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Publication

The national and transnational in South Africa’s post-apartheid film policy

Book - Dissertation

Subtitle:shifting discourses on film/national identity and the cultural/creative industries (1994–2018)
The submission of this PhD thesis coincides with the United Nations (UN) General Assembly’s declaration, that 2021 is declared as the ‘International Year of the Creative Economy for Sustainable Development.’ This is fitting as this study unravels how South Africa’s government film policy has shifted from being previously taken up within a traditional cultural policy framework towards being viewed as part of a creative economy for sustainable development. In this PhD thesis I discuss how South Africa’s government film policy has attempted to shape the national post-apartheid film industry. Through a large-scale study, based on both a stakeholder and interpretive policy analysis, I locate key policy actors and industry stakeholders who have been involved in the film policy process for over more than two decades. In addition, I trace how policy discourses (such as cultural nationalism) which were once present in South Africa’s film policy, have now shifted to align with new policy frames and discourses, where film has been subsumed within the creative industries agenda, which can also be seen in global policies. Following the 1994 democratic elections the South African government appointed its newly established Ministry of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology to conduct extensive investigations into the creation of a new post-apartheid film industry, one that would redress past imbalances and promote South Africa’s cultural identities to both domestic and international audiences. Film was identified as a key sector in the cultural industries with the idea that it would be able to promote a national identity essential for social cohesion and political transformation. This was vital as previous apartheid policies left South Africa’s society divided along racial lines. Over the past decade the creative economy has been identified as a major driving force for economies in both developed and developing countries. South Africa is no exception. Media industries (including film) are considered as a key sector within the creative economy with the potential for job creation, innovation, and social inclusion. These discourses can be seen in South Africa’s current policies and development strategies where film policy formulation has become the responsibility of multiple policy actors. Due to film being recognised as having the potential for both cultural and economic development, policymakers are faced with the question of how to balance film as a commercial product with film as a cultural good. Framed within the field of film policy, cultural policy and media policy studies this study includes an extensive analysis of published material including commercial and government media (white papers, legislation, development strategies) as well as in-depth interviews with 56 key South African policy actors and industry stakeholders. Through the use of an interpretive policy analysis, I examine how South Africa’s film policy has changed over the past 24 years from film being identified as a tool for the development of a national culture, to film being viewed as part of the creative industries for national development. In doing so I locate South Africa’s film policy within broader African and global film policies and offer alternative ways to rethink ‘film policy’ as part of a larger cultural economy.
Number of pages: 495
Publication year:2021
Keywords:Doctoral thesis
Accessibility:Closed