Half of A Yellow Sun premiers at the Durban Film Festival
For 10 days from 17 – 27 July Durban is transformed into a celluloid jungle, teeming with film screenings at 9 wild venues around the city. You will find a menagerie of movie species – some rare and endangered, some easy to spot, some dangerous, some playful – and at the heart of this subtropical forest of film lies the new industry hub at the Elangeni Hotel. Directed by: Biyi Bandele Nigeria, United Kingdom 2013 106 min The highly anticipated film adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel of the same name is set against the difficulties of post-independence Nigeria and follows the fates of twins Olanna and Kainene. Educated in the West, the privileged sisters return to a Nigeria that is impatient to shake off all colonial influence. But an act of betrayal fractures the sisters’ relationship, a fracture that is soon mirrored by the outbreak of a bloody civil war. A timely film for a country once again facing dangerous religious divisions, Half of a Yellow Sun is a powerful portrayal of suffering on both a personal and national scale. For more information check out http://bit.ly/1mbBAQi...
WORLD PREMIERE OF “AFRICAN METROPOLIS” AT DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Filmmakers unite in the recognition of your fellow craftsman. This is the world premier of “African Metropolis”, brought to you in association with the Goethe Intitut this showcase focuses on talent honed through dedication, passion and perseverance. Read the full details after the jump… Project highlights directing talent in seven African nations with the presence of the filmmakers / producers. Film screenings, followed by Q&A: 20.07. / Musgrave Theatre / 17H00 21.07. /Blue Waters Hotel / 16H00 23.07. / Ohlange School Hall, Inanda / 16H00 Panel discussion: 21.07. / South Deck Room, 11th floor, Blue Waters Hotel / 09H00 Sundowner: 21.07. / Tsogo Sun Elangeni Hotel, Pooldeck / 18H00 This year’s Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) will host the premiere of the African Metropolis Short Film Project – seven short films from seven African directors shot in seven African cities. There will be Question and Answer sessions with directors and producers after the screenings on 20 and 21 July, as well as a panel discussion on 21 July. The African Metropolis Short Film Project is an initiative of the Goethe-Institut South Africa and South African executive producer Steven Markovitz, with support from Guaranty Trust Bank and the Hubert Bals Fund of International Film Festival Rotterdam. The short films are set in Lagos (Director: Folasakin Iwajomo), Abidjan (Philippe Lacôte), Kinshasa (Carole Maloba), Dakar (Marie KA), Johannesburg (Vincent Moloi), Cairo (Ahmed Ghoneimy) and Nairobi (Jim Chuchu). The filmmakers’ work shows the face of a modern and cosmopolitan Africa and challenges longstanding clichés about the continent. Peter Machen, Manager of DIFF, says: “We are delighted to host the world premiere of the African Metropolis Short Film Project, which explores and promotes young directing talent from different capitals of the continent. This idea fits perfectly with our own goal of highlighting the emerging African film industry. Click here: The Seven Films...
Durban International Film Festival
The Durban International Film Festival “entitled ‘LOVE FILM HATE XENOPHOBIA ‘ takes place this week from the 23 July to the 3 August – Durbanites make sure to get amongst, hook yourself up tickets for both Triomf and Jerusalema, two of this years ‘must see’ flieks. This year DIFF gathers together an expressive concentration of 71 South African films, comprising 10 feature films, 29 documentaries and 32 short films which indicate the steady growth of filmmaking in this country. Underscoring the broader African presence of a further 38 films from the continent will be the Ousmane Sembene Retrospective, a presentation of all the major works of the late, great father of African cinema. Principal screening venues of DIFF 2008 are Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre; Nu-Metro Cinecentre – Suncoast; Ster Kinekor Musgrave, Cinema Nouveau – Gateway; Ekhaya Multi-Arts Centre in KwaMashu; KwaSuka Theatre, and the BAT Centre, with further screenings in township areas where cinemas are non-existent, and a special programme of screenings at Luthuli Museum on the North Coast. Read more below, booking info at the bottom: Cinema in all its diversity will once again be celebrated at the 29 th Durban International Film Festival which runs from 23 July to 3 August. Featuring more than 200 films from more than 95 countries, spread over more than 300 screenings at 26 venues across the city, the festival will bring together established masters of cinema and innovative new talents from around the world. Alongside the presentation of the some of the year’s finest films, the festival will run an extensive workshop and seminar programme giving the regions aspirant filmmakers an opportunity to learn from and be inspired by some of cinema’s greats. Opening the festival is the African Premiere of Ralph Ziman’s Jerusalema, a gritty gangster thriller set on the harsh streets of Johannesburg . The festival will close with Mike Leigh’s uplifting new comedy, Happy-Go-Lucky . The festival will offer an exciting journey into the world of contemporary cinema with a range of feature films, documentaries and short films that will not only entertain, but enlighten and inspire. Festival director Peter Rorvik explains: “ The Durban International Film Festival opens a window on the world, provides access to many different cultures and provides a space in which the cinematic art form transcends national boundaries. The recent tragic events in South Africa give cause to highlight what has long been a central idea of the Durban International Film Festival: to create understanding and acceptance of different cultures through the medium of film. A special programme of films focuses on the issue of xenophobia, and some of its attendant roots such as...
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