The Durban International Film Festival (Diff) started off as an exercise by some serious film buffs to bring good films to bored audiences. In the late 1970s the South African film circuit was heavily censored and Diff showed the international films that didn’t make it on to circuit.
Slowly they grew a loyal audience and by the late 1990s the festival started growing its African focus, eventually taking over from the Apollo Film Festival as the place to see South African films.
This year the 34th festival runs from July 19 to 29 and 12 of the 72 features on offer are South African, while 16 of the 48 documentaries are also from here.
More importantly though, Diff has become much more industry orientated over time – now identified by producers and distributors as the place to source South African films.
Diff manager Peter Machen (pictured) says the importance of Diff in the global film festival context really hit home earlier this year as he attended various festivals.
He is constantly surprised by which territories pick up what films. For example, he met an agent for a Swedish film festival who explained that SA comedy trans- lates well for Swedish audiences.
“So, there is a space for moving our films beyond our borders,” Machen said.
The FilmMart component of the festival started in 2010 as a programme to put potential producers and financiers in touch with filmmakers, and it has now grown to encompass three strands – The Finance Forum, the Master Classes and Africa in Focus Seminars.
The Master Classes and networking sessions are open to delegates only but there are some lectures open to the public at the Blue Waters Hotel (check www.dfm.com for details).
Talent Campus – now in its sixth year – has grown from workshops for first-time filmmakers to include 40 filmmakers selected from 18 African countries who take part in masterclasses, workshops and industry networking opportunities.
Talent Campus also has three strands – Doc Station focuses on documentary making; Talent Press is dedicated to film criticism while Script Station fosters story development.
Then there’s Wavescapes Surf Film Festival which opens a free outdoor screening at the Bay of Plenty Lawns on Sunday, July 21 before moving to Ster Kinekor Musgrave from July 22 to 26.
This year 13 features and five shorts will take us around the world to experience the surf lifestyle as well as shark stories.
This year Durban Wild Talk Africa runs at the same time as Diff. This natural history film festival and conference takes place at the Docklands Hotel from July 23 to 26. Nine natural history films from across the globe will also be screened as part of Diff, incl- uding Craig Foster and Swati Thiyagarajan’s The Animal Communicator; Richard Matthews and Brad Bestelink’s A Wild Dog’s Tale; and Lloyd Ross’ 2 Wings Many Prayers.
Only two of the 12 South African films which will play at this year’s Durban International Film Festival have been picked up for a local circuit release. Of course, that will change after the festival once distributors have had a chance to check out the goods – but for now it’s pretty good news.
Between now and the end of the year 14 other South African films are already scheduled for local circuit release. Add the 10 that have already released, and we’re having a really great year.
The South African films playing at this year’s Durban International Film Festival are:
• Of Good Report (Jahmil X Qubeka): The opening night film is the kind of disturbing drama that plays well at film festivals, but probably won’t get a huge circuit release.
• Laya Fourie (directed by South African-born, Berlin-based Pia Marais): This film premiered at the Berlinale. The film is set in Joburg and features Rayna Campbell as a single mother who starts working as the operator of a polygraphist or lie-detector. It’s not been picked up for local release yet.
• African Gothic (directed by Gabriel Bologna): Based on Reza de Wet’s Diepe Grond, this feature stars Joburg born actors, but was mostly shot outside of the country. And in English. Yes, it’s got a Hollywood crew, but the screenplay was written by Joburg-born Damon Shalit who plays the menacing Frikkie. Chella Ferrow, who plays his sister Sussie, also grew up in Joburg and studied psychology through Wits and Unisa before moving to London to do a post-graduate in acting and then on to New York.
• The Forgotten Kingdom (directed by Andrew Mudge): This feature premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival (where Fanie Fourie won the audience award.) It’s won the audience narrative award at the Ashland Independent Film Festival as well as the audience award at the Sarasota Film Festival and the Florida Film Festival.
• Felix! (directed by Roberta Durrant): Written by Shirley Johnson who is the head writer on the TV series Montana, this was shot in Cape Town by a mostly female production crew. It opens on the local circuit on September 13.
• The Good Man (directed by Phil Harrison): This is a collaboration between Irish filmmakers and local filmmakers, though South Africa doesn’t actually have an official collaboration treaty with the country. The storyline entwines the lives of an Irish banker and a South African teenager living in a Cape Town township.
• Everyman’s Taxi (directed by Ian Roberts): This one has been sitting on the shelf since 2009.
• Durban Poison (directed by Andrew Worsedale): This is Worsedale’s second feature film, shot more than 25 years after his critically acclaimed Shot Down. It’s a noir romance set among the marginalised white underclass.
• Khumba (directed by Anthony Silverston): Local animation production company, Triggerfish Animation, are on a roll. This animated film features a half-striped zebra on a quest to earn his stripes, set for local circuit release on October 25.
• Blood Tokoloshe (directed by Jordan Harland): This B-grade horror has been a while in the making, but we’re talking a very independent bunch who financed the film through crowd-sourcing and will release straight to dvd. The name says it all.
• Angel of the Sky (directed by Christopher-Lee dos Santos): A documentary which looks at the role of South African pilots in WWII.
• Actorholic (directed by Oliver Rodger): This comedy comes from the crew who brought us I Now Pronounce You Black and White and Copposites and goes for a fake reality TV show feel.