Film Fever Hits Cape Town

Sofia, (Bulgaria) – 29 April 2012 – The CILECT Congress 2012 will be hosted by AFDA, the South African School of Motion Pictures and Live Performance, in Cape Town from Tuesday, May 1-Friday, May 4, 2012 at the Southern Sun Cape Sun.

The CILECT (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision) Congress is an international association that represents over 160 film schools from across the globe, from Ghana to the USA. This will be the first time in its sixty-year history that the CILECT Congress is being hosted in Africa. The theme of this year’s conference is UBUNTUFILMEDUCATION.

The conference deals primarily with new and existing teaching methodologies, and is a platform for collaboration between students, lecturers, and film schools.

The conference sees speakers from the film school industry, as well as universities from around the world, exchange knowledge on topics such as teaching methodology, contemporary documentary film, economic development, and new media and technology.

Joining the conference as keynote speaker is South African, Ronnie Apteker – a successful entrepreneur and film-maker – with his latest production being the film “Material,” starring Riaad Moosa. Ronnie will deliver the keynote address and his thoughts on UBUNTU in Film in South Africa on Thursday, May 3, 2012 at the CILECT Congress 2012.

The CARA (CILECT Africa Regional Association) Conference will be held at the same venue on Monday, April 30, and deals primarily with new methodologies in teaching film and television.

Garth Holmes, Chairman of host school, AFDA, said, “Both CARA and CILECT will be attended by most of the top film schools of the world, and it is a great opportunity for local film schools to meet and establish relationships with one another.”

Commenting on the conference, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Mariëtte du Toit-Helmbold, added: “CILECT will bring film executives and professors from all corners of the world to the Mother City. The fact that Cape Town is hosting this event as it comes to the African continent for the first time is testament to Cape Town’s standing as an important film industry role player, and we look forward to hosting the delegates in the first week of May.”

Du Toit-Helmbold continued: “Cape Town’s film industry is one that contributes greatly to the city’s economy and international flavor, and it’s flourishing, with more and more productions being shot here every year. Hollywood blockbusters, like Safe House, also expose our beautiful city to the world through one location after another.”

New to Cape Town’s film landscape is the recently built Cape Town Film Studios ( www.capetownfilmstudios.co.za/ ). Cape Town Film Studios is the first Hollywood-style film studio complex to be built in Africa, with state-of-the-art support services. The building encompasses studio facilities, custom-built sets, a green room, sound stages, production offices, and more, and being situated in Cape Town, its location is perfect for taking advantage of a moderate climate and a variety of stunning venues and outdoor locations.

The CILECT Congress Cape Town 2012 is hosted by AFDA Film School and the Cape Film Commission. For more information, please visit http://cilectcapetown2012.com or www.cilect.org/ .

Media Contact:
Cape Town Tourism, PR and Communications Manager Skye Grove, Email: skye@capetown.travel , Phone: +27 21 487 6800, Web: www.capetown.travel ; Rabbit in a Hat Communications, Tammy White, Phone: +27 21 448 9705, +27 73 202 5041, Email: tammy@rabbitinahat.co.za