My fifth and last day at the cinematic wonderland that is DIFF consisted of three
documentaries.
The films are very diverse - two were made by Western filmmakers and the third one is
by an Iranian who was stopped from filming his latest film and this doccie was smuggled
out of Iran on a flash drive hidden in a cake!
I kicked off my day with Semisweet: Life in chocolate that focuses on 4 different stories
about chocolate - the top chocolatier in France, a spiritual couple's chocolates fro...
Day 4 and it had two distinct themes - the Palestinian/Israeli issue and Africa in all its glory.
Things sometime happen to me that seem too coincidental. I was traveling by Peoplemover to see two films about Palestine and then suddenly noticed the Durban Holocaust Centre. I've been trying to find it for years and then it just pops up. Maybe it was a sign...
5 Broken Cameras is an intensely personal documentary made by a resident of Bil'in called Emad Burnat , who started filming his life, t...
Film allows you to see the world without leaving your seat.
My third day at DIFF took me from Lisbon to a farm in Africa, the Deep South, the Philippines and Paris. Dark clouds rolled into Durban yesterday, but the sun always shines at the movies (thank you A-Ha).
My first film was the wonderful black and white Portuguese film, Tabu. The competition film is filled with nostalgia. It is set in modern-day Lisbon and in 1930s colonial Africa.
It is a wonderful love story remi...
Day 2 of DIFF was a day of extremes. It was wonderful to see all the film fans studying their guides - some of the guides visibly well-read.
I watched three films today and they are very diverse. Chicken with plums (Poulet aux prunes) premiered at Venice. It is a beautiful love story of a musician, played by Mathieu Amalric of The Diving Belle and the butterfly fame, who can't get over the loss of his violin and he decides to rather die. It sounds like a depressing film but it is in...
My annual pilgrimage to the Durban International Film Festival kicked off on 20 July.
I went straight to the media briefing at the Blue Waters Hotel where I chatted to Oliver Hermanus and Deon Lotz, director and star of last year's Beauty. This year Hermanus is part of the international jury and Lotz can be seen in the much anticipated Sleeper's Wake, which is having its world premiere in Durban. Lotz also told me that the film has been accepted for Toronto!
I saw two film...
The Durban International Film Festival has announced the selection of Elelwani as the film that will open the curtains on the 33rd edition of South Africa’s largest and longest running film festival. This groundbreaking world premiere takes place on July 19, made possible by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (who was both the first funder of the film, and principal funder of the festival), and the National Film and Video Foundation, a crucial partner both of this pioneering p...
Talent Campus Durban Calls for Filmmakers and Film Critics
Superimposing an African imagination on filmmaking processes, the 5th Talent Campus Durban (20-24 July) will ignite the creativity of 40 selected filmmakers from Africa in a series of masterclasses, workshops and industry networking opportunities during the Durban International Film Festival. Talent Campus Durban entices filmmakers to enhance skills, develop collaborations and interface with the dynamic future...
Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) Call for Entries
The 33rd edition of DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL will take place from 19 to 29 July 2012.
Supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (principal funder), the National Film and Video Foundation, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism and other valued funders and partners, the festival will present over 200 screenings of films from around the world, with a special focu...
The Durban International Film Festival has announced a significant increase in attendance for its 32nd edition which concluded on 31 July. The festival which is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (principal funder), National Film and Video Foundation, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism and other valued funders and partners, recorded total attendance of 29 792 including attendance of 2 452 at the festival’s workshop and seminar programme. T...
I spoke to Nashen Moodley, manager of the Durban International Film Festival, in hindsight.When do you start organising a filmfest? Have you started with 2012yet? Any dates yet? We start pretty much immediately, and are at the moment in a number of review meetings working on ways to improve the festival. We alreadyhave some programming plans for 2012. The dates have not been set yet,but we expect to occupy the same time in late July.How was the attendances at Diff 2011? I saw various sold...
The 32nd edition of the Durban International Film Festival, with principal funding from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, last night announced its award-winners, prior to the closing film.
Winner of the Best Feature Film award, Nader and Simin, A Separation (Iran), directed by Asghar Farhadi, was lauded by the International Jury as a “masterpiece” with “astonishing performances from the ensemble cast”.
The Best Feature Film award carries a cash prize of R50 000. ...
31 July: Day 7
The last day of the festival arrived with Durban basking in sunlight. I saw three award-winning films today, the wonderful and candid Position among the stars, the shocking lesbian drama Circumstance and closed off with black butterflies, a fly-on-the-wall production about the life of the iconic SA poet, Ingrid Jonker.
I loved Position among the stars with its colourful family who would have felt right at home in reality TV, breathtaking photography - especially the wa...
30 July: Day 6
The second last day of DIFF was my best day of all. I saw four films and they all have one thing in common - queer cinema - although the content is very different.
I don't know if these films were scheduled on the same day intentonally or by accident. I, however, was very surprised to see that the inaugural Durban Pride parade also took place on this day with the gay flag draped over City Hall.
I see myself as an afficionado of gay cinema and could not wait for the films ...
29 July: Day 5
Day 5 was a great day with outstanding movies, a nice chat with the manager of the festival and a sold out premiere!
The source (La source des femmes) is a fantastic film, fresh from its debut at Cannes.
It's set in North Africa or the Middle East in a very conservative society and it must have rocked the boat of the Muslim community when it was released.
I've never seen a film set in such a society that dares to talk about sex so openly.
In the film, the women of the v...
28 July: Day 4
Day 4 was filled with very serious movies and a light-hearted Canadian doccie that had its first screening outside North America.
I loved St Henri, the 26th of August, maybe its because of my journalistic background as we're always trying to find these little stories in the community - the hairstylist, the boxer, the shopkeeper. It's candy to the soul.
This Montreal suburb, although it seems ghetto-like, has wonderful characters and the 14 filmmakers did a fine job to f...
27 July: Day 3
As it is still raining in KZN, it's perfect movie weather!
The two films on my plate today have the same theme, love, although they are as different as night and day.
These two films will not be money spinners, although Tom Tykwer's Drei (Three) could get some bums on seats.
Snowflower and the secret fan will only appeal to a small audience, although it is a beautifully made, tender film with heart.
Both films were bought by big studios, Fox Searchlight and Warner, bu...
Durban, 26 July: Day 2
The miserable weather is busy getting the better of me as I spent most of the day in bed.
As I am in Durban for the film festival at great expense, I dragged myself out of bed for the night's delights.
I planned to see Dog Sweat at 22:00, but decided to rather skip that.
The two films that were shown tonight are both in competition and both are good - one is exceptional, in fact.
It's good to see young African directors at the festival and Andrew Dosunmu...
25 July: Day 1
The Weather Girls sing about it's raining men. In Durban it's raining wonderful films and the weather is miserable too in what is normally a balmy sub-tropical city.
I have been planning my viewing schedule since the programme was released a month ago and it constantly changed as there is so much to see and the films are so varied and the must-see ones clash. I try to include the big festival winners - and they are all in Durban. I left the schedule 80% percent comp...
Taking place from 21 to 31 July, the 32nd Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) will present a number of gay-themed films as part of its feature film selection.
From the powerful Man at Bath, which chronicles a week in the life of two soon-to-be ex-lovers, to Skoonheid, the latest award-winning film from South African prodigy Oliver Hermanus, DIFF 2011 offers a snapshot of life in the various gay, lesbian, bisexual and trangender communities around the world.
Oliver Her...
WAVESCAPE @THE DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
A tumultuous documentary about a schism that splits Papau New Guinea villagers apart, a flowing depiction of South Africa’s surfing dolphins, and a music video by Paul McCartney and filmmaker Jack McCoy premiere at the 2011 Wavescape Surf Film Festival, adding a unique variety to the 32nd Durban International Film Festival, which is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (principal funder) and runs from July 21 to ...
Paul Watson at Durban International Film Festival
Time Magazine called him one of the 20 environmental heroes of the 20th century. The Guardian mentioned him as one of 50 people who could save the planet. These are some of the numerous accolades bestowed on Paul Watson which also include honorary citizenships, environmental, animal rights and human rights awards.He has also been denied visas, banned in certain places, and arrested on numerous occasions for his provocative activism....
Great Line-up at the 32nd Durban International Film Festival
The 32nd Durban International Film Festival kicks off on 21 July with the World Premiere of the South African film Otelo Burning, directed by Sara Blecher. Set during the last days of apartheid, the Durban-shot film tells the story of a group of South African township youngsters who discover surfing as an empowering escape from the political violence of the times. There is drama, romance, rivalry, and tragedy in this c...
