A city with a proud cinematic history — from the first war footage ever filmed, to Netflix originals today.
The first city in South Africa to erect a permanent building for the screening of motion pictures — the Electric Theatre in 1909 — Durban has a proud history of cinematic activities linked to film appreciation and alternative filmmaking.
The filming of newsreels at the Natal battlefronts during the Anglo-Boer War (1889–1902) records the first time a war had been filmed anywhere in the world. The films Zulu and Zulu Dawn rank amongst the most successful international films ever made in Africa. When cinemas closed on Sundays, the Durban Film Circle screened art house movies to multi-racial crowds at the University of Natal.
In the 1980s, protest groups formed around the use of film to advance the democratic process. NOVAW (Natal Organisation of Video and Allied Workers) was a meeting ground for activists determined to undermine the apartheid Government's film subsidy system, which manipulated cinema for propaganda purposes.
The Film and Allied Worker's Organisation (FAWO) was established in 1988 and found strong support in Durban for its efforts to democratise the film and television industry. The Visual Voice Conference held in Durban in 1995 was the venue for the conversion of FAWO into the Open Window Network.
Training initiatives in Durban have been at the forefront of skills development for decades. The Free Film School operated at the Ecumenical Centre in the early 1980s with support from Kodak, Canon and Coca Cola. The Department of Video Technology at the Durban Institute of Technology is one of the only facilities in South Africa focusing on video and television training at tertiary level.
The ground-breaking Greater Durban Television (1995) was the first community television station to go on air in South Africa — placing Durban at the forefront of efforts to establish permanent community television.
Anglo-Boer War newsreels filmed at Natal battlefronts — the first time a war had ever been captured on film, anywhere in the world.
The Electric Theatre opens. Durban becomes the first city in South Africa to erect a permanent building for the screening of motion pictures.
NOVAW forms and the Free Film School opens at the Ecumenical Centre, providing film training to historically excluded communities.
The Film and Allied Worker's Organisation established with strong Durban support to democratise the film and television industry.
Greater Durban Television becomes the first community television station to broadcast in South Africa.
Durban Film Office established as a unit of eThekwini Municipality's Economic Development Unit.
Durban hosts the DIFF and the Durban FilmMart — connecting African filmmakers to global platforms including Netflix.
The Durban FilmMart is an African co-production market presented by the Durban Film Office and the DIFF with the aim of promoting African content to global markets and increasing collaboration between African filmmakers. Certainly, the reels are rolling in the city of Durban.