Durban FilmMart To Present 36 Projects In Rescheduled October Edition
Postponed edition of DFM has selected 36 African projects across fiction features & series, animation and documentary.
Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI) has selected 36 projects for the Pitch and Finance Forum of this year’s Durban FilmMart (DFM).
All projects are from the African continent and span fiction features and series; animated features, series and shorts, and documentary features and series (see full list of selected projects below). Selected teams will participate in public pitching to a panel of potential co-producers, sales agents and investors, along with one-on-one meetings with decision-makers.
This year’s edition of DFM is taking place October 9-12 after being postponed from its usual July slot due to funding difficulties. Usually the festival runs at the same time as Durban International Film Festival, which this year took place as scheduled from July 23-August 2.
As the market is not running alongside a festival, it will open with a special screening of Ben’Imina, directed by Rwanda’s Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, which participated in DFM’s pitching and finance forum at project stage and went on to win the Camera d’Or at this year’s Cannes film festival.
DFM will also host a wide range of masterclasses, panel discussions and mentorship sessions, with industry sessions focusing on issues such as financing, co-production and building distribution networks.
The market has the theme “Shifting Worlds: Turning Towards Ourselves”, inspired by late Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène who said: “Why be a sunflower and turn toward the sun? I, myself, am the sun!”
DURBAN FILMMART 2026 FULL LINE-UP:
FICTION FEATURES:
A Touch Of Paradise (Tunisia)
Prod: Sarra Ben Hassen
Dir: Houcem Slouli
Four Months And Ten Days (Sudan)
Producer: Alsamoual Hussein
Director: Alyaa Musa
Fairway To Freedom (South Africa)
Producer: Tarina Patel
Holy Cow (Morocco)
Producer & Director: Asmae el Moudir
[Selected at El Gouna 2025 through partnership]
Mieta (South Africa)
Producer: Neil Brandt
Director: Carla Fonseca Mokgata
Mother Theresa (Rwanda)
Producer: Shema Faustin
Director: Mutiganda wa Nkunda
Under Green Skies (Egypt)
Producer: Yara Goubran
Director: Jad Chahine
The Boy Who Spoke Static (Nigeria)
Producer: Mathew Cerf
Director: The Agbajowo Collective
Bitter Wine (South Africa)
Producer: Davide Franciscus
Director: Pablo Pinedo Bóveda
Waslap (South Africa)
Producer & Director: Batandwa Alperstein
FICTION SERIES:
Again (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Producer: Giresse Kassonga
Director: Erickey Bahati
Daddies (South Africa)
Producer: Cati Weinek
Director: Sean Mongie
Fafi (South Africa)
Producer & Director: Dominique Jossie
Hyena (Kenya)
Producer: Mkamzee Mwatela
Director: Sanele Zulu
Smoke & Mirrors (South Africa)
Producer: Luke Rous
Director: Jozua Malherbe
The Coven (South Africa)
Producer & Director: Sihle Mthembu
[Selected through DFM Access]
ANIMATED FEATURE-LENGTH FICTION:
Midnight Metro (South Africa)
Producer: Wako Sefara
Director: Lesego Vorster
ANIMATED SERIES FICTION:
Beast Seeker (South Africa)
Producer: Danielle Retief
Director: Robyn Viljoen
capoZOOeira (Kenya, Brazil)
Producers: Mary Waweru Wanjiku, Carlos Zerpa Bravo
Director: Orlymar Paredes
Hadu: The Series (Nigeria)
Producer: Damilola Solesi
Director: Precious Anih
Juju Soccer (Nigeria)
Producers: Oge Obasi, Somto Ajuluchukwu
Director: C.J. Obasi
Nerve (South Africa)
Producers: Raffaella Delle Donne, Renee Van Reenen
Director: Tshepo Moche
Sunday Morning (Ethiopia)
Producer: Nahom Abiy
Director: Minasie Terefe
ANIMATED SHORT FICTION:
In Her Hands (Egypt)
Producer: Gehad El Akhal
Director: Hagar Basiony
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES:
Green Island’s Girls (Egypt)
Producer: Amrosh Badr
Director: Rogena Tarek
Designing Divide (South Africa)
Producer & Director: Jessie Ayles
[Selected at Talents Durban 2025]
Gwijo Nation (South Africa)
Producer: Quinton Fredericks
Director: Sesihle Manzini
The Thread And The Wall (Algeria, France)
Producer & Director: Mouni Boullam
My Djomele Night (Burkina Faso)
Producer: Hicham Falah
Director: Barkima Nafissatou Laguempedo
Heirs Of No Regret (Kenya)
Producer: Mumo Liku
Director: Saitabao Kaiyare
Mdantsane - Home Of Boxing (South Africa)
Producer & Director: Phumlani Veto
[Selected through DFM Access]
The Ones With The Tempered Flowers (Tanzania)
Producer: Ivy Kiru
Director: Neema Ngelime
Urban Zulu: The Busi Mhlongo Story (South Africa)
Producer: Struan Douglas
Co-producer: Vusi Mchunu
Director: Rehad Desai
Waiting For Evolution (South Africa)
Producer & Director: Karin Slater
Where Do I Belong? (Sudan)
Producer: Talal Afifi
Director: Ibrahim “Snoopy” Ahmed
DOCUMENTARY SERIES:
Children Of The Nile (Uganda)
Producer & Director: Tina Obo
