
The Durban FilmMart Institute is a non-profit company that facilitates local and international trade and investment in African film content
Call for Applications
Pitch and Finance
Forum
Animation
17th Edition 2026
25 September 2025 -
31 October 2025
Pitch and Finance Forum
Pitch and Finance
Forum
Live Action
17th Edition 2026
5 November 2025 -
31 January 2026
Pitch and Finance Forum
Talents Durban
19th Edition 2026
15 November 2025 -
09 February 2026
Talents Durban
Jumpstart
14th Edition 2026
(To Be Announced)
Jumpstart
DFM Access
5th Edition 2025/26
(Closed)
DFM Access
Future Mentors
2nd Edition 2025
(Closed)
Future Mentors
DFM 2025 Results
17th Durban FilmMart
17 - 20 July 2026
The Institute’s annual flagship event, the Durban FilmMart, is a pan-African finance and coproduction market. Designed to create partnerships and further the development and production of African cinema, the DFM was named in UNESCO’s 2021 Film Trends in Africa Report as ‘the continent’s best film market’.
Objectives of the DFM
- Enable funding for promising projects and accelerate the financing of the participating projects through transnational cooperation
- Stimulate development and production of African content
- Encourage project collaboration between African Filmmakers from different African Countries.
- Raise the visibility of film projects from the African Continent and create networking opportunities with potential co-producers and other industry partners
Click Here for more information about the various programmatic elements featured in the Durban FilmMart.
16th Durban FilmMart
18 - 21 July 2025
The DFM 2025, under the theme “Bridges not Borders: Stories that Unite,” successfully brought together 1364 film professionals and filmmakers from 63 countries across the continent and beyond.
“We are delighted to have hosted such a dynamic array of filmmakers from across the African continent. They entrusted us with their projects and ideas, and generously shared their time, expertise, and passion through enriching conversations, creating a truly African event,” says Magdalene Reddy, Director of the Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI). “The talent showcased in this year’s programme and film projects presented exemplify the strength of African cinema. The memories made, networks expanded, and partnerships forged have significantly contributed to DFM’s enduring legacy and impact. We extend our gratitude to our partners for their support in celebrating and elevating African storytellers, producers, and content creators.”
To view the 2025 DFM
Industry Programme
Click Here
To review the 2025 DFM
Project Dossier
Click Here
Durban FilmMart
Africa’s Premier Co-Production and Film Finance Market
Pitch and
Finance
Forum
Talents
Durban
Industry
Programme
Year Round Programmes
DFM Access
DFMI
Business Lab
Future Mentors
Filmmart.Africa
Latest News

The Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI) has opened the call for animation projects to pitch at DFM 2026.
Africa’s leading coproduction and film finance market, the Durban FilmMart, has in the past 4 years successfully presented 31 animation projects from 11 African countries

Announcing the 5th Edition of the DFMI Business Lab
Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI) has selected 32 participants from 14 African countries and the diaspora to participate in the 5th edition of the DFMI Business

DFM Access Selects Participants for the 17th Edition of DFM Pitch and Finance Forum
The 4th edition of the DFM ACCESS programme, supported by the National Film and Video Foundation PESP funding, wrapped up after 8 weeks of intense
Talents Durban Press

The Future of Female Filmmakers: Bold Voices and New Frontiers at Durban FilmMart 2025
At this year’s Durban FilmMart, the panel “The Future of Female Filmmakers: Trends and Opportunities” brought together dynamic voices shaping the next chapter of African

My Father’s Shadow – A Conversation with Funmbi Ogunbanwo
Historic Firsts and Telling African Stories Globally At this year’s Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), the African premiere of My Father’s Shadow marked a poignant

Being You – A conversation with Minenhle Luthuli
Director and filmmaker Minenhle Luthuli had her short film, Being You, premiered at 2025 DIFF, a film that deals with real and hard topics in