The 39th Durban International Film Festival Awards took place on Saturday followed by the closing film, Rafiki, directed by Wanuri Kahiu, with the last few movies officially closing the festival on Sunday.
Here's a list of the winner in the various categories.
A total of seventeen awards were given out at the ceremony :
Best Feature Film -
directed by Muayad Alayan, and produced by Muayad Alayan, Rami Alayan, Hans de Wolf, Hanneke Niens, Rebekka Garrido, Rodrigo Iturralde, Georgina Gonzalez, Alejandro Duran, which received a cash prize of R50 000.
Best South African Feature Film - High Fantasy directed by Jenna Bass produced by David Horler and Steven Markovitz which received a cash prize of R25000.
Best Documentary -
produced and directed by Philippa Ndisi-Hermann which received a cash prize of R25000.
Best South African Documentary -
directed by Karin Slater and produced by Ronit Shapiro which received a cash prize of R25000.
Best Direction - Constantin Popescu for Pororoca
Best Cinematography - Liviu Marghidan for Pororoca
Best Screenplay – Jennifer Fox for
Best Actor –
for his role as Tudor in Pororoca directed by Constantin Popescu
Best Actress – Maisa Abd Elhadi for her role as Bisan in The Reports on Sarah and Saleem
Best Editing – Anne Fabini, Alex Hall and Gary Level for The Tale
Artistic Bravery -
directed by Jenna Bass awarded by the South African Film and Publications Board.
Best South African Short Film – Stillborn directed by Jahmil X. T. Qubeka and produced by Huanxi Media Group, Xstream Pictures, Yellowbone Entertainment. The film received a cash prize of R20 000 sponsored by the Gauteng Film Commission.
Best African Short Film – Aya directed by Moufida Fedhila and produced by Appel d’Air Films. The film also received a cash prize of R20000 sponsored by the Gauteng Film Commission.
Best Short Film awarded by the Gauteng Film Commission- The Patience of Water (La Paciencia Del Agua) directed by Guillem Almirall, receiving a cash prize of R20000.
Audience Choice Award - The State Against Mandela and the Others directed by Nicolas Champeaux and Gilles Porte, which received a cash prize of R25000.
Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award – Silas directed by Anjali Nayar and Hawa Essuman produced by Appian Way, Big World Cinema (South Africa) and Ink & Pepper Productions
Best Wavescape Film - Heavy Water directed by Michael Oblowitz
The DIFF has recently been included as a Documentary Feature Qualifying festival by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which means that both the winners of the Best Documentary, New Moon and Best SA Documentary Sisters of the Wilderness, will now automatically qualify for consideration for an Oscar nomination.