The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) returns to Suncoast CineCentre after a three-year hiatus.
Presented by the University of KwaZulu Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts, the festival will showcase 90 films from 54 countries from July 20 to July 30.
Some of these incredible films have the opportunity to compete in the 2023 competition. Films will compete for titles such as Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best Performer and Best Cinematography. As a bonus, the the film that wins the Best Documentary Award will qualify for the Oscars.
This year films produced by filmmakers from 15 countries will compete for these awards. The festival’s jury is drawn from eight countries and a total sum of R250 000 in awards is up for grabs across the various competition categories.
The nine feature films that will compete are:
“Joram” by Devashish Makhija (India).
“Omen” by Baloji (Belgium, Netherlands, The Democratic Republic Of The Congo, France, South Africa).
“Riceboy Sleeps” by Anthony Shim (Canada).
“Runs In The Family” by Ian Gabriel (South Africa).
“Sira” by Apolline Traoré (Burkina Faso). This film has also been selected as the festival’s opening night film.
“Banel & Adama” by Ramata-Toulaye Sy (France, Senegal, Mali). This film has also been selected to close the film festival.
“Slow” by Marija Kavtaradze (Lithuania).
“The Burdened” by Amr Gamal (Yemen).
“Totem” by Lila Avilés (Mexico).
The winners will be selected by an international jury comprising of Jean Marie Teno, Lisa Aziz and Lesedi Moche.
South African and African features that have been officially selected for this year’s programme will all be eligible for the Best South African Feature and Best African Feature awards categories.
Award winners will be announced on Saturday, July 29.