After careful consideration, the Durban FilmMart (DFM), Africa\u2019s best-loved film finance and co-production market, has decided to move its 17th edition to 9 – 12 October 2026 due to significant funding challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The viability of hosting the DFM event in July 2026 has been considerably impacted by the current global financial crisis which directly affects funding for film and the arts in general. Significant changes in key funding partnerships\u00a0and the ongoing reduction of local year-on-year funding opportunities present\u00a0challenges for planning and strategic growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Durban FilmMart Institute, a non-profit organisation, plays a pivotal and significant role in driving African and diaspora film professionals to convene, do business, build relationships, exchange ideas and shape the future of filmmaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRescheduling the market has been a difficult decision but one that the board and management had to take because we remain committed to the pan-African film ecosystem we serve,\u201d says Magdalene Reddy, Director of the Durban FilmMart Institute. \u201cDespite the uncertainty we face with limited long term, multi-year support for the annual event, we believe that the space we create for African film professionals must exist and that it is essential to those who believe in the power and impact of African independent film. We encourage all those who never miss a DFM to move with us and join us in October for what they have come to cherish.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those attending this year\u2019s edition are set for a series of uncompromising conversations under the theme:\u00a0Shifting Worlds: Turning Towards Ourselves<\/em><\/strong>. Inspired by the words of\u00a0Ousmane Semb\u00e8ne,\u00a0often referred to as the “father of African cinema\u201d who said,\u00a0\u201cWhy be a sunflower and turn toward the sun? I, myself, am the sun,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0the 17th edition of the Durban FilmMart will be the space for discussions that advance\u00a0alternative film funding pathways, revise models for distribution, consider equitable co-production frameworks and create authentic partnerships.\u00a0 DFM 2026 will encourage looking within to forge relationships and design new strategies that will brace a world in flux and endure the economic and social structures that are changing and destabilising the film industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An anchor in the international co-production market calendar and with a continued focus on African cinema, all DFM market activities including the Pitch and Finance Forum for live action, documentary and animation, Talents Durban and the Industry Programme made up of panel discussions, masterclasses and think thanks go ahead as planned. Industry, attendees, stakeholders and partners are encouraged to spread the news and show their support by attending the market during its new dates in October 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More information on this year\u2019s theme can be found on the Durban FilmMart Institute\u2019s website,\u00a0durbanfilmmart.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Delegate registration and programme details will be announced in due course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 17th<\/sup> edition Durban FilmMart is funded by the Durban Film Office, eThekwini Municipality, Ford Foundation and the National Film and Video Foundation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After careful consideration, the Durban FilmMart (DFM), Africa\u2019s best-loved film finance and co-production market, has decided to move its 17th edition to 9 – 12 October 2026 due to significant funding challenges. The viability of hosting the DFM event in July 2026 has been considerably impacted by the current global financial crisis which directly affects… Continue reading 17th Edition of the Durban FilmMart Rescheduled to 9 – 12 October 2026<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24773,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[173],"class_list":["post-24772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-festival","tag-dfm","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DFM2026.jpg?fit=550%2C688&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24772"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24774,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24772\/revisions\/24774"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}