DFMI Opens Call for Live Action Projects

Vanessa Obioha

Ahead of the 17th edition of the Durban FilmMart, the Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI) has opened the call for fiction and documentary projects in development.  Approximately 20 official projects will be invited to participate in the DFM Pitch and Finance Forum alongside eight animation projects.

Project representatives will have the opportunity to pitch to a panel of film professionals consisting of potential co-producers, broadcasters, film funds, and distributors who will be gathering in Durban, South Africa from July 24 – 27, 2026. At the 2025 DFM Pitch and Finance forum,

39 cash grants, international market participation and professional consultancy and mentorship awards from 31 partners worth R2 626 900.00 were presented to filmmakers pitching in the forum.

“These awards give filmmakers the needed opportunity to further develop their projects.  The Durban FilmMart is pleased that we can facilitate this space for African filmmakers to connect with the local and international filmmaking community,” said director of the DFMI, Magdalene Reddy,

Filmmakers with projects in development from across the African continent and the diaspora are invited to apply – at least one of the three key creatives (Producer, Writer, Director) should be from Africa or African in the Diaspora (with an African passport). The Pitch and Finance Forum is open to both series and feature-length projects.

Successful project participants will be assigned an individual mentor to assist in preparing for the live pitch and meetings at DFM 2026. To present their project at the 17th DFM, one representative from each of the selected projects will be provided with travel and accommodation to attend the live Pitch and Finance Forum in July 2026, in Durban, South Africa.