Martin Cuff has been involved in the promotion, marketing and development of film industries since 1997. He launched Martin Cuff Consulting in July 2006 and has since worked successfully on a range of Film Industry initiatives throughout Africa and beyond.

Prior to the launch of Martin Cuff Consulting, Martin was the Executive Director of the Colorado Film Commission based in Denver, Colorado. Martin facilitated the coordination of the state film industry on a number of projects, including the Film Incentives Legislative Bill, Indie Film Colorado initiative, Screenwriters Colorado initiative, Actors Colorado, Film Festivals Colorado and Film Schools Colorado, as well as re-launching the world’s oldest Film Commission as a private non-profit corporation.

From February 2001 to May 2005, Martin was the Director and Chief of Operations of the Cape Film Commission in Cape Town, South, where he transformed the entity into a highly effective, internationally respected vehicle. He successfully increased the organization’s budget ten-fold and introduced eleven new staff positions. The Cape’s business grew to over 45 feature films, 700 tv commercials and 1250 international stills campaigns a year. Other successes included the introduction of a film fund for local producers and an affirmative action charter to address social inequalities.

In March 2003, Martin also took over management of the Cape Town Film Permit Office and worked with the City to overhaul its permitting processes and develop the first formal film policy in Africa. On top of these duties, Martin was concurrently Chairman of the South African Association of Stills Photographers, a National Executive Council Member for the Independent Producers Organization, and a Board Member of Sithengi, the Southern African International Film & TV Market. Furthermore, he was instrumental in the planning and development of the first Cape Town Film Expo (2005) and was a founding member of South Africa Exposed, a joint marketing initiative developed by the TV Commercial Production sector in South Africa to share resources and collaborate on international positioning. Martin was additionally contracted by the Government of Kwa Zulu Natal to project manage the creation of the Film Commission of that Province.

In October 2002 he was appointed as a Director of the Association of Film Commissioners International, a global film commissions’ network representing 350 commissions in 35 different countries - the first African representative appointed to this position in nearly 40 years of the AFCI’s existence.

From 1997 to 2000, Martin was Chief of Operations for Sithengi, the Southern African International Film and Television Market based in Cape Town, South Africa. Sithengi was set up to promote the development of the African film, broadcast and related industries. The only event of its kind on the African continent, Sithengi features a week-long exhibition, film festival, film-related conferences, work-shops and master classes and a networking opportunity for film practitioners for the African continent. During this period, Martin was also responsible for planning and executing outbound missions of South African film professionals to various international expos and festivals including Cannes Film Festival (France), MIPCOM/TV (France), FESPACO (Burkina Faso) and AFCI Locations Trade Show (Los Angeles). He also managed South African delegations to the Indian International Film Convention in Mumbai (2003 and 2004).

With world-wide experience not only of the marketing and services required to attract international productions, but also of the building blocks required for kick starting a local industry, Martin Cuff is perfectly placed to assist with any film development initiative.