10 short films to sink your teeth into during the Durban International Film Festival

’Al-Sit’. Picture:Supplied

’Al-Sit’. Picture:Supplied

Published Jul 22, 2021

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If time is your enemy but you still want to be apart of the 42nd Durban International Film Festival, then why not check out some of this year’s short films on offer.

Although under-rated, short films are a powerful medium for expression and contribute significantly to the film business.

Here are IOL Entertainment’s top 10 picks for you to sink your teeth.

“Five Tiger” - 11 minutes

“Five Tiger”. Picture: Supplied

Directed by Nomawonga Khumalo, “Five Tiger” tells the story of a god-fearing woman who finds herself in a transactional relationship as she tries to support her sick husband and daughter.

“Baptism” - 20 minutes

“Baptism”. Picture: Supplied

Written and directed by Yu Zhang, a retired policeman finally finds Bingyuan, the murderer of his daughter.

What he doesn’t expect is that Bingyuan is now the priest of a church and the father of an orphaned girl. Facing the priest’s redemption, the policeman falls into struggle.

A Guide to Dining out in Nairobi” - 11 minutes

“Guide to Dining out in Nairobi”. Picture: Supplied

A Kenyan film directed by American director, Hugh Mitton, in which a security guard gets a 10 dollar tip from his wealthy boss, and we follow his journey in how far he can make it go.

Al-Sit” - 20 minutes

“Al-Sit”. Picture: Supplied

A story about women – both powerless and powerful – in the cotton-farming village in Sudan. Directed by Suzannah Mirghani

“Lizard” - 18 minutes

Director Akinola Davies Jr from the UK tells a story on actual events about an 8-year old girl who gets ejected from Sunday school services.

“Belia” - 10 minutes

“Belia” Picture: Supplied

Director Eman Hussein tells the story about how a young woman and her friends join a car repair shop as apprentices to learn the craft from the craft headmasters.

They explore what this relationship creates as it merges labour with everyday life rhythms to open a new space for movement.

Ala Kachuu (Take and Run)” - 38 minutes

Writer and director Maria Brendle focuses her story on 19-year-old Sezim who gets kidnapped by a group of men.

There she is forced to marry a stranger. If she refuses the marriage, she is threatened with social stigmatisation and exclusion.

Colorful” - 9 minutes

Jae hyeon Cha and Byeong Hyeon Hwang direct this animation about a boy who wants to become an inventor. He loves to invent various toys for his old dog named Norman.

One day he finds out that dogs are colour-blind. “Colorful” tells the story of a science-lover boy who decides to invent special glasses to present colours to his dog.

“Feeling Through” - 18 minutes

Doug Roland directs this Academy Award nominated film starring a deaf and blind actor.

This coming of age story follows Tereek, a teen wandering the streets of New York and desperate for a place to crash, when he encounters Artie, a deaf and blind man in need of help getting home.

From an awkward meeting between strangers emerges an intimate bond, and a journey that forever changes Tereek.

“Pandemic Diaries: A New Beginning” - 44 minutes

“Pandemic Diaries: A New Beginning“. Picture: Supplied

Producer and director Katerina Giannakopoulou takes a dive into the current pandemic world we live in.

During the first wave of the pandemic and the subsequent worldwide lockdown, 24 Greeks from around the globe were asked to record their activities, share their experience and reveal how they coped during the quarantine.

Some of them even got sick and describe their moments of fear and agony in the dark, before coming out into the light.

This documentary takes us to Bali, Barcelona, Berlin, Bogota, Bombay, Brussels, Dresden, Firenze, Glasgow, Jerusalem, London, Melbourne, Milan, Monza, Moscow, Mumbai, New York, Paris, Rome, Singapore, Singapore, Stockholm and Tilburg.

For the full Durban International Film Festival short film menu click here

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