Brand South Africa Presenting Partner Profile
The South African Film Festival Canada (SAFF Canada) presents feature films and documentaries that entertain and inform as they explore the culture, history and politics of South Africa; the 2021 edition of the annual Festival runs from November 4th to November 14th. Brand South Africa (BSA) is the SAFF Canada 2021 Presenting Partner.
BSA is the official custodian of South Africa’s Nation Brand. BSA was established in August 2002 to help create a positive and compelling brand image for South Africa.
At that time, the world was unsure about what to think of South Africa, with many different messages being sent out by various sources. This did very little to build the country’s brand and it was evident that to attract tourism and investment there was a need to coordinate marketing initiatives to make them more effective.
This led to the creation of BSA, whose main objective is the marketing of South Africa through the BSA campaign.
There are many benefits to having a consolidated brand image, with the most important being that a consistent BSA message creates strategic advantages in terms of trade and tourism for the country in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Partnership with artistic and cultural events that showcase South Africa abroad is a vital part of delivering the BSA campaign. The SAFF Canada 2021 program is a balanced combination of 26 feature films, documentaries and shorts presented in 17 screenings. There is a wealth of bonus content, much of which is exclusive to SAFF Canada, featuring director interviews, producer interviews, panel interviews and online group discussions. The nexus of these films is the artistry, creativity, entrepreneurship, passion and spirit of the South Africans who produce, direct and perform within them. The films show the good, the bad and the ugly of South Africa; it is this authentic portrayal of South Africa that creates a credible rendition of the brand of South Africa.
