by Thinus Ferreira

kykNET has opened the short film pitching process for its 11th Silwerskermfees film festival that will be taking place in 2023.

The 10th Silwerskermfees that was held last week at The Bay Hotel in Camps Bay concluded on Saturday night with the award ceremony, with the film festival that returned after a two-year absence since it last took place in 2019.

South African filmmakers can now pitch ideas for possible short films, with dialogue that has to be 80% in Afrikaans. Films can span any genre, from comedy and drama to animation and thrillers. The entry fee is R350 and entries close on 3 May 2022.

Filmmakers who want to pitch can enter on www.silwerskermfees.co.za and register. 

Concepts for the short film section at the film festival need to be between 250 and 300 words and must include the duration of the film – which needs to range between 3 minutes to 30 minutes.

M-Net will deliberate over the short film pitches and decide which pitches will be greenlit to be produced into short films.

According to kykNET, the top 40 concepts will be selected later in May this year after which another selection process during a second phase will whittle down the entries further, after which producers will get the opportunity to expand the text, create a production budget and do a director’s presentation.

Pitches that are successful after this phase will receive short film financing, as well as guidance and mentorship from the Silwerskermfees organisers to turn their concepts into short films for the 11th edition of the film festival.

Selected short films have to be completed by November 2022.