Free Filmmaking Workshop For Durban

As part of promoting and nurturing creativity in the art space within eThekwini Municipality, the Durban Art Gallery in collaboration with Arts and Ubuntu Trust will be hosting a workshop aimed at sharpening the skills of upcoming film-makers.

The workshop will be relevant to people who wish to refresh their minds on the creative process and develop an understanding of film language. It will focus on the practising artists, playwrights, filmmakers, writers, musicians/composers and literature students. 

Internationally acclaimed award winning Somali film director, Abdulcadir Ahmed Said will facilitate the workshop. Attendance on all four days is compulsory. 

The details of the workshop are as follows:

Dates: 07-10 November 2014 

Venue: Durban Art Gallery (2nd floor, City Hall, Anton Lembede Street)

Time: 09h00-15h30 

Entrance is free. Due to limited space, booking is essential. Interested participants should email their CVs to witty.nyide@durban.gov.za before 05 November 2014

South African Film 'African Gothic' Keeps Winning Awards

African Gothic goes from strength to strength.

(Image courtesy - African Gothic)

It was in 2013 when I saw this film at the Durban International Film Festival.  I was introduced to the cast and crew amongst them the main actor and producer Damon Shalit.

He has just given me some wonderful news about the film.  Since it was shown at DIFF2013 it has achieved the following:

• African Gothic (AG) has played in 7 festivals worldwide
• AG has been nominated 18 times for awards

It has won the following awards:

• Best Film at the Tornoto African Film Festival
• Best Film at the Golden Door International Film Festival presented by Tommy Hilfiger
• Best Screenplay at the Golden Door International Film Festival
• Best Director, Actress (Chella) Best Cinematography and Best Editing at the Golden Door International Film Festival
• Best Actor for Damon Shalit at Salento International Film Festival
• Best Thriller and Best Actress at Houston Wordfest

'Not bad for Diepe Grond' says Damon Shalit. 

Not bad indeed.  

To find out more about this film and distribution deals visit their website:

http://www.africangothic.com/

Article by +Fred Felton 

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• So You Want To Be A Film Actor?

Interview with Actor Nick Boraine one of the stars of A Snake Gives Birth To A Snake

This week I managed to interview Actor Nick Boraine.  He is starring in 'A Snake Gives Birth To A Snake' which is showing at The Durban International Film Festival 2014.

I emailed him some questions and this is what he has to say:

Nick Boraine

Tell us about 'A Snake Gives Birth To A Snake' ?

The story follows a diverse group of South African Actors who, together with American Theatre Director Michael Lessac, create a play about the role of the translators in SA's TRC.  The Actors travel to other places that have experienced conflict and find themselves performing their theatre piece in Rwanda, Northern Ireland and the former Yugoslavia.  This extraordinary journey leads to the opening up of difficult conversations around reconciliation and forgiveness and brings together radically different experiences of conflict. 

Tell us how you created your character for 'A Snake Gives Birth To A Snake' ? 

The character was created out of endless improvisations.  We all had the luxury of time and all of us could explore, research and then improvise around a variety of scenarios.

Advice for aspiring actors?

Decide early on what you are doing in this crazy business and then rely on your instincts rather than your intellect. 

Which do you prefer: Theatre, TV or Film? 

They all offer such different things, all come with their own challenges and I love them all differently... but equally. 

Which actors inspire you locally and globally?

Geoffrey Rush, Kate Blanchet, Andrew Buckland and Charlie Chaplin.

What's the best acting advice you ever received?

Don't Act...Re-Act.

Where is home for you?

Greenside in Johannesburg.

Is this your first time at DIFF? As someone in the industry what are your thoughts about DIFF?

First time at DIFF and I think it is an extraordinary festival.  Wonderful to be in Durban and an exceptional opportunity for South African Film Makers and ordinary South Africans to make and watch their own stories. 

How has ever-changing technology impacted on the acting profession?

Yeah a lot over the years...pretty soon there will be a tiny drone hovering around my head to film my scenes...looking forward to that.

What project is next for you?

A couple of movies shooting in Cape Town - Looking forward to spending some time there.

Nick Boraine is one of the stars of 'A Snake Gives Birth To A Snake'. 

http://www.asnaketoasnake.com/

It is showing at the Durban International Film Festival.

Next Screening: Friday 25 July, Suncoast 20:15

Interview by +Fred Felton

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)

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)

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 

Are you from Africa and do you love cinema? Want to be a film critic? Read This

Talent Campus Durban is looking for 40 of the most innovative voices of African cinema to take part in the 6th edition of this leading networking and developmental event held at the 34th Durban International Film Festival.

Talent Campus Durban seeks to provide selected participants with an opportunity to meet with international industry professionals and experts in various aspects of the filmmaking business through participations in a 5-day programme of masterclasses, workshops and industry networking events. The continent of Africa is a source of a myriad narratives which offer possibilities to be re-imagined, re-told, overlapped and adapted within numerous contexts. Under this year’s theme of “Memetic Africa”, Talent Campus Durban calls for African filmmakers to participate in this programme and be inspired by stories shaped by varying innovative patterns, ideas, customs, traditions, practices and skills that enforce the legacy of the African film context.

Talent Campus Durban also calls for participants for Talent Press, a mentoring programme for three African film critics in collaboration with FIPRESCI and Goethe Institut, which makes a welcome return in its second year. Talent Press mentors will offer their expertise to guide selected participants in the art of film criticism with access to all the screenings of the 34th Durban International Film Festival. 

The five-day programme also includes the 3rd edition of Doc Station, where three selected documentary projects submitted by accepted talents will be finessed and packaged for presentation within the DOC Circle pitching forum at the 6th Durban FilmMart. Applications for Doc Station are open to selected participants for Talent Campus. Mohamed El Amine Hattou of Algeria was one of the three Doc Station participants in the 5th Talent Campus Durban who, after presenting his project at Doc Circle, also had the invaluable opportunity to meet one-on-one with potential investors. Describing his experience, Hattou says, “Doc Station is a great opportunity to gain in maturity, networking, and dive into a promiscuous and professional African market. After my pitch on Doc Station, I had some positive and interesting feedback on my project. It was also an easy way to know about new funding and co-production opportunities. Durban Talent Campus is a unique way for African filmmakers to connect, meet and share their stories.”

Held in co-operation with the Berlinale Talent Campus, and with support from the German Embassy of South Africa, Goethe Institut of South Africa, and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, Talent Campus Durban runs from 19 to 23 July 2013. Apart from the main event in Berlin, Talent Campus partnerships also take place at selected festivals in Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Tokyo and Sarajevo. Opportunities for participating talents are enhanced through Talent Campus networks and the Berlinale’s global information platform.

Application is open to filmmakers and critics who are resident in Africa. Applicants are encouraged to apply well before the deadline in order to submit their work samples timeously. Application can be done online on www.cca.ukzn.ac.za and applications close on 1 April 2013.

For DIFF and Talent Campus Queries 031 260 1650 / 2506

E-mail both: talentcampusdurban@gmail.com / talent@ukzn.ac.za

(Source - DIFF and Talent Campus)