Western Cape Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde, has announced that the promotion of Cape Town and the Western Cape as a film destination will now fall under Wesgro’s mandate.
South Africa's entertainment industry is valued at around R7,4 billion (US$843m), with film and television generating more than R5,8 billion (US$660m) in economic activity each year. The marketing of the province’s film industry was previously done by the Cape Town Film Commission.
“Wesgro already has the responsibility of marketing the Western Cape as tourism, investment and trade destination. Adding the marketing of the Western Cape’s entire film industry to the portfolio will mean that we have a streamlined and co-ordinated marketing strategy with which to approach local and international markets,” said Minister Winde.
He said the organisation had already started implementing plans to ensure that in the 2012/13 financial year, film trade and investment to the value of at least R1 billion (US$114m) would be leveraged.
Winde said, in the Western Cape specifically, the estimated turnover contributed by the film industry was over R23,2 million (US$2,6m) per annum. He said film productions had created thousands of job opportunities in the province. For example: Safehouse created 5274 jobs, Chronicles 1153 jobs, History of the World, 1161 jobs and Flight of the Stocks, 1071 jobs.
Wesgro’s mandate will include:
•Aggressively marketing the Western Cape as a film destination, with a focus on film trade promotion strategy to encourage as many international block-busters and commercials to be filmed in the Western Cape.
•Facilitating access to national film rebates.
•Supporting commercial orientation of existing film makers.
•Exploring potential of developing local content film making.
•Developing local film audiences.
•Trade and investment missions in collaboration with the Department of Trade and Industry.
•Development of a film market within the provincial film festivals.
•Focused engagement with Cape Town Film Studios for investment purposes in film and TV productions.
•Hosting regular engagements with industry on key issues for the Western Cape in collaboration with the City of Cape Town, the Media, Information and Communications Technology SETA, the National Film and Video Foundation and the Department of Trade and Industry.
“I am confident that Wesgro will draw even more investment and grow the economic and jobs creation potential of the sector,” he concluded.
