Johannesburg hosted the launch of Artificial Intelligence: A New Frontier for the Audiovisual Sector in September 2025, marking the start of a France–South Africa exchange series supported by the Institut français in Paris and the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS).
The first session at AVIJOZI (13–14 September) centered on a two-day workshop, Demystifying AI for Animation & VFX. A group of South African practitioners took part in practical exercises with ComfyUI, an open-source platform for generating images and animations. Alongside technical training, participants examined questions of copyright, authorship, and ethics raised by the adoption of AI tools in creative industries.
The workshop was co-led by Nicolas Erba, Head of Digital Innovation at the Paris-based post-production company Digital District, and Dr Sechaba Maape, South African consultant and educator, whose work bridges architecture, artificial intelligence, and indigenous knowledge systems. Their combined perspectives brought both technical and cultural dimensions into focus, offering participants tools for practice as well as a framework for critical reflection.
Read more about the training workshop in Wits Vuvuzela here.
The project is supported by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Institut français as part of the strategy for the international export of cultural and creative industries.
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