The B-Scheme subsidy and the 'black film industry' in apartheid South Africa, 1972-1990

Abstract

The emergence of a 'black film industry' in apartheid South Africa is inextricably linked to the introduction of a differential state subsidy for film production. This subsidy, known as the B-Scheme in order to distinguish it from the general or A-Scheme subsidy, was introduced in 1972-1973. The B-Scheme was specifically for the production of films in an African language with a majority African cast and intended for a mass African audience. The 'black film industry' that was spawned by this subsidy was run by white South Africans with Africans playing minor roles as actors and in some instances as crew, with only a couple of individuals directing these films as employees of white-owned production companies. On one level this industry was a type of collaboration between some white citizens of South Africa and the apartheid government. The films that were produced as part of this subsidy can be viewed as the collaborative output of these two role players. But given the fact that the...