Paul Roos Gymnasium initiated the Filmit Festival during the height of the Covid pandemic in 2021. In 2023 this festival will be hosted for the third consecutive year. It initially started as a short film competition. Today, it boasts with a diverse platform where young creatives can showcase their talents by entering films in one or more of the following categories: short films, documentaries, animation films, music videos, advertisements and “other” films (any films that fall outside one of the five main categories). The competition focuses strongly on mentorship and includes pre- and post-competition mentorship initiatives. The annual Shop Talk Sessions (interactive talks about the film industry and filmmaking) took place at the Suidooster Festival at Artscape earlier this year. An impressive array of speakers addressed interested audience members about a wide variety of topics. These sessions were recorded and will gradually be made available on the Filmit Festival YouTube Channel. These speakers included actors Charlton George and Nicole Fortuin, screenwriter Nico Scheepers, cinematographer Eduan Kitching, producers Elle Oosthuizen, Adri Britz and Cait Pansegrouw, director Nina Swart, filmmakers Sandulela Asanda and Richard Finn Gregory, TV and advertisement producer Richard Truter and more.

During the month of May interested participants had to submit pitches wherein they had to describe their film concepts, their basic storylines, and describe their main characters in detail. Elle Oosthuizen (producer at IdeaCandy) evaluated the short film pitches. Out of 28 concepts, she selected 12 which were accepted to participate in the Filmit Festival 2023. Her remarks were uploaded to the Filmit Festival website. Finalists are from the Western Cape as well as the Northern Cape, Gauteng, North-West province, Kwazulu-Natal, and Marondera (Zimbabwe). The following schools will be participating in the Filmit Festival 2023:

 Advertisements

• Clifton High School | Mfiki Ndlovu  (Cape Town)
• Kylemore High School | Learner group (Boland)

Animation

• Paarl Boys’ High School | The prince of privacy (Boland)
• Parel Vallei High School | Patches (Boland)
• Paul Roos Gymnasium | Arma (Boland)
• St. Albans College | Loss (Pretoria)

Documentaries

• Clifton High School | Alone (Cape Town)
• Girls’ High School Potchefstroom | It’s a man’s world (Potch)
• Paarl Boys’ High School | Keys aren’t just black & white (Boland)

Music Videos

• Alexander Road High School | On my own (Worcester)
• Jan van Riebeeck High School | Mad at time (Cape Town)
• Waterkloof High School | Let love win (Pretoria)
• Girls’ High School Potchefstroom | Dreams in the sky (Potch)
• St. Albans College | High Fashion (Pretoria)
• Worcester Gymnasium | Deep waters (Worcester)

Other Films

• Charlie Hofmeyr High School | Happiness is within yourself (Ceres)
• Waterkloof High School | You must (Pretoria)
• Paarl Boys’ High School | The making of… (Boland)

Short Films

• Black & White Theatre Company | Man’s Best Friend (Boland)
• Clifton High School | A scoop with death (Cape Town)
• Girls’ SA Kinderhuis | Die lewe is wat jy daarvan maak (Cape Town)
• Jan van Riebeeck High School | Social species… (Cape Town)
• Kalahari High School | Modus Operandi (Northern Cape)
• Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof | Ontsnap (Boland)
• Girls’ High School Potchefstroom | The Agenda (Potch)
• Kloof High School | Vampire Therapy (Durban)
• Paarl Boys’ High School | Say Cheese! (Boland)
• Paul Roos Gymnasium | Geskiedenis (Boland)
• Watershed College | The Upcoming (Zimbabwe)
• Zwelethemba High School| Madoda Sabelani (Worcester)

All school groups have three months to develop and produce their films. Their final films need to be submitted by 29 September 2023. Nominations for awards will be announced on the 17^th of October and winners will be announced in November 2023. The mentorship programme, cash and other prizes are made possible by ClemenGold, Orms Direct and the SAE Instituut Suid-Afrika. Winners do not only receive cash prizes, but will enjoy mentorship experiences with industry specialists.

Frazer Barry, his wife Deniel Barry – with Kylemore High School learners – winners of the Best Music Video 2022.

Winners in the 2022 “Best Actors” and “Best Supporting Actors” categories will enjoy the opportunity to appear on screen in the local soap opera Suidooster later this year. Winners in the 2022 “Best Music Video” category (Kylemore High School) received a mentorship session with Frazer Barry and his wife, Deniel Barry earlier this year. This led to further training opportunities at the SU Drama Department. Aspiring filmmaker Mila Kotze (Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof) received free training at actress Dorette Potgieter’s new film school in Stellenbosch. Young filmmaker and music compiler Tom Siebrits (Paarl Boys’ High) received mentorship from musician Melissa van der Spuy in utilizing music in film. Similar exciting opportunities await the 2023 winners. The dedication of South Africa’s industry specialists towards youth development and creating opportunities for young talent is worth mentioning. It is their contribution to the Filmit Festival’s mentorship programme which ensures the success of the project.