Ocean Media to hit international film scene
Posted by getnews.co.za in the category ECITI news.
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East London-based Information Communication Technology (ICT) small business, Ocean Media, says the Eastern Cape Information Technology Initiative (ECITI) provides a firm footing for the business.
Part of the Eastern Cape Information Technology Initiative (ECITI) incubator programme, Ocean Media is currently developing international film production in Bamako, Mali with a Haitian film maker based in Senegal. Ocean Media says the film is expected to hit festivals around the globe on completion.
Ocean Media cooperative member, Pule Molebatsi, explains…
“We are looking to take it to all film festivals around the world. When I was in Bamako I was invited to France to meet with film commissioning editors. It’s an opportunity to find a market for the film and for locally produced EC films.”
“We also received significant assistance from ECITI providing us with film making equipment for the Bamako project.”
Molebatsi is due to travel to France in March to promote the development of the film and to find a market for locally produced Eastern Cape films.
The East London-based film maker says the Eastern Cape offers an untapped opportunity for the film industry, with natural endowments, culture and history that could be harnessed as a competitive edge on South Africa’s film scene.
“Johannesburg is saturated and in Cape Town established companies put up barriers to entry which make it difficult for budding film makers to get in and to compete.”
Eastern Cape has untold stories
“By contrast, the Eastern Cape has a rich history and a lot of untold stories. If you look at the landscape and its cultural heritage, you realise there is still a lot of scope for growth. With support from government and the private sector the film industry can blossom,” says Molebatsi.
Molebatsi has traveled as far as the United Stated of America (USA), Europe, Asia and South America perfecting his art through studies and experience in photography, film production and television.
“I started out as a dancer in the 80s. Then I heard that the International School of Performing Arts was looking for students from Africa to undertake dancing and choreography course. I was presented with an opportunity to study performing arts Brussels and film and television for a further three years through the Leeds College of Technologies Host Media Institute.”