The Centre for Creative Arts is a multi-award-winning cultural hub at the University of KwaZulu-Natal that produces the Centre’s acclaimed festivals — Time of the Writer, Artfluence Human Rights Festival, Jomba! Contemporary Experience, Durban International Film Festival, Cabaret And Beyond Festival and Poetry Africa. The Centre has won a Catalytic Research Grant from the National Institute for Humanities & Social Sciences to support a series of workshops, masterclasses and exchanges between the Durban international Film Festival and the African Film Festival in Brazil.
The successful incumbent will work under the supervision of a Research Working Group comprised of members of the Durban International Film Festival team and film studies academics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The incumbent will be administratively accountable to the Director of the Centre for Creative Arts.
The incumbent must possess eithers a Masters degree or be reading towards the completion of a degree. Preference will be given to an Ethekwini-based graduate who wishes to acquire practical work experience in cultural administration & project management to enhance their CV’s and their potential to secure future employment in the creative and cultural sectors whilst working with the Research Working Group to conceptualize, manage and deliver specific creative outputs.
The Internship is from 1 June 2023 to October 2024 with a minimum of 30 hours per week. The successful applicant will receive a monthly stipend during the internship. The intern must also be available to travel to Brazil for 5 days in September 2024.
An interested graduate may apply for this post by submitting a one-page cover letter and a CV of no more than 3 pages to cca@ukzn.ac.za by no later than Friday 12 May 2023. The cover letter must state:
1. the qualifications, skills & experience possessed by the candidate with a specific focus on film
2. a motivation why the candidate is interested in the internship
3. special qualities that the applicant can bring to the work of the Centre for Creative Arts.
The Centre for Creative Arts at the university of KwaZulu-Natal recognizes the immense value that film-makers contribute to economic growth and social development; and to how the voice and works of artists contributes to advancing a culture of human rights & social justice. Candidates applying for this position must in addition to having the required qualifications also be able to demonstrate a passionate interest in the arts and a deep respect for the status of artists.
INTERNSHIP CO-ORDINATOR: SA & BRAZIL FILM EXCHANGES
CATALTYIC RESEARCH PROJECT FUNDED BY THE
NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES
Key Job Deliverables:
Student Film Production:
• Provide administrative & production support to the Working Group with the supervision of two micro-budget student films to be produced by UKZN Film Studies students and to be completed before 31 July 2023.
• To work with the student production teams to develop an effective social media strategy for the promotion of the two films
• To work with the Durban International Film Festival team to develop a successful audience development strategy for the two films.
• To co-ordinate a post-screening discussion with the student film-makers and a selectively invited audience in Durban during before August prior to the World Premiere of the films at the African Film Festival in Brazil in September 2023.
• To work with the Isiphethu Programme at the Durban International Film Festival for the South African premiere of the 2 student films after its World Premiere in Brazil.
Editing & Publications:
• To act as Editor for the Research Working Group and to identify 5 writers — either academics, journalists, curators or film specialists from both South Africa and Brazil —- who can be commissioned to produce an article each of 1 000 words on topics defined by the Research Working Group; and which topics are:
o Film festivals as a catalyst for cinema friendliness, transformation and expanding the transnational film industry: a case study of the Durban Film Festival, and the African Film Festival of Brazil.
o Film marketing and distribution in two BRICS countries, South Africa and Brazil.
o Film and economy in a developing country: a case study of two BRICS nations, South Africa and Brazil.
o Film for transformation: culture and socio-economy.
o Student films in developing countries: a case study of two BRICS nations, South Africa and Brazil.
• To work under the supervision of the Research Working Group who shall set the editorial standards for the publication and who shall have final editorial oversight.
• To liaise with the Centre for Creative Arts team on the production of the commissioned articles into a cohesive publication.
• To work with strict and rigid timelines for the delivery of the above publication.
Learning Programmes Co-Ordination:
• During July 2022 during the Durban International Film Festival, to engage with a selected group of South African & Brazilian film-makers, curators and academics over a 5 day period in 5 consecutive 90 minute structured workshops / roundtable meetings to investigate the following questions:
o How can DIFF and BAFF facilitate cinema friendliness towards building transnational audiences?
o What have been or are significant economic challenges in the film sector in both South Africa and Brazil?
o Are there any significant similarities or differences?
o What are proposed or implemented solutions from each country?
o Over the years, what have been the most notable setbacks and/or successes at DIFF and BAFF?
o How were the setbacks addressed, and/or how were the successes achieved?
o Are there any significant similarities or differences between the countries?
o What are the differences and/or similarities in the quality and content of the films between the two countries?
o How can both countries improve knowledge sharing and innovation about content curation?
o How can both countries create an enabling environment for aspiring or student filmmakers, including pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution?
o How can film festivals facilitate cinema friendliness towards building transnational audiences?
• The incumbent shall be responsible for designing the content framework for the workshops / roundtables, and with the assistance of two interns arrange all logistics for the successful delivery of the workshops / roundtables.
• Within 30 days after the culmination of the Durban International Film Festival produce a written report of the above discussions.
Curation:
• In 2023, to work with the Durban International Film Festival team and the African Film Festival (Brazil) team to:
o curate a package of 5 Brazilian Student Film Festivals at the festival in Durban in July 2023.
o curate a package of 5 South African student films for screening at the African Film Festival in Brazil during September 2023; noting that two of the films will be produced by UKZN film studies students as part of the Catalytic Research Programme.
• In 2024, to work with the Durban International Film Festival team and the African Film Festival (Brazil) team to:
o curate a package of 5 Brazilian professionally produced films at the festival in Durban in July 2024.
o curate a package of 5 South African professionally films for screening at the African Film Festival in Brazil during September 2024; noting that at least one of the films must be a film that has been funded by the National Film & Video Foundation and the other must be a film that has been funded by the KZN Film Commission.
• During September 2024, to attend the African Film Festival in Brazil together with the DIFF Manager and to introduce the South African films and / or participate in any post-screening performances, networking opportunities and / or workshops scheduled by the African Film Festival in Brazil.
Marketing:
• To supervise and work with two interns at the Centre for Creative Arts to develop a dynamic and engaged social media campaign that will strongly profile the various outputs of the Catalytic Research programme
• To profile the logo’s of the UKZN, CCA, NIHSS, DIFF, ISIPHETHU & BAFF and any other funders or partners all promotional collateral produced for and about the Catalytic Research programme.
• The two interns shall be designated to also provide administrative support to the incumbent but the responsibility for quality-driven and deadline driven performance targets is the final accountability of the incumbent.
Report Writing:
• To complete various progress reports that will be required by the Centre for Creative
• To contribute to the drafting of the compliance reports to the National Institute of Humanities & Social Sciences.
Archive:
• To maintain a systematic archive of all articles, reports, film reviews, recordings and minutes from the project as an organised body of work that can be used for scholastic purposes as well as to guide future directions for the implementation of international exchanges strategies for the film industries in South Africa and Brazil.
General:
This internship is designed to provide a post-graduate student with the opportunity to work with the professional teams of the Centre for Creative Arts and the Research Working Groups comprised of academics from UKZN Film Studies and the managements of the Durban International Film Festival and the African Film Festival (Brazil). The Key Performance Areas (KPA’s) are geared towards granting the incumbent a valuable opportunity to acquire and develop comprehensive skills and experiences in the design, curation, networking opportunities, editorial experience and implementation of an international festival programme that can serve the objectives of the Durban International Film Festival, contribute to the formal knowledge economy at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and advance the NIHSS’s mission to stimulate academic engagement of the BRICS agenda between South Africa and Brazil.
