Madam Speaker
Honourable Premier of the province of KwaZulu-Natal Dr Z L Mkhize
Esteemed Members of the Provincial Legislature
Ladies and gentlemen
All protocol observed
It gives us pleasure as the Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism, to rise before this august House to table the Film Commission Bill.
Madam speaker, in the fast paced world we are living in, the film industry has evolved from being just an entertainment option into an economic sector that is contributing immensely to the growth domestic product of many countries.
But more importantly the power of the film industry has been its huge marketing muscle and in placing places that otherwise some of us would not have known about on the international map. Think of the state of California in America. Without Hollywood, chances are that California would have been like any other little-known state like Rhode Island. But, such is the sheer marketing power of Hollywood that California is known all over the world as the centre of cinematic innovation.
In a world where the ability to influence perceptions about your country and to control information dissemination is power, the film industry is not only a lucrative medium of communication but provides an opportunity for those who are in control of it to tell their stories in an unmediated fashion. Much as the United States of America is today the biggest super power and a military giant, the little-known fact is that most of its power is derived from what scholars call soft power.
The film industry plays a critical role in disseminating the American way of life and portraying America as the land of milk and honey. This has contributed to the notion generally-articulated as the Americanisation of the whole world. It is because of the film industry’s ability to, among other things, influence, position and market an economic as well as a tourist destination that that as the Ministry of Economic Development and Tourism, has developed this Film Commission Bill to harness the economic spin offs of the film industry in our province and to ensure that this industry contributes to the economic well being of our people.
Madam Speaker, Honourable Members, it is a known fact that one of the biggest legacies that we have achieved by hosting the recent 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup is that there is no corner of the world where no one knows about a country called South Africa. By hosting a successful world cup, our country has not only left an indelible mark in the collective consciousness of mankind; but we have also used this golden opportunity to market our country and to open new economic avenues, particularly in terms of tourism.
But more importantly, the world cup has been a gigantic leap forward in correcting wrong perspectives about us.
It is therefore our fervent belief that this proposed legislation will not only contribute in assisting us to tell our own stories but will also help us to exploit the untapped cinematic potential in our province. Our vision is to one day witness riveting car chase scenes shot on the winding Ndundulu highway. We hope for a day where the Isimangaliso Wetland Park will feature in Hollywood blockbuster. And critically, we hope for the various facets of the story of our liberation to be a subject of documentaries and films so that we can preserve these defining moments of our history.
Just as we used, among other platforms, music and theatre to tell the story of an unequal and racially-divided South Africa, so must we use film to showcase our aspirations and our dreams. Critically, we want to utilise this industry to create jobs and develop a new skills set in our province. For our government, the film industry is more than just an entertainment sideshow to our ongoing campaign of building an equitable society, but a critical tool of turning the spotlight on ourselves and presenting ourselves to the world.
In this regard, Madam Speaker, the objectives of this proposed legislation are:
- to promote and market the province as a global destination for film production
- to develop, promote and market, locally, nationally and internationally, the film industry in the province
- to facilitate investment in the film industry in the province
- to provide and encourage the provision of opportunities for persons, especially from disadvantaged communities, to enter and participate in the film industry in the province
- to address historical imbalances in the infrastructure and in the distribution of skills and resources in the film industry in the province
- to contribute to an enabling environment for job creation in the film industry in the province.
Once the commission is up and running it will, among others, perform the following duties:
- administer funds appropriated by this House
- attract international film productions to the province
- facilitate the establishment, development and growth of infrastructure and facilities for the film industry in the province
- attract foreign and local investment and funding for the establishment development and growth of infrastructure and facilities for the manufacturing of film products in the province;
- coordinate and facilitate human resource and human intellectual development in the film industry in the province
- provide advice, support and access to provincial funding for film producers in the province
As alluded to above, Madam Speaker, the film industry is a major trade sector across the globe. Hollywood, Bollywood, Nollywood and other centres of cinematic creativity prove that a vibrant film industry does not only cater for actors and producers but that there is a whole value chain that can sustain communities. That is why the province of KwaZulu-Natal takes the film sector seriously.
As all of us know, our province is endowed with breath-taking scenery and topographic features ready to be explored by creative film makers wanting to project different products to the ever growing and changing cinematic industry. The reality Madam Speaker, is that KwaZulu-Natal has not been able to fully exploit this competitive advantage. But what has been happening is that each time one reads newspapers, we see stories about this and that other A grade film star shooting a movie in other provinces when we know our province can do much better. This proposed legislation will therefore go a long way towards ensuring that KwaZulu-Natal is able to enjoy a slice of the cake of this lucrative global film industry.
Madam Speaker, the 2010 FIFA World Cup has certainly offered an opportunity for potential film makers or cinematic entrepreneurs to experience the attractions of KwaZulu-Natal first hand. This we believe would be an advantage to actively mobilise our marketing campaign and to consider practical incentives for those interested in using the province as an ideal location to cut films and other related products.
If our visitors were impressed with the level of hospitality and the diversity of options required in producing quality films, it becomes incumbent upon all of us in the public and private sectors to double our efforts to make KwaZulu-Natal a preferred location on the continent. Often film products are finished with musical ingredients and as a province we have made practical and visible strides in ensuring that KwaZulu-Natal becomes home to big musical acts to promote the performing arts industry. The recently launched state of the art KZN Music House could play a vital role in providing sound and musical support to film productions – meaning that the province is ready to offer a comprehensive package for the film business.
If what was a `lifeless’ desert of the United Arabs Emirates, Dubai has become a haven for global trade after challenging renowned centres such as Hong Kong and Singapore, the majestic KwaZulu-Natal could rival some of the traditional film shooting locations of the world. Together, the government and our social partners in the industry could help transform KwaZulu-Natal into a really alternative to Hollywood and an attractive centre for Bollywood productions as we boasts a combination of African, European and Oriental experiences and cultures complementing this province as a world in one. We have no doubt that this legislative instrument will assist our government in achieving this objective.
I thank you.
Source: Department of Economic Development and Tourism KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
