This year’s
edition of the Durban International Film Festival (16-26 June) once more
features a very strong selection of African titles.
With just
under half of all the films originating from Africa and South Africa, and much
of the rest of the programme dealing with diasporic issues and identity
politics, this year’s DIFF is a true festival of African film located within a
global context.
Of the 101
feature length films to be shown at the festival, 50 are African films,
including 17 fiction films and 9 documentaries, while there are 24 South
African films, including 10 fiction films and 14 documentaries.
Additionally,
the festival’s programme will include more than 90 short films, the majority of
which are African and South African.
Now in its
37th year, DIFF is the continent’s leading showcase of African film,
while also providing a strong programme of world cinema for local audiences,
featuring the kind of titles that would otherwise not get a showing on
commercial screens in South Africa. Key titles from the continent’s
everexpanding film industry include As I Open My Eyes, a powerful personal tale told
on the eve of Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution, Naked Reality, the latest film from provocative filmmaker JeanPierre Bekolo, Nakom, a haunting film
about the conflict between tradition, modernity and love, Ghostland, about the
loss of language and identity of indigenous Nambian people, and I Shot Bi Kidude, the long awaited feature film about African musical legend
Bi Kidude.
Acting
Festival Director Peter Machen spoke enthusiastically about this year’s
programme. “This is my 27th year of attending the festival and it’s been incredible to watch
the continual expansion of African cinema, as the industry slowly rebirths in
the wake of colonialism. In those first years that I attended, there was
virtually no African content, and it’s wonderful that an industry which exists
against a background of enormous challenges is growing with such vigour.
African cinema continues to grow more and more complex, offering a wealth of
cinematic language that puts much of mainstream cinema to shame.”
As well as
the strong African Focus, other key areas include a focus on issues around
indigenous rights and colonialism, a small programme of films that deal with
HIV (given the fact that the World Aids Conference will be taking place in
Durban two weeks after the festival ends), and a rich programme of films about
dance and music. There is a country focus on Dutch cinema, in recognition of the
Dutch South African Coproduction Treaty,
as well as a focus on Portuguese language African film in partnership with Tri
Continental Film Festival.
“A festival
such as the DIFF takes many years to build and grow, and involves the hard work
of countless people,” said Machen. “We are pleased that one of the world’s
leading showcases of African and global film will have a number of new venues
this year, including the Playhouse, NuMetro Pavilion and various community
centres around Durban, all of which will bring the festival to a greater and
more diverse number of people,” says Machen.
The full
programme will be announced in the coming weeks. “Durbanites can look forward
to another exciting and eclectic selection of films,” said Machen.
The
festival will take place at the Playhouse, Ster Kinekor Musgrave, Ster Kinekor
Nouveau, Nu Metro Pavilion, the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, the KZNSA Gallery,
Rivertown Beerhall and the Elangeni Maharani Hotel, with festival hubs at the
Elangeni Maharani and the Playhouse. There will also be screenings of selected
titles in Clermont, KwaMashu, Inanda, Groutville, and others areas.
The 37th Durban International Film Festival
is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZuluNatal (a
special project of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Humanities, Cheryl Potgieter),
with support from the National Film and Video Foundation, Durban Film Office,
KwaZuluNatal Film Commission, eThekwini Municipality, German Embassy, Goethe
Institut, KwaZuluNatal Department of Arts and Culture and a range of other
valued partners.
For more
info go to www.durbanfilmfest.co.za.
