The five filmmakers will participate in panel discussions and masterclasses at the European Film Mart, showcasing their local competition-winning films.
NEFTI All Stars, the culmination of all NEFTI Competitions to date, is set to kick off competition at the 2024 Berlinale/European Film Mart. The NEFTI Competition, in collaboration with the Berlinale/EFM & Durban Film Mart, has forged a strategic partnership aimed at challenging filmmakers from emerging economic regions globally to showcase their innovative and creative skills.
The Berlinale will take place from February 15-25, 2024.
Contestants for the local competitions were chosen through international submissions via the International Emerging Film Talent Association’s global alumni network and the Berlinale/EFM and Durban Film Mart network of filmmakers.
From the numerous applicants for each of the five competitions held to date, 10 finalists were selected to present a Zoom pitch of their film concepts to a panel of judges comprising actress Vivica A Fox, Academy and Tony Award-winning producer Bruce Cohen, and President of Post Production 21st Century Fox/Disney Ted Gagliano. From these 10 finalists, three were chosen as finalists who then had 30 days to complete and submit their films. The only requirement for the films is that they must be non-violent and non-political.
The winners from each of the competitions will compete for the grand prize. Each of the five NEFTI filmmakers will receive $3000 to create a completely new film, competing for the NEFTI All Stars $5000 grand prize. The films will be screened, and the winner announced at the Durban FilmMart in Durban, South Africa, in July 2024. Additionally, there will be a $2000 audience choice award. The five countries represented in the NEFTI All Stars Competition are Ethiopia, South Africa, Eritrea, Botswana, and Nigeria.
The filmmakers have been allocated funds to shoot a four-minute profile on themselves, which will be screened in Berlin along with their local competition-winning films. They will also conduct a Masterclass on their work and involvement in the NEFTI Competition and participate in EFM panels.
