--
Bongiwe Selane talks success and Happiness at first in IPO series --
Thu, 21 Apr 2016 14:03
--
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: In the first of a series of talks, the Independent Producers Organisation (IPO) on 20 April 2016, presented producer Bongiwe Selane at an intimate gathering at Atlas Studio in Johannesburg. Emceed by IPO chairperson Akin Omotoso who explained the organisations objective of serving the industry, hosting frequent knowledge share sessions with prominent industry fellows to demystify what producers do and then flatteringly introduced Selane.
Selane, vice-chairperson of Blingola Media is also co-producer behind the hit film Happiness is a Four-Letter Word. At nine weeks in the local box office it has already raked in more than 12.7 million Rands.
Film making is an amazing collaborative effort, answered Selane in her Q&A with Omotoso. She plans to always be part of the development of the industry. Speaking of the success of the film Selane said she read the book in 2011 and resonated with it immediately. It was fresh, it read incredibly visually, like a romcom and was tapping into the new emerging country that we as film makers want to document. Even in reading the book I could see an audience for the film. Selane explained that she walked around with the book under her arm wanting to create conversation around the making of its film and that part of the reason she left M-Net was to do so.
Selane discussed securing the rights for the book, how she met the author and now her good friend, Cynthia Jele. I met Jele at the M-Net Literary Awards before she won in the best film adaptation category, I said I read your book Im a fan and wished her good luck. I told her I wanted to be part of making the film, I went to M-Net and told them I want to make this film and they said maybe you could find a team. She heard of the NFVF pitching session and from there the team was put together.
Selane said, Doubt comes in a lot when putting together the money. In speaking of the process from beginning to end she said, I think many dont realise how long it takes, it requires a lot of patience. Selane shared stories of her first day on set taking selfies to the opening weekend hearing about the success of the film.
Kudos to my team, Im so grateful to the people who believed in this project and its a collective success, beamed a humble Selane. I set out to make a film that I thought resonated with the audience, that people wanted to see, everyone was so eager to see what it would do and even then we couldnt anticipate this kind of success. Its not only a success for me but for the whole industry.
Omotoso opened questions to the audience, which was made up of movie lovers, producers, directors, casting agents and a number of industry professionals. No topic was out of the question and industry hacks and hints were discussed in depth. Speaking openly about the challenges facing the industry and the industry players, from profit participation to vernacular in Africa, genre to formula, fears to fees, it was voiced.
Discussing the secrets behind the success of Happiness is a Four-Letter Word to the IPO hashtag #fillupthecinemas, and the force behind social media, no question went unanswered. Concluding on the note that Filmmakers have to have the passion and the conviction to make it happen, and there is much to look forward to in the South African film industry.
To get more information on upcoming talks visit the IPO website.
Related Articles
Happiness is a Four-Letter Word a box office successIn its opening three days Happiness is a Four-Letter Word received 45 000 attendances and grossed R2 371 782...
Read more...
Happiness is a Four-Letter Word set to debut on SA screensHappiness is a Four-Letter word is set for release at South African cinemas on 19 February 2016...
Read more...
Happiness is a Four Letter Word to screen at BerlinaleHappiness is a Four Letter Word will be screening at the Berlin International Film Festival s market...
Read more...
-- --
-- --
-- Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
20/08/2026
IPC Expands Brazilian Presence with New Channel Partner CCATech
Industry veterans Carlos Abrah o and Bruno Lopes strengthen local support and expand IPCs prese...
20/08/2026
Zixi Enters Mauritius Market Through Strategic Deployment with MTC Jockey Club
Worlds Oldest Horse Racing Club in the Southern Hemisphere Selects Zixis Softwar...
20/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Scripps Research assistant professor Tiantian Liu has received a five-year NIAID DP2 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Di...
20/08/2026
Audiences reveal appetite for multicultural Australia on-screen 20 August 2026
Dr Georgie McClean, Dr Rebecca Huntley (L-R)
By Dr Georgie McClean and Dr Rebec...
20/08/2026
How Mavis Studio Is Expanding Live Production Teaching at Sussex
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image displays a student about to mix be...
20/08/2026
Vertical Unscripted Series Legal Queens Captured with Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton August 19, 2026
0 Comments
Reality TV veteran Eric Gardner create...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
-- 
