The 45th Durban International Film Festival: A celebration of resilience and cinematic expression<\/p>\n
A \u200bfestival with a legacy<\/p>\n
The 45th Durban\u2063 International Film Festival\u200b (DIFF) kicked off on a \u2062momentous \u200bnote, coinciding with Nelson Mandela\u200d Day, a \u200dday that honors\u2064 South Africa\u2019s first Black president and\u2063 freedom fighter. The festival\u2019s opening\u2064 ceremony \u200bwas a powerful reminder of the importance of personal liberties\u200d and the enduring vitality of cinema. Festival manager Andrea Voges \u200cemphasized the role of filmmakers in reflecting\u2062 society and envisioning a better world, stating, \u201cWe should never take our freedom and \u2063our right to freedom\u200d of artistic expression\u2064 for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n
A historical perspective<\/p>\n
Founded during the apartheid era,\u200b DIFF\u2062 has always \u200bbeen a beacon of resistance and resilience. Early \u2062editions of the festival saw mixed-race audiences risking arrest due to segregation \u200claws. This year\u2019s selection continues to \u2064reflect the ongoing struggles and resilience of South Africa, a country still navigating its path three decades into democratic rule. Voges noted, \u201cSouth Africans are a resilient people, and \u200cmany of the films in our program depict that\u200c resilience, not only conveying \u200dthe challenges\u200d we face as a society but \u2063also showing, optimistically, a path forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opening and closing films<\/p>\n
The festival opened with \u201cLegacy: The De-Colonized History of South\u200b Africa,\u201d a documentary by South African-born, U.S.-based actor\u200c and \u200dfilmmaker Tara Moore. The film delves into the legacy of apartheid and the persistent inequality in South Africa. \u200bThe\u200d closing film, \u201cThe Showerhead,\u201d \u2063directed\u2063 by Craig Tanner and produced \u2064by Anant Singh, is a documentary about\u2062 the \u200dlegendary political cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro, known as\u2064 Zapiro. His work\u200d has been at the forefront of \u200cpost-liberation South Africa\u2019s fight for justice.<\/p>\n
A global and local showcase<\/p>\n
DIFF\u2019s 45th edition features a diverse \u2062program that includes \u2063both local and international films. Highlights\u200b include Payal Kapadia\u2019s Cannes Grand Prix winner \u201cAll \u200cWe Imagine as Light,\u201d Mati Diop\u2019s\u200b Berlin Golden Bear\u2063 winner \u201cDahomey,\u201d Sandhya Suri\u2019s\u200c Un Certain Regard standout \u201cSantosh,\u201d and Mohammad Rasoulof\u2019s Cannes multi-award winner \u2062\u201cThe\u2062 Seed of the Sacred \u2064Fig.\u201d The festival also aims to \u2064create a space for emerging\u2063 filmmakers, particularly from underrepresented African countries, with films from Kenya, Mozambique, Madagascar, Somalia, and \u2064the Democratic Republic \u2063of Congo.<\/p>\n
Supporting local cinemas<\/p>\n
In response\u200c to the challenges \u200cfaced by \u2063South African cinemas, DIFF is \u2062introducing \u2064discounted ticket packages to attract audiences back to theaters. For \u200dthe first time, the festival \u2064will also \u2063partner with independent \u2062cinemas in Johannesburg and Cape Town to \u2062screen \u2064program highlights after the \u200dfestival \u200bwraps. Voges emphasized the\u200b importance of supporting both big chains and independent cinemas, stating, \u201cWhile we partner with\u2063 the big chains, it\u2019s\u2064 also a statement that we also support independent cinemas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Focus on emerging filmmakers<\/p>\n
This\u200d year\u2019s festival will see a stronger focus on Isiphetu, DIFF\u2019s industry program for\u2062 emerging filmmakers. Through a series\u200d of free workshops,\u200c Isiphetu offers training sessions not readily available to many aspiring filmmakers\u2062 in South Africa. Voges described Isiphetu as \u200ba \u201cstepping stone\u201d to the more established Durban FilmMart, ensuring that emerging filmmakers feel integrated into the\u2062 main festival\u200c program.<\/p>\n
A commitment\u200d to the \u2063community<\/p>\n
DIFF\u2019s long-running commitment to the local \u200ccommunity is evident in its series of screenings \u200cat venues across Durban, including in the city\u2019s poorer townships. Amid uncertain\u200d times \u2064in South Africa, the festival is renewing its commitment to its mandate, forged \u200cin\u2062 a\u200c daring series of screenings at \u200dthe historic\u200b Avalon\u200b Cinema more than\u200c four decades ago. Voges concluded, \u201cIt\u2019s important that Durban, this 45-year-old \u200binstitution, continues to exist,\u2062 despite all of the challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Durban International Film Festival runs from July 18 to \u200c28, offering a platform for cinematic\u200d expression\u2064 and a \u200bcelebration \u200cof resilience\u2063 and creativity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The 45th Durban Intl. Film Festival opened on Nelson Mandela Day, celebrating 30 years of democracy with a powerful lineup of films reflecting societal challenges and resilience. Highlights include “Legacy: The De-Colonized History of South Africa” and “The Showerhead.” #DIFF2023<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1160,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieetv.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieetv.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieetv.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieetv.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieetv.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/movieetv.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1158\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieetv.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieetv.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieetv.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieetv.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}