Harnessing the power of radio to amplify the magnificence of Kwazulu-Natal

The Connecting Africa Project

Today I was invited to the media launch of this inspiring project.
It aims to promote Kwazulu-Natal by bringing in some Radio DJ's from other African countries.
The aim being that they will be telling their listeners all about our wonderful sights and sounds.

(ECR's Deon Govender with the teams from Star FM, Phoenix FM and Jacaranda FM - Image - Abhi Indarajan)


Representatives from Phoenix FM from Lusaka, Zambia and Star FM from Harare, Zimbabwe joined Jacaranda FM from Gauteng. They will be here till 3 April 2014.

They will use Suncoast as a base and will broadcast live to their home cities on 31 March and 1 April taking our Zulu Kingdom to their collective audience of 13 million listeners.

(Boni Mchunu - Tourism KZN, Phindile Ngcobo - Tourism KZN, Trish Taylor - ECR, Piwayi Dzuda - Star FM, Rachel Liebetrau - Dube TradePort - Image - Abhi Indarajan)

East Coast Radio's General Manager, Trish Taylor says 'East Coast Radio is playing a powerful amplifying role by exposing new markets to our province through radio.'

Dube TradePort is also right behind this project and their CEO Saxen van Coller feels this project will help boost trade and tourism in Africa.

Vikki Vink, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communications at Tourism KZN says, 'Our direct goal is to see an increased number of visitors from these countries, however the additional benefit we are already achieving is incredible awareness of our destination.'

This is a unique initiative aimed at positioning Durban as a must-see, cross border tourist destination which will be especially attractive to our landlocked neighbours in the continent.

Article by +Fred Felton


 

East Coast Radio's Zaba Simbine to co-host MTN's Radio Awards

It seems East Coast Radio has another reason to smile today.  In addition to the station's 12 nominations for the Awards it has just been announced that ECR's own Zaba Simbine will co-host the show with Alex Jay.

ECR's Zaba Simbine (Image by Val Adamson)

'I am so amazingly nervous but it's going to be great nonetheless!' enthuses Zaba.

Around 1500 people are expected to attend the awards ceremony.
We wish ECR all the best for their 12 nominations.

Mondays at St. Clements

Short Story Competition 2014

Precisely 100 words

  (no more, no less)

Our past short-story competitions attracted over 100 submissions each year. We have therefore decided to make this an annual event to coincide with the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere.

In celebration of the shortest day of the year which falls on 21 June in 2014, Mondays at St. Clements is celebrating National Short Story Day. We follow the lead of a UK-wide celebration with the same name, an initiative aimed at promoting fiction in its succinct form, focusing on South African writing that lends itself to this tradition.

             Short Story Competition 2014

                                    GUIDELINES

•  length: 100 words (excluding title).

       stories of more or less than 100 words will be disqualified

• entries by email to kwasuka1@mweb.co.za
• state author’s name and wordcount
• use large font: eg. Times New Roman, 14 pt.
• author of winning story will receive a presentation box of wine

      or electric coffee percolator.

• author’s names will be deleted for adjudication
• no more than 7 submissions per person will be considered
• stories submitted for previous competitions will not be considered
• closing date: Monday  2 June, 2014
• the top ten stories will be published in le petit déjeuner 4,

      comprising a selection of 50 short stories

• all stories will be read at St. Clements on the two Mondays following the presentation.

Events, Castings, Scholarships and Networking Meetings Around Durban

Glenwood High School, Durban, presents 'LORD OF THE FLIES'.

                                                                          

25- 27 March 2014. Glenwood School Hall. Tickets R30 scholars, R50 Adults. School Groups of 15 or more R25pp (includes a study guide)

Contact Ian Schoeman at: Schoeman@glenwoodhighschool.co.za   031 205 5241 Or visit www.glenwoodhighschool.co.za

YOUNG PERFORMERS PROJECT 2014 - AUDITIONS NOTICE

FOOTLOOSE

Directed by Themi Venturas, the 13^th annual PANSA Rainbow Young Performers Production for 2014 is Footloose – which re-unites Daisy Spencer (Choreographer) and Des Govender (Vocal Coach) the team that brought us Hairspray and Legally Blonde.

Auditions will take place on 26 April 2014

at Durban High School from 09h00 – 17h00.

We are looking for 30 talented young performers from KZN -

Footloose has approximately 13 parts for males and 14 parts for females.

We will also be seeking musicians to make up the ‘live’ band.

Applicants must be in able to sing, dance and act

Applicants must be available for rehearsal every weekend from

16 May – 22 June 2014

Previews and Performances are from 28 June to 13 July 2014.

Applicants must be available for the whole audition to qualify

Applicants must wear comfortable clothing / gym gear and appropriate footwear

Applicants are to bring their own refreshments – water / juice and lunch

Applicants must be prepared to wait between calls

For further enquiries please call

PANSA KwaZulu Natal Regional Coordinator: Nelisa Mzimela

PANSA office Telephone: 031 2014750 or email: kzn@pansa.org.za

Extras needed for Bollywood Movie

Looking for young white and indian people 18 - 25 years old.  Must be available 29 / 30th March.

Contact Sherae for details: 074-572-0654

Last call for Filmmakers

DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS

The largest of Southern Africa's film festivals and the most important film festival in Africa, DIFF hosts a film competition component and also presents screenings in township areas where cinemas are non-existent.

The festival will consider films completed in 2013 and 2014, and there is no charge for entry. All submissions must be entered via the Eventival online system. In order to submit a film you will need to create a visitor account if you have not already done so in past years. The deadline for all entries, including delivery of screeners, is 28 March 2014 for short films, documentaries and feature fiction films.

The extensive seminar and workshop programme featuring local and international filmmakers and industry professionals includes the 7th Talent Campus Durban (19-23 July) in cooperation with Berlinale Talent Campus, and the 5th Durban FilmMart (19-22 July) in partnership with Durban Film Office, as well as various other streams of programming including Durban Wild Talk Africa and Wavescape. Specific streams of programming for 2014 will include a focus on 20 years of democracy in South Africa, as well as films that explore architecture in various ways. This latter stream of programming acknowledges the World Congress of Architects which will take place in Durban in 2014, the week after DIFF.

"We look forward to once again receiving a wealth of top quality films from around the globe," says festival manager, Peter Machen. "We also welcome input from and engagement with current and potential partners who support the development of the film industry on the continent. It is through collaboration that we can offer film-makers and the public a festival of brilliant film and a worthwhile industry development programme."

The festival is supported by the National Film and Video Foundation, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the City of Durban and other valued funders and partners.
www.durbanfilmfest.co.za eMAIL: diff@ukzn.ac.za

Scholarships

For more details visit: www.act.org.za

Hirsch's Networking Breakfast

Artisan Gallery in Florida Road invites you to join them for the opening of their exhibition

Celebrate 3

Date: 26 March

Time: 17h30 for 18h00

Where: 344 Florida Road

Phone: 031-312-4364

email: info@artisan.co.za

This edition by +Fred Felton 

Film Review - Four Corners

Film - Four Corners
Cast - Lindiwe Matshikiza, Brendon Daniels, Jerry Mofokeng, Jezzriel Skei
Director - Ian Gabriel

Last week I was invited to the screening of 'Four Corners' the new movie by Ian Gabriel.

This was a pleasant surprise.  I sat down expecting to see your standard movie instead I saw something else.
Something very inspiring indeed.  It showcases our South African talent at their best.  Great script, great acting and tight direction by Gabriel.  The movie also has a stunning soundtrack by electronic musician Markus Wormstorm.

Four Corners gives us a tale all about gangsters and chess.  A very interesting combo indeed.  We have a young chess prodigy Ricardo (Jezzriel Skei) torn between the gang world of his neighbourhood and the chess world where he is winning awards and becoming better and better.

Add to the mix Farakhan (Brendon Daniels) who has returned to the area to start a better life.
Look out for a great cameo by the legend Jerry Mofokeng.

There are indeed some wonderful scenes in this movie and watch out for many twists in the tail.

Rating: 8/10

Online Links For The Movie
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/fourcornersmovie
Twitter - https://twitter.com/FourCornersSA
Web - http://fourcornersthemovie.com/

The movie opens on 28th March

Review by +Fred Felton

(Sources & Credits Giant Films and IMDB)

Useful info for Time of the Writer including some of the Twitter handles of the Writers

This week is Time of the Writer in Durban.  The annual writing festival.

Last night I attended the opening and we heard of some wonderful writing events coming up.

Schedule for the week ahead:

Tuesday March 18
11am Writers on Media - Sarah Britten, Angela Makholwa, Zukiswa Wanner - Room 149, City Campus, DUT
12h30 Educators Writing Forum - Laura Kubuitsile, Praba Moodley, Paulus Zulu - Chatsworth Education Centre
18h45 Book Launch - (de)Monopolising Paradise - Venue: Sneddon
19h30 New Voices from India and Mzansi Women Voices - Venue: Sneddon

Wednesday March 19
10am Meet the Publishers - Centre for Creative Arts
11h30 Authors and Publishers
11h50 Examining the Editorial Process
1pm Focus on Francophone Publishing

Also on
11h30 Writers Speak Out - English Studies Dept, Howard College
12pm Writers visit Workers College - Workers College
18h45 Book Launch - Land Where I Flee, Prajwal Parajuly - Venue: Sneddon
19h30 Writing the Policy Debate and Writing in Francophone Africa - Venue: Sneddon

Thursday March 20
10h45 Writers Speak Out - Gcina Mhlope Drama Studio, Edgewood Campus, UKZN
13h00 Writers Speak Out - Old Lecture Theatre, Mangosuthu University of Technology
18h45 Book Launch, South Africa: The Present as History - Venue: Sneddon
19h30 Writing the Historical Moment and Chronicling the Contemporary South African Story - Venue: Sneddon

Friday March 21
13h15 Writers Speak Out -  Zulu Studies Dept, Howard College, UKZN
18h45  Book Launch - Mooi Loop Vet Kat - Venue: Sneddon
19h30 Presentation of Time of the Writer Short Story Award and Telling the African Story and From the Mouths of Babes - Venue: Sneddon

Saturday March 22
11am African Connections - Ike's Books, 48a Florida Road
12pm Writers Visit Don Africana Central Reference Library - 10th Floor Liberty Towers, Cnr West and Aliwal
12pm Creative Writing Workshops - Mission Control, BAT Centre
14h30 Children's Storytelling Matinee - Sneddon
18h45 Book Launches - The Making of Place and Curries Fountain - Venue: Sneddon
19h30 New African Women Writers Rising and Finding the South African Funny Bone - Venue - Sneddon


Twitter handles for the festival and for some of the writers

Official Hashtag: #TOW2014

Time of the Writer - @TimeoftheWriter

Adam Habib - @AdHabb

Angela Makholwa - @AngelaMakholwa

Chibundu Onuzo - @ChibunduOnuzo

Khulekani Magubane - @KhulekaniMag

Prajwal Parajuly - @prajwalparajuly

Sarah Britten - @Anatinus

Website - http://www.cca.ukzn.ac.za/index.php/time-of-the-writer-home



Article by +Fred Felton

Fancy a dinner for four people at The Oyster Box?

IS YOUR DIVINE DESSERT A WINNER?

Your chance to shine and show-off your own culinary talents comes during the month of March. If you dine in The Ocean Terrace at The Oyster Box and leave us with your favourite dessert recipe, after your meal, you will be entered into our Delicious Dessert Competition.

At the end of the month, our team of professional chefs will choose a winner who will receive a dinner for four people in The Grill Room.  The winning dessert will be featured on The Ocean Terrace menu in April.

For more information contact restaurants@oysterbox.co.za

Connecting Africa with East Coast Radio

This month East Coast Radio is involved with an exciting project that brings Africa closer together.
Their 'Connecting Africa' project has the support of KZN Tourism and Dube Tradeport.
Durban will play host to two radio stations from across the border, Phoenix FM from Lusaka, Zambia and Star FM from Harare, Zimbabwe as well as Jacaranda FM from Gauteng.

These 3 stations collectively broadcast to 13 million listeners.

Connecting Africa (now in its third year) has had a significant impact on increasing domestic tourism with SAA reporting an increase in direct flights from Zambia and Zimbabwe to South Africa.

Connecting Africa is aimed at building relationships between  KZN and Durban and our neighbours.  This includes media and business partnerships.

The radio stations will broadcast their afternoon shows live from Durban on 31 March 2014 and 1 April 2014.

It's a unique initiative aimed at positioning Durban as a must-see, cross border tourist destination.


Article by +Fred Felton

Related articles

• Business Tips from the Speakers at TIKZN GIBS East Coast Radio Business Breakfast

Business Tips from the Speakers at TIKZN GIBS East Coast Radio Business Breakfast

Last week I attended this business breakfast and came away with some great business insight from the business leaders in attendance.

(Nick Binedell, Trish Taylor, Zamo Gwala, Nicola Tyler, Jake White, Bernice Samuels and Anwar Jappie - picture by Abhi Indarajan)

Five of South Africa's most influential thought leaders, strategists and trendsetters converged at Durban's ICC.  The event was sponsored by TIKZN.  The theme of the GIBS / East Coast Radio Business Breakfast was Strategy, Transformation and Branding. The MC was the hilarious Darren Maule from East Coast Radio.

Here are some of the tips that the speakers shared:

Zamo Gwala - TIKZN 

• There is now a brokering unit to help companies with their EIA's 
• Business confidence is high as delegations from India and Japan have visited KZN 

Jake White - Director of Rugby, Sharks Rugby

• You need to become bigger and stronger
• You need to understand what you are good at
• What does your business stand for?
• Have a plan, have a direction.
• Backing players leads to success.
• Experience comes with a massive responsibility
• Experienced players set the trend and tone
• Decide how you will be innovative
• Think outside the box
• Build up a network
• He used to look at other sports codes to see what he could learn from them
• History tells you something

Nicola Tyler - CEO of BRG

• Leaders know how to get results 
• Leaders realize it's not about them
• A plan is a set of anticipated steps 
• You have to align what you Think, Say and Do. 

Nick Binedell - GIBS

• What do we have to do as leaders to create those outcomes?
• We learn to lead
• Why are we doing what we are doing?
• This country has produced economic champions
• What attracts you to certain companies?
• Relish the uncertainty
• Do you have training going on in your business? 
• Never take the same route to work
• Do you really understand your city and the markets?
• Does your company engage in Africa?
• You have to take the risk

Bernice Samuels - Chief Marketing Officer - FNB

• You are surrounded by info now so you start resisting a lot of it
• You want to become a brand champion
• Social Media is a weapon of mass communication
• Everyone is a broadcaster 
• You need to give something to people that is meaningful
• What is it you are broadcasting?  Do your clients understand it and relate to it?
• A brand is not a logo
• A brand should have a strategy behind it
• What is so special about your brand?

Anwar Jappie - Brand Director - Nike Africa

• Be brave
• Go into spaces where people say you can't do it
• Look through the lens of the youth
• The youth are confident and opportunistic about Africa
• Half of Africa's population is under 25
• The Youth want to be treated with dignity and respect
• Consumers want it now
• This is now a portable life
• Africa is Number 2 Growth in Mobile Usage Worldwide
• You have to have a digital plan
• Mobile first, then digital
• Be laser focused, who are you speaking to?

All in all much food for thought.

Article by +Fred Felton 

Review of the Dolby Atmos System at Ster-Kinekor Gateway

Ster-Kinekor invited me to test out their brand new Dolby Atmos sound system which has been installed in their Gateway Cinema complex. 

This is the only cinema in South Africa that has this sound system.

I tested it out while watching the movie 300: Rise of an Empire in 3D.

(Picture courtesy Ster-Kinekor)

This is an action-packed adventure film with an immersive cinematic experience as the Greeks and Spartans do battle with the Persians. 300: Rise of an Empire is a powerful film that certainly does justice to its release in 3D and audiences will leave the theatre feeling as if they too had been part of the war.

The crystal-clear images coupled with the Dolby Atmos sound system create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie and part of the non-stop action of the warring Greeks taking on the might of the Persian army.

The film is based on Frank Miller's latest graphic novel, Xerxes, and told in the breathtaking visual style of the blockbuster 300(released in 2006). This new chapter of the epic saga is a companion piece to the first film and takes the action to a fresh battlefield – on the sea, as Greek general, Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton), attempts to unite all of Greece by leading the charge that will change the course of the war.

300: Rise of an Empire  pits Themistokles against the mortal-turned-god, Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and Artemesia (Eva Green), his vengeful commander of the Persian navy.

View the trailer here:

(Video courtesy - Warner Bros.) 

As for the Dolby Atmos sound system.  Well this is something else.  In case you are not familiar with it, this system features a redesign in cinema sound.  What they have done is now put speakers on the ceiling.  I kid you not.  On the ceiling. 

When you add the 3D element of this film it really is like you are in Greece, in that battle and when you add that crystal clear Dolby Atmos sound immersion you are entering a new world in cinema.  Some directors see this system as a new character in the movie, other directors see it as a new tool that they can use to further enhance the movie for the audience.  Either way Dolby has changed the playing field for the good. 

So just what is Dolby® Atmos™?

(Picture courtesy Dolby)

As an advanced cinema audio platform, Dolby Atmos reinvents cinema sound by giving each speaker its own unique feed, enabling many new front, surround and ceiling-mounted height channels for the precise panning of select sounds. The result is a fully immersive experience, putting the audience right at the centre of the action.

"The interest we're seeing in Dolby Atmos in EMEA shows that the industry sees real value in offering immersive cinema audio. With more cinemas becoming equipped across the wider region, cinema audiences are set to experience first-hand the entertainment experience envisioned by both internationally-renowned and home-grown talent," said Andreas Spechtler, EMEA Regional Vice President, Dolby Europe. "The diversity of titles on offer also shows us that the creative community is already unlocking the versatility of the Dolby Atmos platform and we can't wait to see how directors and their sound teams make upcoming titles more thrilling, emotive and heartfelt in 2013."

Dolby Atmos introduces a hybrid approach to mixing that enables sound designers and re-recording mixers to direct sounds as dynamic objects that envelop the listener in a lifelike sound field. The system utilises adaptive rendering techniques to maintain precise artistic integrity to the film-maker's original vision across a wide range of cinema shapes, sizes and loudspeaker configurations. It is an end-to-end solution that takes into account the entire content pipeline and brings together mixers, studios, distributors, and exhibitors to create dramatic improvements in the audio experience.

To learn more about Dolby Atmos, visit dolby.com/Atmos.

To share an educational video on Dolby Atmos, visit https://vimeo.com/40699179.

For more info about Dolby Laboratories or Dolby technologies, please visit www.dolby.com

For more information on Ster-Kinekor visit www.sterkinekor.com.

Book online or call Ticketline on 082 16789, or you can book at the box office. 

Download the Ster-Kinekor App on your Nokia, Samsung Android, iPhone or Blackberry.

Follow @SKTheatres on Twitter or Facebook at Ster-Kinekor Theatres.

Thank you to Ster-Kinekor for the experience.  Try it out for yourself.

Review by +Fred Felton 

Seminar for Performing Artists, Durban International Film Festival wants your films and Indaba is coming

INVITATION TO A SEMINAR - 7 March 2014 – The Stable Theatre, 

9am – 5pm

Intercultural and multidisciplinary performance in the year 2014.

Is its pursuit in the world of the Performing Arts still a worthwhile or duplicitous exercise? Can it contribute to the principle of “social cohesion”  and as a way to reinforce intercultural dialogue between people and countries/civilizations

You are cordially invited to a Seminar being stage by the HOPES & MEMORIES project - 

an intercultural project funded by the EU incorporating Catalina UnLtd from South Africa, Musique Interdite, Association Musique en Sorbonne & Euroculture en Pays Gentiane from France, Mama Papa from the Czech Republic, Trakt from Slovakia and Zero Ballet from Hungary (www.hopesmemories.org) and the Ethekwini Municipality

DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS

The largest of Southern Africa's film festivals and the most important film festival in Africa, DIFF hosts a film competition component and also presents screenings in township areas where cinemas are non-existent.

The festival will consider films completed in 2013 and 2014, and there is no charge for entry. All submissions must be entered via the Eventival online system. In order to submit a film you will need to create a visitor account if you have not already done so in past years. The deadline for all entries, including delivery of screeners, is 28 March 2014 for short films, documentaries and feature fiction films.

The extensive seminar and workshop programme featuring local and international filmmakers and industry professionals includes the 7th Talent Campus Durban (19-23 July) in cooperation with Berlinale Talent Campus, and the 5th Durban FilmMart (19-22 July) in partnership with Durban Film Office, as well as various other streams of programming including Durban Wild Talk Africa and Wavescape.

Specific streams of programming for 2014 will include a focus on 20 years of democracy in South Africa, as well as films that explore architecture in various ways. This latter stream of programming acknowledges the World Congress of Architects which will take place in Durban in 2014, the week after DIFF.

"We look forward to once again receiving a wealth of top quality films from around the globe," says festival manager, Peter Machen. "We also welcome input from and engagement with current and potential partners who support the development of the film industry on the continent. It is through collaboration that we can offer film-makers and the public a festival of brilliant film and a worthwhile industry development programme."

The festival is supported by the National Film and Video Foundation, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the City of Durban and other valued funders and partners.

www.durbanfilmfest.co.za eMAIL: diff@ukzn.ac.za

Indaba is Coming

http://www.indaba-southafrica.co.za/