kykNET’s Silwerskerm Film Festival continues its search for new voices
The kykNET Silwerskerm Film Festival has a proud reputation for unearthing exceptional talent by supporting aspiring filmmakers to produce and showcase their debut films. This year’s 11th kykNET Silwerskerm Film Festival, taking place in Camps Bay, Cape Town, between 23 and 26 August, will feature fourteen short films and six short documentaries – all made by newcomers with the financial backing and mentorship of M-Net and kykNET.
Now, with these films in the can, the country’s very own next-generation Tarantinos, Bong Jon-hoos or Jane Campions and Michael Moores are invited to enter 2024’s 12th kykNET Silwerskermskerm Film Festival short film and documentary competitions.
In both these categories, the festival is looking for innovative storytellers with a burning desire to move in behind the camera to capture their imaginative ideas – creatives who have the potential to become trailblazers in the fast-changing film and television landscape of today and tomorrow.
The selection process for the two 2024 kykNET Silwerskerm Film Festival competitions encompasses several phases.
If you have your heart set on entering the short documentary competition, you will initially have to submit the title of your documentary, a description of the story and themes, the documentary genre you’re tackling and the duration of your proposed film. The documentary must be no longer than 30 minutes. Any language may be included, but 60% of the content must be in Afrikaans or any variant of the language, such as Afrikaaps.
The finalists for the second round, to be selected in May 2023, will then hand in a pitch video, whereafter a third sifting round will ensue. In this round, which will determine the films going into production with M-Net and kykNET’s financial backing and mentorship, the candidates will do a full presentation detailing the film’s budget and director’s treatment.
The 2024 Silwerskerm Film Festival competition for short films will follow a similar selection process, and if your concept receives the green light, you will follow in the footsteps of a long list of esteemed South African filmmakers who entered the industry with a Silwerskerm Film Festival short film. Among these Silwerskerm short film alumni, you’ll find visionaries like Christiaan Olwagen, who clinched several international awards for movies such as Kanarie and Poppie Nongena, Amy Jeptha and Ephraim Gordon, who created the ground-breaking first Muslim movie in Afrikaaps, Barakat, and filmmaking couple Corné and René van Rooyen who produced Vaselinetjie and Toorbos.
In recent years, many a Silwerskerm short film has also raked in awards at international festivals.
The 2024 short films may be between 3 and 30 minutes and in any genre. Any language can be incorporated into the film, but 80% of the dialogue should be in any variant of Afrikaans.
To be considered for the short film competition, you must submit a concept proposal of between 250 and 300 words. The script development and director’s treatment will come into play at a later stage.
The entry forms for the two competitions are available on the Silwerskerm Film Festival website, and the closing date for entries is Monday 8 May. The submission fee is R350.
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