The challenges of an uneven playing field

In this chapter, Professor Sylvia Vollenhoven, from University of Johannesburg, outlines the hurdles student filmmakers in developing countries must overcome to shoot and edit their stories. For example, in South Africa, known as the most unequal region in the world, students are set apart from some of their international counterparts, because at every turn the production process is akin to a socio-economic obstacle course. She examines the impact on individual students, positive and negative, of participating in these international initiatives and suggests ways in which adaptations could be made to bridge the gap.