--
NFVF hosts marketing and distribution panel discussion at DFM 2016 --
Fri, 17 Jun 2016 16:17
--
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: Among the conference sessions held on the opening day of Durban FilmMart 2016 was a discussion on sales, distribution and marketing of films, hosted by the National Film and Video Foundation. The panelists included Marie Lora-Mungai of buni.tv and Restless Global, Mayenzeke Baza of AAA Entertainment, Helen Kuhn of Indigenous Films and Clive Fisher of Ster-Kinekor.
At film markets and conferences, the emphasis often falls on the problems of scriptwriting and production funding and pitching, with little attention having been paid in the past to sales agents, marketing and distribution. This led the NFVF to host a session that spelled out clearly the role that sales agents, distributors and exhibitors could play in the success of a film.
Baza s opening argument was that filmmakers are so passionately involved in their stories that they cannot see clearly what audiences actually want, or are unlikely to be able to assess accurately and impartially, which market is best suited to their work. This, he says, is where sales agents come in. These agents, holding global sales rights for the films in question, seek out markets around the world where the content in their portfolios can best be sold.
The distributor s role is somewhat different, Kuhn explained. Unlike sales agents, distributors deal in particular territories and so seek out content that is likely to find audiences in those specific regions. Kuhn emphasised the fact that there are more options now than ever in terms of distribution and that filmmakers need to look beyond cinema, which was once seen as the holy grail of distribution. Cinema, she explained, is severely limited in terms of reach and massively expensive to boot. Video-On-Demand (VOD) is a growing distribution platform across Africa and the old DVD is rapidly losing ground, with 1000 units per title now considered a high figure, especially for a locally-produced film.
Lora-Mungai added that the choice of distribution platform must depend on what is available. Cinema is simply not an option in most of Africa. Where it is viable, such as in South Africa, it is severely limited by the uneven distribution of theatres. VOD is more easily accessible to all, but the choice of business model (T-VOD or S-VOD) is still unpredictable, added to which VOD platforms are still not profitable and content owners should use them mainly as a means to get their work seen, not to get a return on investment.
The relationship between the filmmaker and the sales agent and distributor is a symbiotic one, Baza says. The filmmaker s job is to tell a story; the sales agent s job is to sell the film. The implication is that the filmmaker ought not to try doing the sales agent s job or vice versa. Don t design your own marketing material, Baza advises. Leave it to the people who know how to sell your film.
Kuhn agrees: The biggest part of the job for a distributor is to sell the film to get audiences into the cinema or to rent it on Box Office or whatever platform they choose. Once they re in, thanks to all the marketing that s been done, everything else that the marketing team did up to that point might evaporate. Then, all the power is in the hands of the filmmaker.
Related Articles
Full programme for Durban FilmMart 2016The DFMs full programme for this year s edition, which takes place at the Tsogo Sun Elangeni Hotel from 17 to 20 June...
Read more...
Official DFM project selection for the 7th Durban FilmMart Nineteen documentaries and fiction feature film projects from around Africa have been selected for this years Durban FilmMart...
Read more...
-- --
-- --
-- Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
-- 
