Durban FilmMart 2026 expands programme with new genre strands

The 17th edition of The Durban FilmMart (DFM), taking place in Durban from October 9 to 12, will have an expanded partner programme, with dedicated industry strands focused on animation, documentary impact producing and natural world storytelling.

Developed in collaboration with the Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF), a coalition of impact-producing organisations and the Nature, Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF), the programme will broaden conversations around the opportunities and challenges facing Africa's film and creative industries.

Durban FilmMart Institute is the business hub of the African film industry.

Director of the Durban FilmMart Institute, Magdalene Reddy, said this year’s partner programme strands reflect exactly the kind of collaboration DFM exists to enable.

“We are always open to working with other organisations and institutions who share our commitment to strengthening the African film ecosystem, and these partnerships allow us to bring specialist expertise into the DFM programme for the benefit of the filmmakers and industry professionals we serve,” said Reddy.

Presented in partnership with CTIAF, Animation Days will examine the business, infrastructure and audience-development systems needed to turn Africa's growing animation talent into a sustainable industry.

Festival Director of CTIAF, Dianne Makings, said animation is often talked about as if the only question is whether Africa has the talent.

"We know we have the talent. The bigger question is what happens next; who commissions the work, who finances it, who builds the studios, who develops the audiences and how do we create an industry that allows African creators to keep making African stories.

"African animation does not need to prove that it has creative potential. The opportunity now is to build the conditions around that creativity; so that studios can grow, creators can take risks, audiences can find the work and African intellectual property can be developed on African terms," said Makings.

Among the sessions is “Innovate. Animate. Elevate.: From Cape Town Studio to Global Market,” which will examine how collaboration between studios can help establish Cape Town as a genuine animation cluster. 

“Beyond the Festival Circuit: Who Is Watching African Animation?” will explore the pipeline from commissioning and production through to distribution and audience development for African animation.

Other discussions include “Authenticity vs. Universality: Who Wants Our Stories?”, examining the balance between cultural authenticity and commercial viability; “Small Studios, Big Stories: Can Independent Animation Be a Business?”; and “Building Africa's Animation Ecosystem: From Talent to Industry.”

The strand will also look beyond traditional film through “Beyond the Screen: Building Worlds Across Film, Gaming and Immersive Entertainment,” led by Rick Treweek of Virtual Worlds Company who recently won a Primetime Emmy for his work "Uncanny Alley: A New Day", alongside Jean-Luc Chapell of Free Lives and Eric Gardiner of Vetkoek Studios.

“Too Big for Grants, Too Small for Investors: The Missing Middle” will investigate the funding gap confronting animation studios as they attempt to move from small teams to scalable businesses.

The programme will close with conversations around resilience and collaboration, including “Grit and Resilience: The Journey of Never Giving Up” and the WATA Creative Workshop, which brings women working in African animation and gaming together.

Delegates will also be able to attend a Best of CTIAF 2026 – African Roots screening, as well as "Inside Animation: Meet the Studios", a networking session introducing local and Pan-African animation studios and their production processes.

DFM's Impact Day will examine the growing role of impact producing in African documentary filmmaking. It brings together filmmakers, impact producers, funders, civil society organisations and broadcasters to examine how films can activate audiences, build community and support movements across the full filmmaking lifecycle.

One of the featured case studies will focus on "Children of Honey", examining how impact producing was incorporated from development through completion and how early impact planning can influence audiences, partnerships and distribution.

An Impact Hackathon will put these principles into practice, with delegates working in groups to build strategies for three documentary projects with the potential to spark social and climate action.

"NEWF: Natural World Storytelling", presented in partnership with the Nature, Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers, aims to expand the definition of natural-world storytelling and encourage filmmakers who may not traditionally identify as environmental storytellers to engage with themes of nature, culture, climate and conservation.

Executive director of NEWF, Pragna Parsotam-Kok, said African stories increasingly demonstrate that environmental issues cannot be separated from human experience.

"Social, environmental and climate justice intersect, conservation films explore people and place, and stories about the natural world can move between documentary, fiction and natural history. Now more than ever, it matters that African voices are part of global conversations about our environment, nature and wildlife.

"Together, we hope to invite filmmakers who may not yet see themselves as nature world storytellers, to bring their voices, craft and perspectives to the wild side; and to expand what natural world storytelling can be, who gets to shape it and how these stories are shared with the world,” said Parsotam-Kok.

“Beyond the Wild: Representing Nature and Spirituality on Screen” will bring together Pippa Ehrlich, Zolani Mahola, Dr Gcina Mhlophe and Gogo Lindi Dlamini to examine representations of African spirituality and the connections between nature, culture, ancestry and identity.

Another session, “Beyond the Wild: Getting the Shot,” will explore the technical and creative decisions behind wildlife cinematography, including topside, underwater and aerial filmmaking.

Delegates can also experience The NEWF Room, an interactive exhibition inviting audiences into Africa's natural worlds through immersive and emerging storytelling including a 360° virtual reality journey from the wildlife of Zululand to the coral reefs of Sodwana Bay in KwaZulu-Natal.

The National