Discovering South Africa

Africa holds six documentary film festivals annually and its Durban International Film Festival is one of the biggest on the continent. It has also started hosting a Brics-focused film festival, the Rapidlion Film Festival, in Johannesburg.

“South Africa has breathtaking locations, studios and talent,” Mabaso said. “We want people to shoot films here. It’s also cheap.”

Nine provinces in South Africa have their own production facilities and Hollywood and other foreign companies have been taking advantage of that, making films in South Africa like

and Mabaso said films are also a tool to boost tourism. “As soon as you see a beautiful location in a film, you want to visit it.”but perhaps the best gain from the Second BRICS Film Festivals is bringing together people from different corners of the world and creating a bond of amity among them through five days of talking, eating and watching films together.

Zhang Pimin, Vice President of China Alliance of Radio, Film and Television, put it into words with touching simplicity when the baton of the BRICS Film Festival was handed over to South Africa which, as the next BRICS chair, will host the event in 2018.

“We are thousands of miles away and have different colors and cultures. But we are united under BRICS,” Zhang said. “Next year, the film festival will be held in South Africa. And we will continue our story of friendship.”