South African film “Stam’ (The Tree) has been selected to compete in the 18th annual Tofifest International Film Festival which will be held in Toruń, Poland.
The film recently won the award for Best South African Film at the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).
The festival is set to take place from Saturday, October 17, till Sunday, October 25.
The film was released in South Africa on Friday, October 2, and is currently available on DStv’s BoxOffice.
Written and directed by Louw Venter the “Stam” follows the interlinked lives of five vastly different characters over the course of a few hours in Cape Town and explores a range of connections and relationships that go far beyond familiarity, economics, gender, race or social standing.
The city too, with its particular brand of tribalism, decay, magic, gentrification, globalisation and regeneration, plays a central role in the film.
Festival director Kafka Jaworska singled out the film as one of the 11 hottest productions from among over a thousand submissions to compete for the main prize of the festival.
Tofifest will be different this year as the qualifying films will not only be available to viewers visiting Toruń in person, but also to those opting to watch them online.
People from all over the world are invited to participate in Q&As with the filmmakers, which will follow the screening of the films.
“This is not an easy year for cinema, and we are absolutely thrilled that ‘Stam’ is one of the films that has been selected for this prestigious festival,”says Venter.
He adds: “This is an exciting moment for this unpredictable, uniquely Afrikaans film and we are honoured to be part of a programme that is focusing on compelling content from all around the world.”
“Stam” features a strong ensemble cast, led by Inge Beckmann, Gideon Lombard, Tarryn Wyngaard and Niza Jay.
Watch the trailer below: