Vanessa McMahon

Dian Weys is a South African filmmaker. He is the writer/director of three short films which have screened at over seventy film festivals, including Clermont-Ferrand, Tampere, ZINEBI Bilbao, Palm Springs ShortFest and the Carthage Film Festival, where he won the Silver Tanit for Best Short Film. Apart from working on his next short film, he is currently a joint-PhD student in film studies at the University of Groningen and Stellenbosch University. His short film “Bergie” screened at the 2023 Palm Springs Shortfest. And has recently been selected to screen at the Oscar Qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

Your background is in law. How has law helped your filmmaking career?

DIAN: I situate my short films in the tradition of social realism and focus on the aftereffects of violence, so I like to think that my background in law has helped me to be more sensitive towards issues of injustice as well as those complexities that lead to injustice. I also do research and field work for all my short films. For instance, I’ve gone on ride-alongs with paramedics, interviewed people who have cleaned murder scenes and spoke to people that live on the street. When you study law, you learn how to do research, build an argument, and methodologically approach complex situations from different perspectives. So I hope that it has somehow translated into my approach as a filmmaker!

You studied film at the University of Cape Town. Can you tell us about being a filmmaker in SA?

DIAN: South Africa actually has one of the oldest film industries in the world. The first film was shot in 1895, early projection devices were issued in Johannesburg in 1886 and the first film studio was built in 1915. For various reasons, our film industry did obviously not grow at the same pace as others in the 20^th century, especially due to the Apartheid government’s influence and censorship laws that determined what was made and by whom. After the end of Apartheid, however, there was a real boom in film production and our output has steadily increased over the years. To be a filmmaker, however, is still a big challenge since our funding options are very limited. The upside, however, is that we become very creative in finding solutions. That’s why I think we have some of the best film crews in the world, because we cannot throw money at our problems. We have to make a plan.  

South Africa has become a real epicenter for filmmaking and locations, especially because of Cape Town Studios. Can you tell us a little about the SA film industry?

DIAN: Yes, apart from our great local productions, South Africa has become an amazing film location for international productions as well. During the 2022/23 financial year, for instance, the City of Cape Town issued 3,900 film permits for feature films, commercials, TV series, documentaries, shorts and music videos. That’s really a lot for us. We have great facilities and world-class talent and crew. Apart from our studios, we also have amazing exterior locations, since South Africa is, in a way, many countries rolled into one: from pristine beaches, beautiful wine farms, rolling hills and gigantic mountains, to desolate flatlands, dry savannahs, towering buildings and sprawling cityscapes. And we have great weather! 

Your first film "Versnel" screened at fifteen film festivals, including five Oscar Qualifying® festivals. Can you tell us about that experience?

DIAN: The film festival journey of “Versnel” was a real eye-opener. I guess most first-time filmmakers have unrealistic expectations when it comes to festivals, but I thought I had a pretty decent short film on my hands, yet I still got a lot of rejections and I really questioned my ability as a filmmaker. But you start to realise the scale of the competition and that you really have to up your game. In the end, “Versnel” had a pretty good festival run and I learned a lot. The first film festival I attended was the Brussels Short Film Festival and it was quite nerve-wracking! It was the first time that I screened my film to a foreign audience and had to answer questions afterwards. But you get better at it every time and, in attending these festivals, you not only learn how to talk about your film, but you also get to know yourself as a filmmaker.

Can you tell us about your second film "Plaashuis"?

DIAN: Even though my first short film did relatively well and won a few local prizes, I struggled to get funding for my second short film. The topic was also about farm murders and therefore very controversial, even though my aim was to take a different approach to the topic. Then COVID happened and everything came to a standstill. I thought that, well, if I’m really going to give this filmmaking thing a go, I have to try and make another short no matter what. So, we tried crowdfunding, which was very challenging and a lot of hard work. Yet we managed to raise our budget and therefore made the short film on our own terms. It still remains my favourite experience on a film set – it was intimate, personal and very delicate, and therefore truly special.

Your most recent film is “Bergie” , your third short film. Can you tell us what inspired you to make this story?

DIAN: Three elements lead to “Bergie’s” conception. I live in Cape Town where it is a very common sight to see people sleeping on sidewalks. I heard a story about a person who was homeless that died, but people thought he was sleeping. I wondered how long it took people to realise that the person was actually dead. Secondly, there are a lot of unhoused people living close to my apartment and I sometimes see how law enforcement wake them up and remove them, while other times activists try to block their removal by serving court papers. The scenes taking place behind our apartment are usually quite dramatic. The third element that triggered “Bergie” is the 5km fun-run that takes place every Saturday morning in the same area. Just after the start of the race, we would pass underneath a bridge where a lot of unhoused people would be sleeping and, in the process, our running and stomping would wake them up. While running one of the races, these three elements clicked together as I thought that one of the ways in which you would realise an unhoused person has died, is, unfortunately, when they are in your way. And usually, law enforcement deals with such a situation, not us. I therefore wrote the script with this location in mind, close to my apartment, where these different events take place.

The actors are incredible. Were they experienced or people you found? 

DIAN: I was very lucky to work with all these incredible actors. They are all professional and actually some of the best actors working in South Africa today. I knew most of them personally beforehand, so I wrote the roles with each in mind. However, I didn’t assume that they would automatically agree to be in the film, so I sent them the script and explained my approach. Our budget was also extremely tight. But luckily, they all agreed to be a part of the short film and it was a wonderful experience. 

You recently screened the film in the short film at the PS Shortfest. How did audiences react?

DIAN: I had an amazing time at ShortFest. I wasn’t sure how an American audience would react to the film’s rigid style and its refusal to provide any closure. But I was quite surprised afterwards, because the response was fantastic and the Q&A really great. 

You've won awards at various international film festivals. Can you tell us about those?

DIAN: “Bergie” won second prize at Carthage Film Festival in Tunis, but the entire festival experience was incredible. It’s a gigantic event and extremely well attended by a very intelligent and passionate audience. The prize was simply the cherry on the cake. We also won prizes at two Italian film festivals, and our lead actor, Oscar Petersen, won the Golden Interpretation at the Basta Fest in Serbia. 

Will you move into making feature films? What will you be working on next? 

DIAN: I’m currently finalising a script on a new short film, which we are holding thumbs to secure international funding for. It will be the biggest and perhaps most complicated short film yet, but I’m quite excited. I really love the short film format and, while I have a few more ideas, I definitely want to make a feature film. I already have a feature-length script that is inspired by my first short film, but it’s still in very early stages. The only thing more difficult in making your first feature film is making your second, so I really want to make sure that the script is perfect! And short films are such a great way to learn and develop your filmmaking style, as well as figuring out what you want to say. So, let’s see what happens.

From "Bergie"

From "Bergie"

From "Bergie"

From "Plaashuis"

From "Versnel"

Interview by Vanessa McMahon