The dates for 2011 have been announced and Durban will be buzzing!
Dairise 21 - 31 July 2011 for the 32nd Durban International Film Festival. More information to be released.
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The Durban International Film Festival is pleased to announce that the winner of the Best Feature Film of its 31 st edition is The White Meadows ( Iran ). Directed by
Mohammad Rasoulof, the film was lauded by the International Jury as a “timeless and poetic narrative.” “The film conjures up a landscape that is visually stunning and intriguing because it is both harsh and beautiful. It is an enigmatic and poignant political allegory and takes the viewers through a journey on life's ...
The last day has arrived with 5 films to catch! As The White Meadows won the best film and it was showing on the last day, it was definitely on my schedule. This white, salty landscape of Iran looks like a lunar landscape, but it actually exists and the performance seem so real. I would not have voted the film as the best, but it has its merits. My day kicked off with the doccie, Game of Death, which shows how powerful TV has become. I felt a little cheated as I put myself in the shoes of ...
Day 4 took me around the world and from cinema complex to cinema complex. I have never been in taxis so musch as today! I travelled to Slovenia, Switzerland, France, England and Georgia all in one day and thankfully all on screen. The quality of the films varied today. The day kicked off with the life of a prostitute in Slovenian Girl, followed to the very colourful world of Pepperminta and the bond she has with menstrual blood, than went to France for Wild Grass and one of the weirdest love a...
Day 3 of my Durban trip kicked off with a fire! As I walked out of my apartment block, I thought it was raining, just to see firemen, firetrucks, lots of bystanders and police as the building across the road was on fire. The journalist in me found it hard to just walk away, but I did just that although I couldn't resist to take some pictures. Everywhere I went during the day, I was asked whether I'm going to the Durban July on Saturday. The July is one of the world's top horse racing events. M...
Day 2 kicked off with rain and wind and yesterday was sunny and hot. I am not sure which I prefer... The day promised a lot and I didn't realise that the 3 films that I was about to see all had the same basic theme - acceptance. I caught Coming out of the nkuta, a film from Cameroon, at the Royal Hotel and was stunned at how prejudiced the society in Cameroon is. Homosexuality is still banned with "culprits" going to jail for five years. Apparantly, this country is even worse than mo...
I have arrived yesterday 28 July and what a day it was! Flying in from Johannesburg was memorable as I saw two South African singing sensations making out at the drop-off. They can be compared to Bollywood stars as they have just starred in a local film together called Jakhalsdans where they fell in love on the set! It was something to behold to see thse two kissing as they would have been arrested in places like Dubai. The flight down - just under 50 mins - was routine and then Durban hit me...
Now that everybody knows why I like film festivals, this is my programme for Durban. As the city is so big and the venues far apart, I have to close my eyes and miss some excellent films such as Baaria, The Concert, Lebanon, Loose cannons, Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll and A woman, gun and noodle shop. Luckily Baaria, The concert and A woman, gun and noodle shop will be released on the SA art film circuit soon.
The films in Durban cover a huge array with themes such as Ecolens, Wavescap...
Hello out there!
This is my first entry for my trip to the 31st Durban International Film Festival. The festival kicks off with the world premiere of the SA film, State of Violence, on Thursday 22 July. I'll be in Durban from 28 July till the end of the festival on 1 August. More about my programme and what's to offer at DIFF in my next blog entry. First I have to thank the organisers for allowing me, a small-town journo, to travel to their city and attend their esteemed event. This wil...
