Gender Matters in the South African Film Industry 2018 (Report by the National Film and Video Foundation in Partnership with Sisters Working in Film and TV)

Gender Matters in the South African Film Industry

2018 Report

National Film and Video Foundation

in Partnership with Sisters Working in Film and TV

 

This 48-page report, published in 2018, was made possible through the collaborative effort of the South African entities, National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and Sisters Working in Film and TV (SWIFT). The NFVF, an agency of the Department of Arts and Culture overlooks the myriad aspects of the South African film and video sectors. SWIFT is a network of South African women whose focus is the empowerment and advancement of women in the visual media.

Source location: http://www.dac.gov.za/sites/default/files/NFVF%20SWIFT%20Gender%20Matters%20in%20the%20SAFI%20Report.pdf
 

The purpose and objectives of report below is reprinted from page 7
 

Purpose of this Report

This report endeavours to provide information and statistics on women participation and roles in the local film industry, along with a more nuanced set of explanations and challenges they face as practitioners. Various interventions at different levels were undertaken to address issues of women participation in the film industry. Some of those interventions included the establishment of:
 

- Sisters Working in Film and Television (Swift) – aimed at protecting and advancing the course of women in South African film and television;
 

- NFVF Female Filmmaker Slate – designed to correct the disparity between men and women in the film industry; and
 

- Women of the Sun – a South African advocacy group which committed itself to making it possible for the female filmmaker to participate. Women in Film and Television South Africa was also founded at the end of 2005 as a Section 21 organisation that concentrates on networking and skills development in its quest to boost the status of women in the industry. However, these two organisations no longer exist.

Aims and Objectives of the Study
 

The study aims to explore the role played by women in the South African film industry, and to quantify their total participation. The report further aims to uncover:
 

- Trends and insights into the status of women in the SA Film Industry;
 

- How various interventions (i.e. NFVF female filmmaker slate) have assisted in 
addressing gender parity in the industry;
 

- Challenges faced by female filmmakers;
 

- The role played by advocacy groups such as WOS, WIFTSA and SWIFT;
 

- Interventions to fast-track female filmmakers’ development; and
 

- The barriers to entry in the SAFI.