All you need to know for the Durban International Film Festival 2014

Coming up in July is the Durban International Film Festival 2014

The organiser's have selected some wonderful films, from the sublime to the ridiculous, from serious to not so serious.  Off the wall to off the lip. On the far side and even on the wild side.

Here are some of the highlights you can look forward to:

20 000 Days On Earth

Fatherland

Freedom Mixtape

Life Itself

i, Afrikaner

Microtopia

Orbis

Painting Cape Town

Shield and Spear

A Snake Gives Birth To A Snake

Black Coal, Thin Ice

Blood Ties

Cairo Drive

Nuoc

Nymphomaniac

The Lunch Box

The Two Of Us

The Congress

White Shadow

In Order Of Disappearance

Hard To Get

The Immigrant

Amazonia

Expedition To The End Of The World

Do The Right Thing

Raging Bull

Rear Window

Alaska Sessions

Dungeons

McConkey

Now Now

The Salt Trail

http://www.durbanfilmfest.co.za

#DIFF2014


This edition by +Fred Felton
(Images Provided by DIFF)

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.

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

How To Become A Film Critic

Sometimes you happen to have some luck.  During the Durban International Film Festival 2013 I happened to sit in on a session with well known South African Film Critic Leon van Nierop.

He had some free time and decided to share his knowledge with the small group of writers who wanted to know all about being a film critic.

These were some of the tips he shared with us:

• Always remember the Director is trying to share something with you
• Don't tell the story, only write about 2 or 3 lines about it.
• A review should open the film up for debate and analysis.
• I never read reviews because it influences you.
• Never go into a cinema with preconceived ideas.
• The style of the film is so important
• A good film critic cannot be bought
• Be honest
• A good camera interprets
• You are working with peoples lives
• Your review must be eloquent and entertaining
• A review must be accessible
• Ask your audience 'What do you think?'  
• Make up your own mind about the film.
• What was the film trying to say?
• Does the director give you insight into the character's soul?
• Is the camera a character?
• Ask 'Why has a camera been placed there?' 
• Look at the music, how is it used?
• Look at the lighting, how is it used?
• Do they all work if so why?
• Do they all fail if so why?
• Watch lots of movies.
• Does the film communicate with me?
• Does it motivate me?  
• Does it entertain me?
• Know about the history of a film eg Superman
• Know the history of a genre
• Talk about the film afterwards with your friends

For those of you that were there it was a wonderful session.

What tips do you have to share on being a film critic? 

Article by +Fred Felton 

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Are you team #kurt&courtney or team #sid&nancy ? tweet your vote to @UpstairsDurban #movienights

News from Spiga

Movie Night | Wed  7 Aug | Doors open 18h00 | Movie starts 20h00 | Free Entry

Even if hard partying and pharmaceuticals aren’t your cup of tea, it’s impossible to deny how intriguing rock n’ roll couples are.

This Wednesday #movienight at The Upstairs will be about the very famous,tumultuous and destructive love affairs of some of rock's most well known couples. 

Choose to watch Kurt & Courtney (by British documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield) or Who Killed Nancy- a documentary on Sid Vicious & Nancy Spungen (by rock author and punk expert Alan Parker).

Visit the Upstairs #movienights event page to vote or tweet your choice to @UpstairsDurban #kurt&courtney or #sid&nancy  

Red Lips & Studs Womans Day Shindig | Thurs 8 Aug | Party starts from 19h00 | Free Entry if you wear red lips/studs

Celebrating Woman's Day with a more edgy vibe this Thursday - The Upstairs salutes all you Durban beauties, by throwing a party which will be hosted by local blogger Jenna Kelly, from girlwithabum.com . It's called Red Lips & Studs, check it out here. If you wear red lippy or studs, entrance is mahala! There will be give-aways from Courtney Shaw Skincare & Body Therapy, a professional make-up artist will be onsite from 7 - 9 to assist with some lip-love, a Bianca Kim Clothing pop-up shop for some late-night shopping, Buy 1 Get 1 Free Tanqueray Cocktails between 8 & 10, music by Renaude5…….. PLUS you get to sleep in the next day because it's public holiday!!!! 

For further details please contact info@theupstairs.co.za

(Source - Spiga Durban) 

Pansa News

Reminder of Invitation to PANSA National AGM

To all members of the performing arts industry and friends.
You are invited to the 2013 National Annual General Meeting to consider the activities of the past year and elect the National Committee for the next year.

Date: Saturday 10 August 2013
Time: 10:00 – 14:00 (9:30 for Tea/Coffee)
Venue: The Apartheid Museum, Northern Parkway & Gold Reef Road, Johannesburg
RSVP: Nolonwabo Base, nono@pansa.org.za or 021 448 3513

Only paid up members of PANSA, in good standing, are eligible to stand for election on to the Provincial Committee and to vote in the elections. There will be an opportunity to pay membership fees at the AGM.

We look forward to seeing you there

Call for MUSHO 2014 proposals

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN!!!!

The Performing Arts Network of South Africa (PANSA) in KZN will host the ninth Musho! International Theatre Festival of one and two person theatre, in Durban from January 2014, celebrating the art of the one and two-performer plays.

'Musho’ - isiZulu for an enthusiastic praise response, something similar to 'Bravo!' - embraces many forms of theatre: from mime to physical theatre, drama to comedy-theatre.  It pays tribute to the smaller works featuring one and two performers.  These are intimate productions that showcase the skill of theatre performance and storytelling, as well as covering a wide range of styles, from drama to comedy and physical theatre.

After extensive research, PANSA realized that a festival early in the year staging more intimate theatrical productions is considered a useful and exciting start to the year by performers and audiences alike.  Musho! benefits the performers as staging their shows and collecting reviews early in the year helps them for future seasons of the production through the year.  The audiences love seeing an array of fabulous theatre early in the year when calendars are quiet and when the festive flurry is over.

The festival is organised by PANSA KZN, the Performing Arts Network of South Africa. If you have a play or theatre piece that will be suitable for our festival feel free to send in your proposal to kzn@pansa.org.za
All proposals are read by a selection committee of local theatre professionals, and successful applicants will be contacted in October 2013.


Selection criteria for the festival include:

• The work must have one or two persons only performing
• The work should be an innovative and interesting concept
• The work should have potential appeal for local audiences
• The work should be classifiable as theatre (with a discernable narrative)
• The company or individual should have a good track-record and reputation
• The work should not have played in Durban in the past 12 months
• The work should be 50-70 minutes in length


Participants are paid for their participation in the festival.  The amount paid per performance will be confirmed at a later date, and is subject to the funding that PANSA receives.

Contracts will be drawn up between the artists and the festival once selection and confirmation procedures have been concluded, in October 2013.

Proposal guidelines and compulsory information.

1.     Contact person
2.     Contact address ,telephone,number, email
3.     Name of the show
4.     Genre of the show
5.     Appropriate audience and age group
6.     An exciting description of the show.
7.     Technical requirements for the show
8.     Name of performers and directors of the show
9.     Group background and experience.

Good luck and all the best.

(Source - Pansa) 

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