SA film workers set to march on DTIC as industry hits brink

South Africa’s film and TV industry is in free fall, jobs are evaporating, and workers are marching because the government incentive scheme went quiet and took the whole sector with it.

The crisis in plain sight

• A once-busy film and TV industry has slid into emergency mode.
• The collapse is tied directly to the DTIC Film and TV Incentive Scheme.
• Work stalled, money fled, and people got stranded without gigs.

What broke the system

• Adjudication meetings stopped happening after March 2024.
• Applications just sat there, untouched, month after month.
• Productions froze because nobody could plan without approvals.

How bad has it gotten

• Insiders say the industry has shrunk by nearly 50%.
• Freelancers, actors, and crew members are scraping by.
• Smaller production houses are absorbing the hardest blows.

Why workers are marching

• Film and TV workers are organizing under SAVE SA FILM JOBS.
• Protests are scheduled for January 28 and 29.
• This is being framed as survival, not symbolism.

Where the protests are heading

• The first march targets Parliament in Cape Town.
• The second heads to the DTIC headquarters in Pretoria.
• Both actions run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Who is leading the charge

• The protests are backed by a national coalition.
• Groups include the South African Screen Federation, the South African Guild of Actors, and the Writers Guild of South Africa.
• Animation SA, IPO, and the Personal Managers’ Association are also involved.

What actors are saying

• Jack Devnarain described conditions as dire.
• Actors are out of work because decisions are not being made.
• Consistent production, the backbone of creative income, has vanished.

Who is being hurt the most

• Smaller companies cannot self-fund while waiting for rebates.
• Big players survive, while small operators get squeezed out.
• Freelancers are left fighting over scraps.

The human cost

• Over 60,000 freelance workers are affected.
• Fewer productions mean fewer paychecks across the board.
• Desperation is spreading through the entire value chain.

What the industry wants now

• Immediate reinstatement of the adjudication committee.
• Fast-tracked approvals for qualifying applications.
• Clear signals to restore confidence and cash flow.

What happens if nothing changes

• International investors will look elsewhere.
• Other African countries and global markets stand to benefit.
• South Africa risks dismantling its own industry.

Why does this feel final

• Workers say the marches are a last stand.
• Livelihoods are already hanging by a thread.
• Without urgent action, the collapse could become permanent.