South Africa's film production sector can learn from treaty with India, says ministerial adviser

1. South Africa's film production sector can learn from treaty with India, says ministerial adviser

South Africa's film production sector can learn from treaty with India, says ministerial adviser PTI | Mar 08, 2025 06:18 PM IST Read this news in brief form Share Via Copy Link South Africa's film production sector can learn from treaty with India, says ministerial adviser

Johannesburg, South Africa’s film and television production sector can be bolstered with the learnings and experience from India through a bilateral treaty expected to be signed later this year, a senior official has said here.

South Africa's film production sector can learn from treaty with India, says ministerial adviser

Charles Cilliers, Special Adviser to the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture in the country, was speaking on Friday at the opening of the three-day Indian Film Festival South Africa 25 , a first of its kind event in over a decade.

Hosted by the High Commission of India and the Consulate General of India with Zee Entertainment Africa, IFFSA will showcase seven award-winning films from India and also feature several panel discussions to highlight India’s prowess in filmmaking.

“When I look at the films coming out of South Africa, I don’t believe we are producing as much as we can. We can learn so much from the Indian experience – Bollywood and everything around Bollywood,” Cilliers said.

“That is why for us, this year we would really like to sign the Film Treaty with India because we believe that it will open up so much scope for us to partner with India.

“Other film treaties that we have with countries such as Canada and so forth, have helped us to enhance what we do and how we do it. We have had so much investment from other countries and what better country to partner with as South Africa than India?” Cilliers shared.

“Over a space of 30 years, India has become a thriving culture and one of the world’s most powerful economies that we see expressed in things like cricket and film. Over the same period of time, we as South Africa have not developed as quickly,” Cilliers lamented.

“But this should not be a cause of desperation for us. We can learn from you and develop South Africa to be the same by just copying from you,” Cillers concluded.

Earlier, Indian High Commissioner Prabhat Kumar invited South Africans to attend the World Entertainment Audiovisual Summit in Mumbai in May this year.

“Cinema is more than entertainment. It is a mirror of our societies; a bridge across continents and a testament to the enduring ties between our nations,” said Consul General Mahesh Kumar, who initiated the project.

It was also proposed to hold this festival annually to promote India-South Africa collaboration in end-to-end film and television production and create employment, he said. “It will also create content that is contemporary for global audiences and grow the market for our content.”

“We would like to see Indian markets open up for South African content while Indian films and audio-visual content continues to grow in South Africa,” Kumar said.