The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) has R153 million to spend on films in six months.
Filmmakers have two weeks to apply.
The money nearly went elsewhere altogether.
It is part of the seventh round of the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP7).
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) received R400 million for it this year.
DSAC told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture on Friday, 25 September, that National Treasury had changed the rules this year.
“This was the first time that National Treasury was giving us the condition,” said Ntandokazi Mntuyedwa, DSAC’s director responsible for PESP.
“In the past, we would be able to implement the phase over multiple financial years, but this year they said we must implement and close everything within a single financial year,” she said.
Calls had to be out by 4 May. Adjudication had to be done by 15 August.
The National Arts Council, the National Heritage Council and the National Museum met the May deadline. The NFVF did not open its main call.
It was still finishing the previous round, PESP6.
“They did not want a situation wherein applicants or beneficiaries would apply for PESP7, whereas they had not received the outcomes for PESP6,” Mntuyedwa said.
That created a problem. The NFVF’s plans included “blockbuster” films, which take 12 months to make. Treasury said they could not be finished within the financial year.
So Treasury told DSAC to find another use for the R153 million.
DSAC came up with a digitisation project across ten of its entities.
Then, the week before the meeting, Treasury changed its mind.
“They then came back to us and said, no, let’s go back to the NFVF,” Mntuyedwa said.
The catch: short films only. Mntuyedwa said these take three to six months.
The change was so late it did not make DSAC’s presentation.
“It’s not on the slide, because it was after we had sent the presentation,” she said.
The NFVF’s chief executive signed a letter promising to finish the short films before the end of the financial year.
“This R153 million can then be taken back to the NFVF,” Mntuyedwa said.
The NFVF moved fast. “For PESP7, we only received the approval last week, on Thursday, and we have published a call already,” the NFVF’s head of operations told MPs.
“The call will go out for about two weeks, so we can meet National Treasury’s deadlines.”
The call opened on Tuesday, 22 September. It closes on Monday, 5 October. The NFVF says it will not be extended.
After that, applications must be judged, contracts signed, films made and projects closed. The financial year ends on 31 March 2027.
The call is also wider than DSAC described. Besides short films, it includes web-series, TV pilots, animation and short documentaries.
Meanwhile, the one-year rule does not seem to apply to everything.
The NFVF’s PESP6 blockbuster films only start on 1 November. DSAC said they will finish in October 2027.
And DSAC said the National Arts Council’s PESP7 round will close in August 2027, five months after the financial year ends.
“We’re going to close the project by August 2027,” Mntuyedwa said.
McKenzie did not attend the meeting. He sent an apology, citing a long-standing prior commitment.