EAVE Residency 2021

Our Campaign:

I am Khosie Dali, a film producer from Cape Town, South Africa. Together with my writer/director Imran Hamdulay and producing partner David Horler we are currently developing and financing a feature film called Pieces of Salma which we’re hoping to film mid-2022. Imran & I were recently invited to participate in a very exciting and prestigious lab called EAVE Producers Workshop (www.eave.org).

The lab is in a sense a master’s program except it’s run by filmmakers with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Imran and I will have a chance to learn from the best in the business of film. The lab is focused on giving producers the knowledge and skills to make their first feature film.

We are part of a handful of South African projects that have participated over the years and as such a prestigious programme, it does not come cheap as it takes place throughout 2021 in France & Spain. As we are going through an incredibly challenging period, EAVE and several other funders that would normally support this kind of program, could unfortunately not offer us a scholarship this year.

So we created this campaign to raise funds that would cover R100 000 for course fees & ±R 50 000 for flights, accommodation & travel. There is an added difference that completes the costings which we will pay ourselves. The lab will commence officially on the 19 July 2021 but we are hoping to raise these funds by 1 July 2021.

About Pieces of Salma:

Synopsis:

It is the year 2000, Mandela’s presidency has just ended and it has been five years since her husband’s death. Salma, a former activist, has been struggling to forge a career as a politician in the new South Africa.

After receiving notice from the bank, she has two weeks to save her home from being repossessed. Her two sons meanwhile are struggling to navigate their teenage years without the guidance of a father figure. Salma does everything she can to save her home but is rebuffed at every turn as she finds herself at odds with her brother-in-law who has cheated her out of a large sum of money. Only an old activist friend is willing to help but even his generosity comes at a price.

PIECES is a film about the complexities of family and politics and the strained familial bonds of three people torn apart by a great loss.

Director’s Statement by Imran:

PIECES is a story that’s very close to me. While not auto-biographical, the story is inspired by my family’s journey and in a sense, South Africa’s journey too. After Mandela’s term in office, as a country, that was the moment we were forced to see ourselves in a very real and harsh light. The fallacy of the rainbow nation started to reveal itself in many uncomfortable ways. I’m interested in examining this period through a personal and political lense.

This film is ultimately about a family and my intention is to present a story of motherhood and memory through the lens of Salma and her sons. South Africa is known as the rainbow nation. While I was writing the script, I kept coming back to this thought that as a country we resemble a fragmented and traumatised family more than we do a rainbow nation.

Producer’s Statement by Khosie:

Over the last two years, while we have been developing PIECES, I have learnt and grown so much as a producer and the chance to be part of EAVE is the next step on my journey and my career. I’m looking forward to learning from the best producers in the film industry and bring that knowledge back to share with filmmakers that might not have a chance like this. There have only been a handful South African projects that have gone through the program, so it is an honour for us to be selected with a project that is so close to us. It is an exciting moment in South African film right now and we are going to do everything we can bring PIECES to life and eventually share with everyone to see.

Accolades and Awards:

The film has been in development since August 2019 and we have been lucky enough to have featured as a selected project at Durban Filmmart Institute. We then attended the Chabaka market at the JCC Carthage Film Festival in Tunisia where we won the Robert Bosch stiftung development award. We were then invited to participate as part of 9 African projects presented in the Talentueuses Caméras d’Afrique pavilion at Cannes 2020. Our invitation to EAVE is the next step in the development of this film as we near production.

We are currently financing the film and have so far secured local production funding from the National Film & Video Foundation of South Africa and have begun negotiating with European co-production partners as we close off our financing schedule.

About EAVE:

EAVE’s aim is to provide professional training opportunities for independent producers and to bring producers from different regions of the world together with the aim of facilitating co-production relationships.

“We believe that the support of independent voices, creative imagination and culturally driven companies within the global media industries is an urgent necessity in the 21st century. Through our work we aim to contribute towards the creation of strong networks of producers and to encourage the exchange of knowledge and skills which will strengthen independent production across the world.” - EAVE

A Very Special Thanks:

I understand we are trying to raise a crazy amount of money in such a short period and at an incredibly challenging moment for everyone. We would be thankful for any kind of support you can offer. If you’re not able to make a donation we would greatly appreciate it if you could spread this link further.

Thank you so much for visiting this page. We would be very happy to answer any questions you might have.

Khosie & Imran