by Thinus Ferreira
Netflix says the video streaming service will invest R900 million in South Africa over the next two years in the country’s film and TV industry, in three local and one international production.
Netflix says it is working with production companies like Film Afrika, Gambit Films, Quizzical Pictures and Burt Onion and has spent R2 billion over the last 5 years on South African productions that funded 1 900 jobs.
Film Afrika is producing “Project Panda” in Cape Town at the Cape Town Film Studios – the working title of a live-action drama series, One Piece, that Netflix says is its biggest production in Africa to date in scale and budget and using some of the ships on set that were built and used for A+E Networks’ Black Sails series.
It’s the first time Netflix made any mention of the apparently noteworthy One Piece which already started filming in Cape Town a while ago, with South African media that were not told when the show was commissioned, that South Africa had been chosen as the production destination, or when filming and production started.
Netflix says over 50 cast members of “Project Panda” or One Piece are South Africans with over 1 000 crew working on the show.
“Netflix is committed to
South Africa for the long term and we’re investing in talent both in front of
and behind the camera,” says Shola Sanni, Netflix’s director of public policy in sub-Saharan Africa, in a prepared statement that was provided after a media query.
“Since our launch
in 2016, we’ve been working with South African creators and distributors to
bring high-quality stories that showcase the best of South Africa’s creativity
and talent to a global audience – and this is only just the beginning.”
Netflix says it is trying to create content that can find a global audience that would generate “even more demand for South African content”.
“When a Netflix Original is
commissioned, there is opportunity for writers, directors, actors, stylists and
make-up artists, as well as a long list of industries and trades that make the
production of a complex series or film possible.”
“There’s also a multiplier
effect with any investment: the economic impact of each of the projects in
South Africa is several times greater than the actual money invested.”
Shola Sanni says “Netflix will continue to
create new opportunities and help to build up the talent required to support
local productions and grow the diversity and variety of stories”.
“Netflix will
also develop and work with the industry on more industry development and skills
transfer and training initiatives to contribute meaningfully to the South African
creative industry’s growth.”
According to Netflix around 80 South African films and TV series have been available on its video streaming service by December 2020, with 26 views of South African content by Netflix households outside of South Africa, for every South African watching something on Netflix.
While multiple South African producers and the local film industry continue to criticise and slam South Africa’s department of trade, industry and competition (DTIC) for its lack of support for South Africa’s filmmakers and the implosion of its film rebate scheme – for instance Yellowbone Entertainment producing Blood Psalms for MultiChoice’s Showmax streamer, Netflix is praising the DTIC.
“We are keen to see the government of South Africa continue to
maintain the favourable investment environment that has allowed for such
investments thus far – including
remarkable initiatives like the foreign film and production incentive scheme
that DTIC has operated, which is in part responsible for putting SA at the front
of the line as an attractive investment destination for production companies,” says Shola Sanni.
“It would be great for our long-term investment plans to see even
more transparency and predictability in that area, because the presence of a
reliable incentive scheme is crucial for our financial decisions.”