Introduction
The Co-production Market, in the form of Pitching Forums, creates a unique platform on which African industry professionals can do business and exchange valuable information, both amongst themselves and with other industry professionals from around the world. The forums are designed to stimulate investment in co-production projects between Africans and the rest of the world, but also to arm local producers with the information needed to survive the myriad of requirements and demands thrown up by co-financing. The co-production market involves pitching forums, including pitch training workshops for feature film, documentary and writers. It facilitates the buying and selling of ideas – film and television programmes yet to be made which may require development or co-production partners.

Sithengi's Pitching Forums expose emerging African talent to decision-makers in the content-creation business. Given that co-producers and pitching producers are drawn from a wide range of ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, there is a tremendous, instructive cross-fertilisation of ideas and information which impacts directly on the quality and skills of our producers. The ultimate aim of course is to stimulate the production of film and television projects in the region.

Co-production Market 2003 Overview
The pitching sessions of past years became co-production forums at the 2003 Sithengi Film & TV Market. The applicants were much better prepared and the co-producing partners and commissioning editors were much more prepared for the sessions.

The Feature Film Co-production Forum (FFCF) matched 20 international producers with 20 African projects. 137 Meetings were set up between the producers and project promoters on the 1st day of the Feature Film Co-production Forum.

The Writers’ Forum (WF) matched 6 local producers with 12 writers (14 projects) and 35 meetings were set up.

In the Documentary Co-production Market (DCF) 16 local projects were pitched to 10 international panellists.

Read the full 2003 Co-production Market Report