South
Africa's largest and longest-running film festival, the Durban International
Film Festival, IS hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative
Arts, (a special project of the Deputy Vice Chancellor, College of Humanities,
Prof Cheryl Potgieter).
DIFF
presents its 35th edition from July 17 to 27, 2014. This year, the ten-day
celebration of world class cinema will see over 200 screenings of new films
from South Africa, the continent and the world, with a number of world premiere
screenings of local and international films.
Industry
initiatives include a programme of seminars and workshops with notable industry
figures from across the globe, the 7th Talents Durban, in cooperation with the
Berlin Talents (which seeks to incubate African talent through master classes
and networking opportunities), and the 5th Durban FilmMart coproduction market
in partnership with the Durban Film Office.
Thematically,
this edition of DIFF will reflect on South Africa’s 20 years of democracy with
a focus on film that explores the many diverse facets of the nation’s history
over the past two decades. Other focus areas for this year include African
cinema, British cinema, the Wildtalk Wildlife Film Festival, Wavescape Surf
Film Festival and a programme of cinema centred on architecture, in
acknowledgement of the city of Durban’s hosting of the International Union of Architects
Congress 2014.
Among
this year’s plentiful offerings, viewers will get the chance to watch Khalo
Matabane’s Nelson Mandela: The Myth and
Me, Richard Linklater’s Boyhood,
Mickey Dube’s One Humanity, Annalet
Steenkamp's I, Afrikaner, Carey
Mackenzie’s Cold Harbour, Diao
Yinan’s Black Coal, Thin Ice and Jane
Pollard and Iain Forsyth’s 20 000 Days on
Earth, to name just a few.
While
DIFF will returns once more to light up screens in numerous venues across the
city with a programme of fresh and exciting global cinema, the festival is
delighted to announce that the festival hub, which houses both screenings and
industry events, will now be located at the new, lavishly renovated Tsogo Sun
hotel on Durban beachfront’s Golden Mile.
Mike
Jackson, Director of Operations for Tsogo Sun KZN said, “Tsogo Sun, the leading
hotels, gaming and entertainment company in South Africa, is proud to be
associated with the forthcoming Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) and
the Durban Film Mart (DFM). This is the first time that Tsogo Sun has been
appointed the official event and accommodation partner for this prestigious
event and we are proud that our mega-complex – Southern Sun Elangeni &
Maharani – is the chosen venue. We see this as a fantastic opportunity to
showcase Durban to national and international film producers, buyers, sales
agents, broadcasters and film financiers, with great networking opportunities
for local talent. We look forward to welcoming both national and international
visitors to our Province to enjoy the warm hospitality at our hotels.”
Festival
manager, Peter Machen, is looking forward to the move, which is, according to
him, “both strategic and practical. Both the festival and market have grown
tremendously over the years and we needed to consider a venue that could
accommodate the size of our current set of programmes, as well as allow for
growth in line with future plans".
The
festival is a key event for the African film industry and is an unmissable date
on any film lover’s calendar. Keep an eye on durbanfilmfest.co.za for details
and screening schedules. Follow on Twitter @DIFFest or Facebook on
DurbanInternationalFilmFestival.
The 35th Durban International Film Festival
is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) with
support by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (principal funder),
National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic
Development and Tourism, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institut,
Industrial Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and
Culture, the KZN Film Commission and a range of other valued partners.
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