Durban FilmMart expands 2026 line-up with animation, impact producing and natural world storytelling partnerships

Durban, South Africa – September 2026 – The Durban FilmMart (DFM) has announced an expanded partner programme for its 17th edition, running in Durban from 9 to 12 October 2026. Three new industry strands – developed with the Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF), a coalition of documentary impact producing organisations, and the Nature, Environment and Wildlife Filmmakers organisation (NEWF) – bring animation, impact producing and natural world storytelling into DFM’s core programme.

“This year’s partner programme strands reflect exactly the kind of collaboration DFM exists to enable,” says Magdalene Reddy, Director of the Durban FilmMart Institute. “We are always open to working with organisations 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.”

ANIMATION DAYS – with Cape Town International Animation Festival (CTIAF)

The strand moves the conversation beyond talent to infrastructure: financing, studios, audiences and IP.

“Animation is often talked about as if the only question is whether Africa has the talent,” says Dianne Makings, Festival Director of CTIAF. “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.”

Sessions include Innovate. Animate. Elevate.: From Cape Town Studio to Global Market, on building a real studio cluster; Beyond the Festival Circuit: Who Is Watching African Animation?, tracing the pipeline from commissioning to audience development; and Too Big for Grants, Too Small for Investors: The Missing Middle, on financing the jump from small teams to scalable studios. The programme also features a WATA Creative Workshop for women in African animation and gaming, plus studio networking and a screening of CTIAF’s Best of 2026 selection.

IMPACT DAY – with Documentary Africa, The StoryBoard Collective, Perspective Fund, Real Reel Impact, Doc Society, Climate Story Labs Africa, Tunga Media Afrika, UCT Centre for Film and Media Studies, Climate Story Lab ZA, Climate Story Lab Lagos, South x Sul Network and UMI Fund

IMPACT DAY – with Documentary Africa, The StoryBoard Collective, Perspective Fund, Real Reel Impact, Doc Society, Climate Story Labs Africa, Tunga Media Afrika, UCT Centre for Film and Media Studies, Climate Story Lab ZA, Climate Story Lab Lagos, South x Sul Network and UMI Fund

A full-day working forum on impact producing across the filmmaking lifecycle – not just at delivery. Highlights include a case study on Children of Honey, presented by Odera Onyore Nyambok II (Documentary Africa); an Impact Hackathon building live strategies for three documentary projects; case studies on Get Reel and Murder in Paris; a fishbowl discussion on impact financing with Doc Society, DocuBox and Documentary Africa; and The Climate Cine-bar, a screening-and-dialogue session on films that move audiences beyond the screen.

Top Row (L-R): Mohamed Saïd Ouma (Documentary Africa), Miki Redelinghuys (Plexus Films), Matamba Kombila (Dougantsi Films), Dr Liani Maasdorp (UCT Centre for Film and Media Studies, Climate Story Lab ZA, RRI Mentor)/ Middle Row (L-R): Enver Samuel (EMS Productions), Khadidja Benouataf (Impact Social Club and RRI Mentor), Julian Etienne (Doc Society)/ Bottom Row (L-R): Wanja Emily (Doc Society), Cindy Makandi (Tunga Media Afrika), Anthony Ochieng Onyango (TonyWild Foundation), Susan Mbogo (DocuBox)

NATURAL WORLD STORYTELLING – with NEWF

“So many of the stories emerging from the continent remind us that nature is not separate from people,” says Pragna Parsotam-Kok, Executive Director, NEWF. “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.”

Sessions include Beyond the Wild: Representing Nature and Spirituality on Screen, with Pippa Ehrlich, Zolani Mahola, Dr Gcina Mhlophe and Gogo Lindi Dlamini; Beyond the Wild: Getting the Shot, on wildlife cinematography with NEWF Fellows; and Beyond the Wild: Expanding Stories About the Natural World. Delegates can also explore The NEWF Room, an immersive exhibition featuring 360° VR from Zululand to Sodwana Bay’s reefs and the multiplayer game Aquabots, alongside The Wild Side, a curated shorts programme.

Top Row (L-R): Thihangwi Ramutsindela (Nga Maanda Awe Film Festival and NEWF), Nondumiso Masache (Zenkosi Films), Matamba Kombila (Dougantsi Films), Anthony Ochieng Onyango (TonyWild Foundation), Sewela Mutileni (Beat of Africa Productions)/ Middle Row: (L-R): Pippa Ehrlich, Zolani Mahola, Dr Gcina Mhlophe, Gogo Lindi Dlamini/ Bottom Row (L-R): Nkosikhona Mthembu, Carlos Norhona, Elshadaye Temesgen, Nathan Rice, Chisomo Kawaga

Registration for the DFM can be done on the website: durbanfilmmart.co.za

For inquiries: info@durbanfilmmart.com

The 17th edition Durban FilmMart is funded by the Durban Film Office, eThekwini Municipality, Ford Foundation, the National Film and Video Foundation and IEFTF.