African flicks star in film fest
HE 33rd Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which begins in just more than two weeks’ time, looks set to embrace African film more closely this year if a media launch earlier this week is anything to go by.
The launch, which was held at The Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, was attended by dignitaries and representatives from the film industry, as well as other organisations involved with the programme.
The full line-up was released at the event, with selected trailers revealed and highlights of the event discussed.
Showcasing an array of films from different genres, the festival takes place from July 19 to 29 with more than 290 screenings in 10 venues across the city.
Comprising 80 feature films, 40 documentaries and 45 short films, the DIFF also aims to share and broaden knowledge and skills between industry experts.
With a huge focus on the African film industry, a total of 66 South African films will make up this year’s programme. These will include 16 South African feature films – the highest number of movies to be screened in comparison to previous years – 19 documentaries, 27 short films and four films in the Wavescape section, with most of them being world
Tpremieres.
The opening film is Elelwani, with the concluding movie being Adventures in Zambezia, a 3D animation offering.
The DIFF has grown exponentially over the years, with the core focus being to commemorate and honour cinema and everything the world of film has to offer.
This week’s launch also demonstrated a 40-minute clip comprising trailers of each movie that will screen at the festival.
The movies are diverse, depicting different cultures and their subjects’ way of life.
The trailers touched on issues such as wildlife poaching, HIV/Aids and abuse. Each movie demonstrated a level of depth on