Young creative talent at AFDA Experimental Festival
The annual AFDA Experimental Festival promises to be an mind-boggling experience across the four AFDA campuses. The students explore experimental concepts and present their outcomes from their own course which ultimately embodies the scope of the future of the creative economy. “Our Business Innovation and Technology students, will give presentations of and launch their cutting edge, on the money, business concepts,” said the institution in a statement. AFDA film and television 3rd year students will be screening over 60 experimental films and TV documentaries. Live Performance students will stage over 30 theatre plays and live music performances. The festival kicks off on 10 June with theatre plays and live music performance shows, and rounds up over the weekend of 14-16 June with film and television screenings and business start-up presentations.
“We as the third years in the School of Business Innovation and Technology will be showcasing our tech startups for the very first time. Our degree programme is designed to train young creatives, entrepreneurs and technology savvy graduates to deal with disruptive opportunities that will continue to change the way we do business and perceived opportunity in the creative economy. The startups we have developed this year fall into varying industries including agri-tech, fem-tech and nanotechnology. Faced with the boundary question of ‘How to alleviate poverty by 2030’ we conceptualised three innovative businesses to compete in the creative economy. We can’t wait to share our startup ventures with the public,” says BIT student Cwenga Saleni.
Festival goers attending at the Johannesburg campus are in for a treat: “TV producing lecturer Zenobia Simelane, currently doing her Masters at AFDA has line produced a 78 minute documentary OR Tambo – The Jewel In Our Crown. This exciting documentary with new footage and material about one of our most famous struggle heroes will show at the AFDA Experimental Festival on Friday, 14 June at 19h30. The documentary will also be opening the Encounters International Documentary Festival,” says head of Television School Bastion Hoehn.
The 2019 Honours students have taken on the challenge to make a Public Service Announcement for Proudly South Africa. This is a project that the students are undertaking solely to gain experience on an advertisement. After several idea pitches, Proudly South Africa has opted for a story of co-operation and South African perspectives. The final advertisement will be launched at the Experimental Festival.
“The experimental festival is a unique opportunity for third year students to discover and express their artistic intent as well as experiment with film, theatre, music and television craft techniques. AFDA is extremely proud to have our third year B Com students present their innovative business models to the public in this creative space,” says AFDA CEO Teresa Passchier.
To follow all the experimental productions leading up to the festival (view synopsises, cast & crew, posters, trailers, behind the scenes interviews and to get social media handles), click here.