2018 marks the 100th anniversary
celebrations around the globe of President Nelson Mandela’s birthday, and the
Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) is honoured to present three films
that provide fascinating insights into one of the most celebrated statesmen to
have ever lived.
The DIFF, which is organised by the
University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts and takes place from July
19 to 29 and will feature Celebrating
Mandela One Hundred, An Act Of Defiance and The State Against Mandela and the Others.
Celebrating
Mandela One Hundred, is a documentary feature
produced and conceptualised by Anant Singh, and made with the support and
endorsement of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
The film traces Mandela’s life from his roots in the rural village of
Mveso, to becoming one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen. Celebrating Mandela One Hundred takes us
beyond the political and into the personal, and features exclusive interviews
with family members, close friends, comrades, politicians and international
celebrities, telling us the story of a man who became an international icon.
An
Act Of Defiance directed by Jean Van De Velde,
tells the story of Bram Fischer who managed to reconcile his white Afrikaner
roots with his desire for justice, joining the struggle against apartheid out
of principle. He defended Nelson Mandela and his comrades in the Rivonia Trial
of 1963 and 1964 – playing a crucial role in preventing the ANC-leaders being
sentenced to death – and was an underground guerrilla at the same time.
Linking in with this film The State Against Mandela and the Others
directed by Nicolas Champeaux, Gilles Porte, is a documentary based on recently
recovered archival recordings of the Rivonia Trial hearings. Although Mandela
took centre stage during the historic trial, there were nine others who, like
him, faced the death sentence and were subject to pitiless cross-examinations. The
film transports us back into the thick of the courtroom battles and attempts to
redress the historic balance by putting Mandela’s comrades centre stage. The State Against Mandela and the Others is
a reminder, says co-director Gilles Porte, “that all great things that happen
in this world are achieved collectively.”
For the full programme DIFF and more
information visit https://durbanfilmfest.co.za/images/DIFF2018/diff-2018-programme.pdf
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