JUMPSTART (Durban FilmMart Institute)
Attagirl was a global feature film development lab for female and non-binary filmmakers, created and run by For Film’s Sake (Australia) with major funding from Screen Australia’s Enterprise Business and Ideas programme, and supported by the British Film Institute, Telefilm Canada, Swedish Film Institute, TIFF, Sydney Film Festival, and multiple Australian state screen agencies. Created by For Film’s Sake Executive Director Sophie Mathisen. The 10-month programme worked with creative teams (producer/director/writer) on three content pillars: story, market, and audience. It included workshops integrated with TIFF and Sydney Film Festival, and each team was assigned an international project mentor and access to script, audience, and financial consultants. Teams from Australia, Canada, UK, South Africa, Portugal, Scotland, Sweden, New Zealand, and others participated. Cash prizes were awarded to selected projects at completion. Current Status — Important Caution ⚠ ATTAGIRL APPEARS TO HAVE CONCLUDED AFTER ITS SECOND EDITION (2021–2022). No evidence of a third edition, new call for applications, or new cohort has been found in any search results, press coverage, or on the programme’s own website (attagirl.online) as of March GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFRICAN FILM & SERIES MAKERS | 2025/2026 EDITION | Updated March 2026 Compiled March 2026 directed by Cati Weinek with Fab Claude.. Always verify deadlines and eligibility on official programme websites before applying. 2026. The Screen Australia Enterprise programme that funded it was project-specific. For Film’s Sake’s own website and LinkedIn show no recent Attagirl activity. What is confirmed: Edition 1 (2020/21) ran with 13 international projects. Edition 2 (2021/22) ran with 7 teams, concluding July 2022 with AUD 35,000 in prizes. A Pilot Report gathering data from both editions was in preparation as of 2022. No Edition 3 has been announced or evidenced. This guide does not include it as an active opportunity. However, because it was genuinely significant for global female and non-binary filmmakers — and did include a South African participant in Edition 2 — it is documented here so you know it existed and can monitor whether it re-launches.
2026 cycle: TBA — follow durbanfilmmart. 
