’n MOVIE-SE PROBLEEM - SA film industry protests government incentive delays

’n MOVIE-SE PROBLEEM - SA film industry protests government incentive delays 

South Africa’s film and television industry is facing a helse crisis, with hundreds of jobs at risk, as filmmakers and creative workers picketed outside Parliament on Wednesday over delays in the government’s incentive system.

Filmmakers, producers, actors, crew members, and other workers in the sector, joined by members of the public, gathered outside Parliament in a show of frustration and solidarity.

The protest was organised by a coalition of industry bodies calling for urgent reform of the stalled incentive system. 

The coalition includes Animation SA, the Documentary Filmmakers’ Association of South Africa, Creative 20, the SA Forum of Editors, the SA Society of Cinematographers, the SA Screen Federation, the Soweto Film Festival, and the Writers’ Guild of South Africa.

They warned that ongoing delays have severely disrupted production schedules and discouraged foreign investment, placing the sector - which has reportedly shrunk by 50 percent over time - under immense strain.

According to the coalition, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition’s (DTIC) failure to consistently and accurately process tax rebate applications, and to pay incentives back to foreign investors, has effectively brought the system to a halt. 

This, they said, has resulted in reduced production activity and mass loss of jobs.

Emmy Award-winning production designer Warren Grey warned that the long-term impact of the incentive system failing would be devastating.

Grey said: “What we are facing is a destroyed sector. It will also take South Africa off the map as a shooting destination. They need to reinstate the rebate and give us a clear date on when this will happen.”

Actor and producer Siv Ngesi agreed that conditions have deteriorated sharply.

He added: “We used to move from job to job. People were living good lives, and now that’s been destroyed. People don’t realise that art is labour. It is work.”

The coalition’s demands include an urgent in-person meeting between the SA Film Jobs Coalition and the leadership of the DTIC, including minister Parks Tau, as well as meetings with deputy ministers to address what they described as a crisis that has brought the industry to a standstill.

They are also calling for immediate assistance, the establishment of an adjudication committee, and the creation of working groups between the industry and the DTIC within 21 working days.