To truly marry film and culture within Bermuda, Government must come on board with dedicated funding for the arts, filmmaker Errol Williams said last week.

At the moment, the man behind the documentary 'When Voices Rise' told those gathered at Bermuda Society of the Arts, government funding was almost "non-existent".

"I just happened to pick the right topic; one Government thought they could justify funding," he said.

Mr. Williams said funding the film was a real challenge and in many cases a film has to plead for funds from governments and charities which have many worthy causes to choose between.

"It can be a questions of funding a film or finding more hospital beds for the poor," he said.

'When Voices Rise' - a documentary on the 1959 Theatre Boycott in Bermuda - won the Audience Choice award at last week's Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) and is now showing at Liberty Theatre.

Mr. Williams joined filmmakers Maya Ueda ('An Adolescent', Japan), Stephanie Sycholt ('Malunde', South Africa) and Bermudian screenwriter Vanz Chapman at a panel on the role of film in the development of national culture organised by BIFF last Thursday.

Williams, Sycholt and Ueda all had films competing in the festival which highlighted the culture of their home countries in different ways.

Ms Sycholt said, in her opinion, 'Malunde' - the tale of an unlikely friendship between a white former National Defence soldier and a black street-kid in the 'New South Africa' - could not have been made by a non-South African.

While American films about South Africa such as 'Cry Freedom' and 'The Power of One' were important in stimulating global opposition to the apartheid system in the country, they did not ring true as authentic within South Africa, she said.

Meanwhile, within apartheid South Africa the films that were receiving funding from Government tended to be either Afrikaner stories or what was known as 'Rambo-Sambo movies'.

One important film was actually made secretly by submitting false scripts to gain 'Rambo-Sambo' monies, she added.

Now the industry is under restructuring providing new opportunity for South Africans to explore their own stories through film.

Ms Sycholt was given money by South Africa for her film but the production company later collapsed and in the end the movie was made through funding almost entirely from Germany.

Filming in South Africa, the production team also ran into a lot of resistance, she said.

One hotel did not want to let the film's star 11-year-old Kagiso Mtetwa use their bathtub during a scene.

Alternatively, Maya Ueda said her film 'An Adolescent' could not have been made in North America or many parts of the world but did not raise an eyebrow in Japan.

Telling the story of a 15-year-old girl who becomes involved with a 46-year-old man, Ms Ueda said she has been shocked by the reactions of those who think the film is about paedophilia.

"In Japan this film was made no problem," she said.

While there is government funding for films in Japan, Ms Ueda said the competition is very tough and 'An Adolescent' was made with private backing.