WFC’s first training programme was in Free State, north of Johannesburg, at a school for the children of agricultural workers. Alice and her co-tutor, Marc Kotzee taught the whole school – eighty-six students – to make short films using cell phones. From there, WFC Patron, Gerry Fox, commissioned Alice to run a programme in Cape Town, which is where she met WFC South Africa Founder Member, Simcelile “Simi” Kalimashe. Simi was born in Khayelitsha (Cape Town’s equivalent to Soweto) and dreamt of learning how to make a film. With Simi onside, WFC took root in the Cape Town townships and five years later, in 2014, the team was commissioned to produce a series for national broadcaster, eTV – South Africa’s equivalent to Channel Four
WFC Filmmaker, Loyiso Ngqwebo, had this to say about the programme:
“The World Film Collective experience showed me that everything can be done and everybody can do it if you put your mind to it. And that we the youth can make it possible to change lives in our community through telling stories”
2008 Free State programme in partnership with creative arts charity Dramatic Need Cape Town programme with New Africa Theatre Association – fictional shorts
2009 Cape Town programme II – documentary shorts. Programme taught by veteran documentary filmmaker, Jo Menell (Dir. Mandela, 1996) Short films selected for the highly competitive Pocket Film Festival in Paris Alice trains film and drama professionals to become WFC Tutors First workshop with Amy Biehl Foundation Trust, a youth engagement programme providing after-school activities for young residents of Cape Town’s most dangerous township communities
2010 Cape Town programme III – Sports and News Journalism to coincide with the 2010 FIFA World Cup
Thirty-five young people produce over 80 short reports on events surrounding the World Cup from inside their township communities
Reports featured on BBC Online programme, Extra Time Local community TV channel, Cape Town TV Nokia’s N series blog MobilizedTV Smartmobs.com Distributed internationally via WFC’s mobile site worldfilmcollective.mobi Through social networks YouTube, Facebook and Twitter Total: 40,000 views
WFC consolidates the relationship with Simi. After giving him fifty Rands (UK equivalent £5) to buy data, Simi drove the grass-roots presence that was key to the World Cup project success
Follow up 8 participants selected to form production team Co-create video platform on popular youth mobile phone social networking site, Mxit (25 million users across South Africa at the time) Populate Mxit video platform with 90 x 1min films over six months 6-part series for Cape Town TV
2011/12 WFC’s work recognised by Cape Film Commission (CFC) CFC sponsors training programme 12-part series produced: Uyfun’undazi? (Do You Want To Know Me?)
Uyfun’undazi? takes a common township statistic and gives it a human face by profiling an individual living in those circumstances. Stories include: Nondoda, an artist with no arms and no legs making a living through his inspiring and original painting; Maynadi, a 16 year-old beauty queen bringing up herself and her brother after they were orphaned by AIDS Glamour Magazine South Africa approaches WFC to feature Mayandi in their April 2012 edition – the first time a township resident has been profiled in Glamour Magazine
2012/13 WFC partners with the HIV awareness charity Grassroot Soccer Three-month training programme using film to spread HIV prevention messages Series for Cape Town TV leading up to World AIDS Day WFC brings NOKIA onboard to sponsor the films Valentine’s Day campaign via bespoke Mxit video platform: ‘Love Your Partner, Get Tested’
2013/14 Break-through year for World Film Collective SA: WFC commissioned to produce 26 short films for national broadcaster, eTV Each short film profiles a different trend in the townships WFC SA commissioned to cover Bertha Foundation conference in Cape Town Three WFC filmmakers given bursaries to study Business, with a view to setting up their own production company