Who’s who of SA film mingle at festival
THERE were some big names at the opening of the 37th Durban International Film Festival on Thursday night.
The festival opened at the Durban Playhouse with the documentary, The Journeymen, a documentary featuring a trio of photographers – Wikus de Wet, Sipho Mpongo and Sean Metelerkamp – who travelled around the country in 2014, as the country celebrated 20 years of democracy, creating a snapshot of race relations.
Jolynn Minnaar, producer of The Journeymen, said, “It’s a fantastic opportunity for a documentary to be selected to open.
“We rarely see documentaries get this kind of attention at festivals, and secondly it’s really exciting to have new films coming to the fore… This documentary is about engaging with South Africans and putting our finger on the pulse of what’s happening in our country.”
David Maahlamela, the newly appointed director of the University of KwaZuluNatal’s Centre for Creative Arts which manages the festival, addressed the the controversy over film selection which made headlines recently, saying the rumpus had been born “out of love”.
“They argued because they wanted the best for the film festival,” said Maahlamela.
Among those at the opening were TV personality Lalla Hirayama, comedian Kagiso Lediga and actors Kajal Bagwandeen, Hlubi Mboya and Flavia Motsisi.