be left without the local industry if 134 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:41,600 Speaker 1: this problem isn't solved sooner rather than later. 135 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 2: All right, let's leave it there. That's Stinas Ferreira. They're 136 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 2: talking us through. You know, what's been happening in the 137 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:50,320 Speaker 2: TV and film industry and the fact that you know, 138 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:52,679 Speaker 2: the South African film industry is now being seen as 139 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:57,520 Speaker 2: a no go zone from based on these failures really 140 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 2: or apparent failures from government is extreme new concerning I 141 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 2: do hope that Minister Parkstole could be more transparent, you know, 142 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 2: and just speak about it more so that we can 143 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:10,440 Speaker 2: ever an understanding of what the challenges that government is 144 00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 2: facing our particularly and why the funds are just not 145 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:15,920 Speaker 2: trickling down to where they're supposed to be going. We 146 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:18,200 Speaker 2: hope to hear more of that conversation over the next 147 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:18,720 Speaker 2: few days.