By concentrating on quality the Film Resource Unit has broken away from the distribution greed factor Andrew Worsdale The fastest growing distribution concern in Southern Africa is the Film Resource Unit (FRU), which started less than 10 years ago as a project run by activists with a television, a VCR, a room and some plastic chairs.
Last year the gross turnover for the NGO for broadcast and video sales exceeded R2- million. And it has been head-hunted by two leading corporations listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. It started out as a struggle organisation and nowadays is the leading distributor of African films on the sub-continent. And its success is due to audience development. FRU coordinator Mike Dearham says: “The exhibition monopolies never adhered to the cultural boycott during the apartheid years, instead they blindly squeezed out their profits regardless of international uproar. Yet today with a fairly soft trade operating environment ushered in by our democratic government, no real commitment is shown by the monopolies like Ster- Kinekor and Nu Metro to give something back despite their past neglects. “Why are good locally produced films like Chik’n Biznis, Mapantsula and Fools treated so shabbily? Why is there no real will to make these films succeed with reasonable marketing and publicity budgets? Why is it that more cinemas are built overseas by these very monopolies, when up to 20-million people have no access to film entertainment in this country? [Ster- Kinekor recently opened multiplexes in Poland, Hungary and Ireland.] “In addition TV stations are not adhering to local content quotas … African films are screened on our channels, but shown on a Saturday afternoon – competing with the soccer on other channels,” say Dearham. “The Native who Caused All The Trouble – a hugely important film dealing with the land issue – is flighted at 11pm on a weekday. Africa’s greatest film-maker Ousmane Sembane’s Camp Thiorye is screened in a similar time slot.” The FRU is trying to address this mess and they are fighting against the greed factor of the two main distributor/exhibitors with a range of initiatives. Traditionally the market in South Africa focuses on the medium income segments. Now, needing to change and enlarge their audiences, the main players are looking to the FRU. So rural dwellers are being delivered movies by way of mobile videos. The 16mm Projectionists project, based in Mamelodi near Pretoria, is a 15-month pilot project which uses 14 unemployed Mamelodi residents to screen movies in the township – focusing on African-themed films and those of educational value. The largest success of FRU has been its role in video distribution throughout Southern Africa. There has been a tremendousErecruitment drive for video distribution officers during the past year. Once officers are trained the FRU provides them with sales support and publicity material such as posters, flyers, stickers, T-shirts and a video showreel. This project has directly contributed to the creation of 40 jobs in the past year. In addition the FRU supports video resource centres, with 10 modules running throughout the country, which act as video libraries as well as screening venues. The Mobile Video Education Project is targeted at the rural areas and shows educational movies in collaboration with government personnel. But the biggest initiative that the FRU is developing is the coordination of the promotion of African feature films. For four short films entitled Africa Dreaming – made in South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Tunisia – screenings throughout the country were organised and discussions were held after the show. The innovative marketing strategy for Africa Dreaming included a community screening campaign, television broadcast and theatrical release. Apart from thisEproject the FRU is actively distributing African films across the region and is becoming an important distribution base in Southern Africa. So much so that Ster-Kinekor recently started a mobile cinema chain with three “vans” servicing Mpumalanga, Northern Province, East Rand and Middelburg – showing Senseless with Marlon Wyans and Die Hard With A Vengeance – free of charge. It’s supported by advertisers of fast- moving consumer products (like cool drinks and toothpaste). Pat Pillai, managing director of Ster-Kinekor Mobile, says: “I am a trifle concerned that we don’t have enough local product but we are showing a lot of local stuff in our supporting programmes, including music videos, sport and edutainment.” The FRU’s Dearham says: “It’s great but Ster-Kinekor are showing Will Smith junk to rural audiences, I mean they’re prepared to show karate film backwards in order to get audiences.”
For the moment Pillai has to answer to shareholders, while Dearham has the comfort of an NGO, even though both organisations are cash-strapped. The FRU, however, is embarking on a major campaign at the end of this month, launching a new catalogue, a major mail-out of info to 10 000 people, having radio advertorials on Kaya fm and TV ads on SABC3 with theEaim of breaking into new markets, like video stores. ForEaccess to FRU movies call Wiseman Moumakoe on Tel: (011) 838 4280