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Special Focus on UK Film at the 35th Durban International Film Festival

Special Focus on UK Film at the 35th Durban International Film Festival

This year’s edition of the 35th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) sees a special focus on British Cinema,supported by the British Council and its Connect ZA programme. The focus is part of the SA-UK Season cultural programme taking place over 2014 and 2015.

In partnership with  this season, DIFF presents a diverse snapshot of contemporary British cinema. Comedy offering Gone Too Far! presents a nuanced look at race in contemporary Britain, with filmmakers Bolo Agabaje and Destiny Ekharaga in attendance, while the compelling drama Lilting tells the story of the triangular relationship between two gay men and one of their mothers. ’71 which is set in Belfast at the beginning of The Troubles and the highly endearing Frank, chronicles the misadventures of a band of outsider musicians, while other features include How I Live Now, a post-apocalyptic tale set in rural England in the wake of a nuclear bomb,  The Selfish Giant, a Dickensian tale of two working class boys who live on the knife’s edge of poverty and adolescence, and  Only Lovers Left Alive,  the UK-produced downbeat vampire masterpiece from Jim Jarmusch.

British documentaries include InRealLife, which explores our relationship with the internet and social networking technology, the real-life heist drama Smash and Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers,
20 000 Days on Earth, which documents a fictitious day in the life of much-loved musician Nick Cave, Coach Zoran and His African Tigers which tells of the birth of the South Sudanese national soccer team, and the UK/SA co-production One Humanity, which documents the global anti-apartheid movement from the perspective of the two tribute concerts to Nelson Mandela that took place in London in 1988 and 1990. The DIFF UK Focus will include free public screenings of British films, preceded by a programme of short films from young South African  directors presented by the National Film and Video Foundation in partnership with Connect ZA. These screenings will take place on Friday 18 July, Saturday 19 July, Friday 25 July and Saturday 26 July on the Bay of Plenty lawns on Durban’s Marine Parade. Audience members from under-served communities  around Durban will be bussed in for the screenings

Said Festival Manager, Peter Machen, "The collaboration between the British Council, the NFVF and the Durban International Film Festival for DIFF 2014 will help the festival to expand its festival base, attract diverse new audiences. The beach screenings at the Bay of Plenty will help to make the festival more inclusive by increasing the number of free screenings offered to the public. Set against the gorgeous backdrop of Durban's beachfront, the event will also do much to infuse the festival with the spirit of freedom and the sharing of culture"

The Durban International Film Festival takes place from 17 – 27 July 2014. The festival includes more than 200 theatrical screenings and a full seminar and workshop programme, as well as the Wavescape Film Festival, the Wild Talk Africa Film Festival, and various industry initiatives, including the 7th Talents Durban (in cooperation with Talents Berlinale ) and  the 5th Durban FilmMart co-production market (in partnership with the Durban Film Office).  For more information go to www.durbanfilmfest.co.za

The UK Focus is supported by the British Council, while the beach screenings form part of the British Council’s Connect ZA programme, and are presented in conjunction with the National Film and Video Foundation.

The 35th Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (a special project of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the College of Humanities, Professor Cheryl Potgieter) with support from the National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development & Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institut, Industrial Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture and range of other valued partners.

 

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Sharlene Versfeld

Mobile: +27 (0) 83 326 3235

Tel: +27 (0) 31 811 5628

Post: P O Box 30547, Mayville, 4058

Email: sharlene@versfeld.co.za

Twitter: sharlvers

Website: www.versfeld.co.za

Full programme announced for 35th Durban International Film Festival 17-27 JULY 2013

35th DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 17-27 JULY 2013

2014 sees the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) return for its 35th year to celebrate the wonder and diversity of global cinema. From 17 to 27 July, Durban will be lit by the glow of the silver screen, with over 250 screenings in 9 venues across the city. Alongside this smorgasbord of the best of contemporary cinema from around the planet, including 69 feature films, 60 documentaries, 57 short films and 19 surf films, the festival offers a comprehensive workshop and seminar programme that facilitates the sharing of knowledge and skills by film industry experts. 

This year's diverse line-up of world-class cinema includes a key focus on 20 years of freedom and democracy in South Africa, as well as a snapshot of contemporary British film and various focus areas. DIFF 2014 includes a generous selection of feature films, cutting edge documentaries, eight packages of short films and a selection of thrilling surf films in the Wavescape Film Festival. This year also sees the return of Durban Wild Talk Africa, which includes a selection of the best environmentally themed films from around the world, as well as the second edition of ‘The Films That Made Me’, in which an acclaimed director introduces five films that have been important to their growth as a filmmaker . 

New Festival Hub
While DIFF will return 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 Elangeni hotel on Durban beachfront’s Golden Mile. 

South African Focus
The ever-expanding African film industry will once more be represented at DIFF 2014, although South African film retains its key focus, with 40 feature-length films and 38 short films – most of them receiving their world premieres on Durban screens, and collectively representing by far the largest number of South African films in DIFF’s history.


This year’s opening night film see the world premiere of Hard to Get, the electrifying feature debut from South African filmmaker Zee Ntuli, who has already received critical acclaim for his short films. The story of the mercurial relationship between a handsome young womaniser and a beautiful, reckless petty criminal, Hard to Get is fuelled by a bewitching visual poetry. Other high-profile South African films being showcased include the engaging thriller Cold Harbour, Between Friends, which recounts a reunion between old varsity friends, Hear Me Move, a locally flavoured dance movie, and Love the One you Love, which explores a constellation of relationships between young South Africans.

Then there’s the Tyler Perry-flavoured Two Choices, The Two of Us which tells of a relationship between two siblings, and Icehorse, a surreal mystery drama set in the Netherlands from South African director Elan Gamaker. Young Ones is a dystopian down-beat sci-fi flick directed by Jake Paltrow, produced by Spier Films and shot in South Africa, while the French/South African co-production Zulu explores the unhealed wounds of the new South Africa. Finally, DIFF is very proud to present the 1978 film Joe Bullet, the first work to benefit from the Gravel Road legacy project, which aims to restore films lost in the dusty archives of apartheid.

African Focus
The rich programme of films from elsewhere on the continent includes a number of artistically and politically brave directorial voices that are unafraid to experiment with form or content. The bewitching and high experimental Bloody Beans recounts the Algerian revolution using a band of young children as its medium of expression, while the utterly charming and super-low-budget Beti and Amare is an Ethiopian vampire film with a difference. 

DIFF 2014 also acknowledges the political reality of contemporary Africa with films such as Timbuktu from Malian master Abderrahmane Sissako, which recounts Timbuktu’s brief occupation by militant Islamic rebels. The mockumentary hybrid They Are the Dogs is set in Morocco in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, while the engagingly authentic semi-autographical film Die Welt is set in Tunisia shortly after the recent Jasmine Revolution. Imbabazi: The Pardon explores the possibilities of reconciliation in the wake of the Rwandan genocide, and Difret examines the potentially destructive role of patriarchal traditions in contemporary Ethiopia.

Set in Tanzania, the disturbing but visually powerful White Shadow tells the story of a young albino boy named Alias who is targeted for body parts by muti traders. Veve, the latest film from the producers of the award-winning crime drama Nairobi Half Life, documents the double-crossing lives of those trading in khat or ‘veve’, a mildly narcotic local crop. From Moroccan director Abdellah Taia comes Salvation Army, which tells of a young Arab man grappling with notions of family and sexuality. Then there is the highly anticipated film adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun, set against the difficulties of post-independence Nigeria.

Coz Ov Moni II: FOKN Revenge, billed as ‘the world’s second first pidgin musical’ is a Ghanaian hop-hop opera from rap duo the FOKN Bois, while B for Boy tells the story of how a Nigerian woman’s life is corrupted by the forces of patriarchy and tradition.

SPECIAL FOCUS: 20 Years of Freedom and Democracy
2014 is the 20th anniversary of the advent of a free and non-racial democracy in South Africa. This year’s programme includes a generous spread of documentaries, both from home and abroad, which celebrates, explores and interrogates the progress that South Africa has made as a country over the last two decades. The 20 Years of Freedom and Democracy programme features an expanded South African documentary programme in response to the large number of high quality doccies currently being produced in the country. 
The result is a rich and diverse slate of films, including Khalo Matabane’s Nelson Mandela: The Myth and Me and Miners Shot Down, Rehad Desai’s devastating account of Marikana. They are joined by many other films that chronicle lesser known but no less significant stories behind the end of apartheid and the rebirth of South Africa into a new country. 

The full selection of the 20 Years of Freedom and Democracy programme are 1994 The Bloody Miracle,  Concerning Violence, Fatherland, Freedom Mixtape (1994-2014), Future Sounds Of Mzansi, Gangster Backstage, I,Afrikaner, Letters To Zohra, Miners Shot Down, My Hood, Nelson Mandela: The Myth & Me, One Humanity , The Other Man, Plot For Peace, Rainbow Makers: Tribute To The Frontline States, Shield And Spear, A Snake Gives Birth To A Snake, Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs And The New South Africa and Word Down The Line.

UK Focus
This year’s UK focus is part a UK-South African cultural season taking place over the next two years. In recognition of this season, DIFF presents a diverse snapshot of contemporary British cinema – including the strangely compelling Lilting which tells the story of the triangular relationship between two gay men and one of their mothers, ’71 which is set in Belfast at the beginning of The Troubles and the highly endearing Frank, which chronicles the misadventures of a band of outsider musicians.

How I Live Now is a post-apocalyptic tale set in rural England in the wake of a nuclear bomb. The Selfish Giant is a Dickensian tale of two working class boys who live on the knife’s edge of poverty and adolescence. Gone Too Far offers a nuanced look at race in contemporary Britain, while Only Lovers Left Alive is the UK-produced downbeat vampire masterpiece from Jim Jarmusch.
British Documentaries include InRealLife, which explores our relationship with the internet and social networking technology, the real-life heist drama Smash and Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers, 20 000 Days On Earth, which documents a fictitious day in the life of much-loved musician Nick Cave, Coach Zoran And His African Tigers which tells of the birth of the South Sudan national soccer team, and the UK/SA coproduction One Humanity, which documents the global anti-apartheid movement from the perspective of the two tribute concerts to Nelson Mandela that took place in London in 1988 and 1990.

In addition to this focus area in DIFF’s programing, the DIFF UK Focus also includes free public screenings of British films, preceded by a programme of short films from South African filmmakers, courtesy of the South African National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF). These screenings will take place on Friday 18 July, Saturday 19 July, Friday 25 July and Saturday 26 July.

The UK Focus is supported by the British Council, while the beach screenings form part of the British Council’s Connect ZA programme in partnership with the NFVF.
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World Cinema
Beyond its strong focus on Africa and South Africa, DIFF is a festival of world cinema and, as is the case every year, this year’s edition is filled with a richly diverse selection of films from around the world. From Sweden comes The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared based on the popular novel by Jonas Jonasson. Amazonia (France/Brazil) follows the epiphanic journey of Sai, a tame capuchin monkey unaware of the wider natural world until the plane on which he is being transported crashes in the Amazon basin. An Episode In The Life Of An Iron Picker (Bosnia and Herzegovina/France/Slovenia) follows a Roma couple as they eke out a tenuous existence, and Arwad (Canada) tells the story of Ali, who, after the death of his mother, escapes to the island of Arwad, off the coast of Syria.

Then there is the Chinese noir film Black Coal, Thin Ice which follows a dissolute former detective who falls under the spell of a widow with a dark secret. Concrete Clouds (Thailand, Hong Kong SAR China) is a complex story about identity and belonging set against the 1997 Asian economic crisis. The Congress (Israel/ Germany/Poland/ Luxembourg/France/Belgium) is the latest left-field masterpiece from Israeli animator Ari Folman (Waltz with Bashir), while The Lunchbox (France/Germany/India) is a luminous tale of an isolated housewife who attempts to reignite her relationship with her husband through her delectably prepared meals. In Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy from Thailand, cinema meets social media in an innovative film that is constructed around 410 consecutive Twitter updates. The Austrian film My Blind Heart follows a young man suffering from a rare genetic disorder as he lives a marginal life in the city of Vienna, and Nuoc 2030 from Vietnam is set in a near-futuristic landscape flooded as a result of global warming.
Nymphomaniac (Denmark/Germany/France/Belgium/Sweden), from controversial filmmaker Lars von Trier, is an ambitiously explicit sexual epic while Omar (Palestinian Territories) is a tense political thriller set in the West Bank. Papilio Buddha (India/United States) tells of the university-educated son of a Dalit activist who is politically apathetic until he receives bad treatment at the hands of the state. The Rocket (Australia/Laos/Thailand) is set in the lush mountain countryside of Laos and chronicles the attempts of a young outsider to overcome his fate. The Rover (Australia/United States) is the latest film from Australian filmmaker David Michôd, director of the 2010 DIFF hit Animal Kingdom, while the American film Wish I Was Here is a sequel of sorts to Zach Braff’s 2004 hit debut Garden State.

Gender and Sexuality
As is usually the case, this edition of DIFF has a strong selection of films exploring sexuality and gender issues. 52 Tuesdays chronicles the female-to-male gender transition of a woman from the perspective of her daughter, who visits her mother once a week during the year-long process. The frank yet mercurial Love is Strange tells of two gay New Yorkers who decide to get married after 40 years of living together, and suddenly find themselves separated from each other. The Indian film Qissa blurs the boundaries of gender and genre in its story of girl who is brought up as a boy, while Something Must Break introduces us to the apparently straight Andreas, who finds himself drawn to Sebastian, who is wrestling with the emerging strength of Ellie, the women he feels he must become. 

Peaches Does Herself is an instant concert film classic and also a neo-queer, post-punk camp extravaganza, with the Canadian electroclash artist directing herself. Eastern Boys follows the shifting relationship between the between a mild-mannered, middle-aged Parisian named Daniel and Marek, a young Eastern European boy who he picks up in a train station. Finally, Salvation Army is an unflinching, poetic study of a young Arab man grappling with notions of family and sexuality. Rendered in filmmaking styles as diverse as the sexuality they document, this is a fascinating selection of films about the edges of sexuality.

Documentaries
This year’s selection of documentaries is the largest yet in DIFF’s 35 year history. As well as the rich selection of doccies presented in the 20 Years of Freedom special focus area, there are a number of other local offerings included in the Wild Talk stream. Then there is a stellar selection of documentaries from around the world, collectively presenting a global snapshot of life on earth. We Come as Friends explores the human cost of neo-colonialism in newly independent South Sudan, A World Not Ours provides a deeply compassionate but acerbic glimpse into life in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, and Cairo Drive looks at life in contemporary Cairo from the perspective of its anarchic traffic system. 

These Birds Walk tells the heart-breaking and cinematically astounding story of a Pakistani orphanage and ambulance service, while The Kill Team is a dark catalogue of illicit killings of civilians by American soldiers in Afghanistan. The King and the People documents the repressive rule of Swaziland’s King Mswati III, Africa’s last remaining absolute monarch, and Life Itself chronicles the life of Roger Ebert, the much loved film critic who died last year. Finally, Prophecy. Pasolini's Africa and How Strange to be Named Federico present two very different tributes to two of the greatest names in Italian cinema.

The Encounters-DIFF Connection
This year DIFF presents several films in association with Encounters Film Festival. These films include Annalet Steenkamp’s I, Afrikaner, Rehad Desai’s Miners Shot Down, Jolynn Minnaar’s Unearthed, Marion Edmund’s The Vula Connection and Abby Ginzberg’ Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa.

Wavescape Film Festival

For the ninth year, DIFF partners with Wavescape to bring you a feast of surfing cinema, including 8 features and 11 shorts.  Inspired by such films as Rattle and Hum and Endless Summer, Fading West follows Grammy-winning alternative-rock band Switchfoot as they hunt for surf around the globe. In Land of Patagones two brothers trek to the guano-infested solitude of Patagonia, the far southern home of toothfish and uncharted surf. In Out in the Line Up two gay surfers unite to uncover the taboo of homosexuality in surfing, while Stephanie in the Water tells the story of Stephanie Gilmore who won her first world surfing championship event at the age of 17 on a day off from high school.

Other Wavescape films include Tidelines, in which a South African crew circumnavigates the world to find waves but also to document how badly plastic debris has impacted our oceans, while McConkey is a tribute to Shane McConkey, the extreme skier.

Wavescape opens with a free outdoor screening at the Bay of Plenty Lawns on Sunday 20 July, before locating at Ster-Kinekor Musgrave Monday 21 July to Friday 25 July.

The Films That Made Me
This year, for the second time, DIFF presents a repertory section in which film lovers and filmmakers have the opportunity to access a slice of film history. In ‘The Films That Made Me’ section, acclaimed South African director Khalo Matabane presents five films that have been influential in his growth as a filmmaker. The five films that Matabane will present are Krzysztof Kie?lowski’s A Short Film About Killing (1988), Denys Arcand’s The Decline Of The American Empire (1986), Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull (1980), Alfred Hitchcock‘s Rear Window (1954) and Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing (1989). After each screening, Matabane will lead a discussion regarding the importance of the film. These screenings will be part of the Talents Durban programme but will also be open to the public

Talents Durban
 The 7th Talents Durban (formerly Talent Campus Durban) will bring together the creativity of 40 selected filmmakers from 10 different countries in Africa, chosen from over 150 submissions, who will take part in a series of masterclasses, workshops and industry networking opportunities during the festival. Supported by the German Embassy, the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, the Goethe-Institut and the Gauteng Film Commission, Talents Durban is presented in co-operation with Berlinale Talents. Talents Durban is a platform for filmmakers to enhance their skills, develop collaborations and interface with the dynamic film industry in Africa and beyond.

 Durban FilmMart
Now in its 5th year, the Durban FilmMart, a partnership project with the Durban Film Office and the Durban International Film Festival, and supported by the City of Durban, is a film finance and co-production market presented in three strands – Finance Forum, Master Classes and the Africa in Focus seminars. 20 selected African projects (including 10 fiction features and 10 documentaries) will have an opportunity to hold one-on-one meetings with potential financiers, co-producers, and distributors in the Finance Forum. All projects will also have an opportunity to pitch their projects to a panel of international commissioning editors and financiers in the African Pitch, a structured pitching forum of the market. The DFM master class and networking programme is open to registered delegates only. See www.durbanfilmmart.com for further details.
    
Wild Talk
For the second year running, DIFF is host to the Durban Wild Talk Africa showcase of local and international environmentally and wildlife-focused films. The Durban Wild Talk Africa Film Festival and Conference, now in its 9th year, brings a world-class television market and natural history conference to South Africa every two years. After the success of last year’s conference at DIFF, Durban Wild Talk Africa will again present a programme of nature films. The full Wild Talk conference will be back in Durban next year.

This year, the Wild Talk strand offers entertaining and enlightening viewing for nature enthusiasts, animal-lovers, adrenalin junkies and environmentalists alike. Some not-to-be-missed films include Unearthed, a shocking insight into the world of hydraulic fracking and the dark underbelly of America’s gas industry, Black Mamba: Kiss of Death, in which we witness an hour in the life of the most feared snake in Africa, and Birdman Chronicles, which launches head-first into the adrenaline-charged world of wing-suit flying. DamNation explores the changing attitudes towards dams and the devastating effect of these man-made structures while Expedition to the End of the World is an account of a visit by a group of artists and scientists to the rapidly melting massifs of North-East Greenland.

Other Wild Talk films include the award-winning Iranian astronaut-inspired Sepideh, The Ghosts in our Machines, Liz Marshall’s photographic exploration into the commodification of animals, an artistic voyage into water with Watermark, and the world premiere of Lady Baboon, which chronicles the life of the woman who single-handedly started the controversial baboon conservation movement in South Africa.

Architecture Film
The week after DIFF ends, Durban will be hosting the World Congress of Architects at UIA2014. In acknowledgement of this fact, the festival presents a small stream of films which explore various aspects of architecture. Cathedrals of Culture begins with the question "If buildings could talk, what would they say about us?", and offers six startling responses from six filmmakers from around the world. Great Expectations presents the grand architectural visions of our time, from the functionalist cities of Le Corbusier to the light-weight structures of Buckminster Fuller to Paolo Soleri's crystalline villages in the desert. The Human Scale documents how modern cities tend to leave us each alone in an almost infinitely large crowd and suggests that we can build cities in ways that takes human needs for inclusion and intimacy into account. Lastly, Microtopia investigates various ways in which architects, artists and ordinary problem-solvers are pushing the limits to find answers to the dream of portable, flexible and sustainable housing.
The architecture stream of programming is presented in partnership with the Architect Africa Film Festival and UIA2014.


Ticketing

DIFF 2014’s principal screening venues are Suncoast Cinecentre, Ster Kinekor Musgrave, Cinema Nouveau – Gateway, Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, Ekhaya Multi-Arts Centre in KwaMashu, and the Tsogo Sun Elangeni Hotel. Other venues include the Bay of Plenty Lawns, the KZNSA Gallery and the Luthuli Museum on the North Coast, which will have a special programme of screenings.

Tickets should be acquired through the respective venues and prices range from R25 to R40 (R50 for 3D screenings), except at Luthuli Museum, Ekhaya, Elangeni Hotel and Bay of Plenty lawns, which are free of charge.  The Short Film programme at the KZNSA Gallery costs R25. 

Programme booklets with the full screening schedule and synopses of all the films are available free at cinemas, and other public information outlets. Full festival details can also be found on www.durbanfilmfest.co.za or by calling 031 260 2506 or 031 260 1816.

The 35th Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (a special project of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the College of Humanities, Cheryl Potgieter) with support from the National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development & Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institut, Industrial Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture and range of other valued partners.

 

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MEDIA QUERIES:
Sharlene Versfeld / Sipho Ngwenya
Versfeld and Associates
Tel: +27 (0) 31 811 5628
Cell: +27 (0) 83 326 3235
Fax: +27 (0) 86 682 7334
Email: sharlene@versfeld.co.za / info@versfeld.co.za

FESTIVAL ENQUIRIES:
Phone: +27 (0) 31 260 2506/1816
Fax: +27 (0) 31 260 3074
Email: diff@ukzn.ac.za 
Website: www.durbanfilmfest.co.za. Twitter @DIFFest

 

AFDA to Host Holiday Workshop

AFDA TO HOST WORKSHOP IN JULY

AFDA (The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance) Durban will host a Holiday Workshop on Thursday, July 3 from 08:30 to 16:30 at the campus in Glen Anil. This is an oportunity for young people thinking about their careers to experience what a day would be like in the film, television and entertainment industry. The workshop is open to Grade 11 and 12’s or those who have recently matriculated.

The prospective students will get a sneak preview of how to acquire skills that are necessary to create great entertainment products in performance, film and television. This will be done through various masterclasses where participants will be given the opportunity to experience how to conceptualise a scene from a movie or TV show and then go about actually shooting a scene.

The AFDA Campus boasts an experienced line up of academic staff drawn from the film and live performance industries who will host the workshop.

Participants need to book their place and this works on a first come first serve basis. There is a nominal fee of R60 for the day which includes a light lunch. 

AFDA will also host an Interview Day the day before the workshop on Wednesday, July 2. This is an opportunity for prospective students to meet one on one with AFDA staff to discuss any queries they may have in detail, as well as get more information on the Undergraduate degree in Motion Picture Medium or Live Performance.

Prospective students can contact Milena or Purity at the Durban campus for more information and to make a booking. (puritys@afda.co.za / 031 569 2252). For more info about the school go to AFDA Durban on Facebook, @AFDADurban on Twitter or visit www.afda.co.za .

 

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Talents Durban at 35th Durban International Film Festival

Durban, South Africa: The 35th Durban International Film Festival (July 17 to 27) is proud to present the 7th edition of Talents Durban (formerly named Talent Campus Durban) – a skills sharing, development and networking platform or emerging filmmakers from Africa. Talents Durban is presented in collaboration with the Berlinale Talents programme of the Berlinale Film Festival with support from the KZN Film Commission, German Embassy, Goethe Institute and Gauteng Film Commission. Talents Durban, along with the Durban FilmMart (which is a co-production between DIFF and the Durban Film Office) forms part of the Durban International Film Festival Industry Programme.

40 filmmakers from 10 countries across the continent including South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Madagascar, Tunisia and Namibia will be in attendance. The programme consists of master classes, in depth discussions with critically acclaimed film professionals from across the globe, hands-on training programme as well as networking opportunities for selected participants.

Master Classes
Talents Durban participants will be able to participate in a co-production master class with French producer Denis Vaslin. Vaslin is a producer of documentary and fiction, and his titles include 40 Days of Silence, Solo, The World Belongs to Us, The Hum of Holland and Snackbar. He heads up a Dutch production company Voyla Films and co-owns a French production company Madra Films.

Australian documentary development expert, Julia Overton will present a Documentary Finance master class on Documentary Financing. Overton is a Development and Investment Manager at Screen Australia where she is instrumental in assisting filmmakers with getting their projects produced with local or international support. Overton has been involved in the development of several critically acclaimed films including The Snowman, A Good Man, Forbidden Lies, First Australians, Contact and Salt.

Talents Durban participants will also have access to a master class with pitch expert Stefano Teadly, a South African-born, Italy-based producer, director and pitch expert. Teadly has produced and directed numerous films including A World of Pasta, Doctor Ice, Coffee Please and Tea for All and the series Food Markets - In the Belly of the City. Recent works produced include Mostar United, Vinylmania and Char, No Man’s Island.  Teadly is a graduate of the EAVE programme and director of the Italian workshop, Documentary in Europe, has chaired EDN and is a national coordinator for INPUT. He also tutors film development and production at numerous universities and organizations including ; Biennale Cinema College, Cannes Film Market, Films de 3 Continents – Produire au Sud, Media Business School,Med Film Factory, Scuola Holden, TFL-Torino Film Lab, ZELIG Film School.

The above master classes will also be open to Durban FilmMart delegates.

Talents Durban will also feature a hands-on training programme including Doc Station, Script Station and Talent Press. 

Doc Station selects three documentary projects in development for coaching and mentoring towards participation in a public pitch at the DFM’s pitching forum – The African Pitch. Participants are given mentoring prior to the pitch and during preparations at the festival. After the pitch they are given advice from mentors on how to proceed with their projects.
Script Station is a script development programme for short films which pairs four participants with script editors who assist in clarifying story and getting to an advanced draft of their script. 

Talent Press is presented in cooperation with Fipresci, an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world which lobbies for the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests. The programme invites four critics to cover the films and events of the Durban International Film Festival for online and print publication.

The following are the selected participants of the Talents Durban:
Susan Wanjiru (KENYA), Christiaan Kritzinger (SOUTH AFRICA), Timoteo Edzeani Doh (GHANA), Donovan Orr (SOUTH AFRICA), Alexander Melck (SOUTH AFRICA), Jozua Malherbe (SOUTH AFRICA), Bahaaeldin Elgamal (EGYPT), Frances Bodomo (GHANA), Shane Vermooten (SOUTH AFRICA) Abdellatif Amajgag (MOROCCO), Mohamed Siam (EGYPT), She Mulinya (KENYA), Harold Holscher (SOUTH AFRICA), Udoka Oyeka (NIGERIA), James Walsh (SOUTH AFRICA), Diana Keam (SOUTH AFRICA), Willem Grobler (SOUTH AFRICA), Francis William Nicholson (SOUTH AFRICA), Zolani Ndevu (SOUTH AFRICA), Roger Young (SOUTH AFRICA), Sitraka Randriamahaly (MADAGASCAR), Fatma Azibi (TUNISIA), Perivi John Katjavivi (NAMIBIA), Manqoba  Nkosi (SOUTH AFRICA), Miklas Simeon Manneke (SOUTH AFRICA), Aidan Whytock (SOUTH AFRICA), Mustafa Aiman (EGYPT), Henok Birhanu (ETHIOPIA), Ofonime Inyang (SOUTH AFRICA), Terhemen  Agbedeh (NIGERIA), Monica Obaga (KENYA), Oribhabor Kelvin Aigbokhaevbolo (NIGERIA), Saskia  Schiel (SOUTH AFRICA), Morokwe Kaizer Mokgobu Mokgobu (SOUTH AFRICA), Ntuthuko Qwabe (SOUTH AFRICA), Caroline Doherty (SOUTH AFRICA), Mark Middlewick (SOUTH AFRICA), Kulanen Ikyo (NIGERIA), Penelope  Tshilwane (SOUTH AFRICA), Marcus  Hebbelmann (SOUTH AFRICA), Emma Bestall (SOUTH AFRICA)
 
“The Durban International Film Festival welcomes these filmmakers to the Industry Programme and are proud to present them as the future of African Cinema,” says DIFF festival manager Peter Machen, “The diversity of voices in this selection echoes the theme of this year’s Talents Durban – Continent of Contrasts/de Contraste – inspired by a revered elder of African cinema Djibril Diop Mambéty whose 1968 short films was entitled Contras’city (City of Contrasts). We hope this crop of Talents at DIFF will follow in the footsteps of giants of African cinema.”
Talents Durban takes place on 18-22 July within the DIFF Industry Hub at Elangeni Hotel on the Durban beach front.


Talents Durban is produced by the Durban International Film Festival and Berlinale Talents, and is supported by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, German Embassy in South Africa and the Goethe-Institut South Africa and Gauteng Film Commission.

The 35th Durban International Film Festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (a special project of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Humanities, Cheryl Potgieter) with support from the National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development & Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institut, Industrial Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture and a range of other valued partners.

For more information go to www.durbanfilmfestival.co.za


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Teachers Sensitised on LGBTI Issues in the Classroom

In 2012 Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Humanities, Professor Cheryl Potgieter and Co-Principal Investigators, Drs. Thabo Msibi and Finn Reygan at the University of KwaZulu-Natal initiated a study to sensitise teachers to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) identities in the curriculum.  The project culminated in 2014 with a hands-on, easy-to-use curriculum resource that was launched today (30 May, 2014).  This initiative was supported by a grant from the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to South Africa and endeavours to be a positive step in ensuring that schools are safe and affirming spaces for all learners, regardless of sexuality. 

 The study included 800 teachers in KwaZulu-Natal who were trained on how to develop competencies in teaching about sexual and gender diversity. It also upskilled participants on how to best challenge homophobia and transphobia in the classroom. While the South African Constitution was the first in Africa to explicitly recognise the rights of gay and lesbian individuals, the study found that many school learners who self-identify as LGBTI or are assumed to be LGBTI, continue to be denied rights through forms of homophobia and hate speech, exclusion, marginalisation and violence. These negative experiences occur despite the protections offered by both the Constitution and the South African Schools Act, both of which are clear in addressing all forms of discrimination in the promotion of a democratic, equal and fair South Africa.

 “While schools are often seen as sites of support, care and assistance, and teachers and school principals are seen as making a difference in young people’s lives, the reality is quite different when it comes to the lives of LGBTI young people and adults, who continue to experience discrimination and violence,” explained Professor Potgieter.

 The study, saw religious groups, non-governmental organisations and teacher organisations discuss the challenges that many in the LGBTI community face today. With the successful conclusion of this study and training, a curriculum resource pack on LGBTI issues will be available for teacher- educators. 

“We have recommended that the training module be provided not just to Life Orientation (LO) trainer teachers but to trainee teachers across all subject areas. Sexual and gender diversity must be included in the National Schools Safety Framework.

“Academic staff in Schools of Education should be adequately trained in advance on the issues contained in the training module so that they are sensitised and conscientised around these issues and therefore prepared to fully engage in an affirming manner with the training content,” concludes Professor Potgieter.

The recommendations will be sent to the Departments of Basic and Higher Education for consideration.

 U.S. Consul General Taylor Ruggles represented the U.S. Diplomatic Mission to South Africa at the launch event and he said, “U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry participated in the first ever United Nation’s LGBT Ministerial Event in September 2013 where he reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to promoting and protecting the human rights of all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.  Secretary Kerry said and I quote, “As Secretary, I join with my colleagues at our embassies, consulates and USAID missions around the world in saying no matter where you are and no matter who you love, we stand with you.”

 U.S. Government Fact Sheet: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Human Rights Issues

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/05/226253.htm

 

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 Caption to photo by Sipho Ngwenya 

 Left to right

Dr Finn Reygan, Project co-principal investigator, Taylor Ruggles, US Consul General , Prof Cheryl Potgieter, DVC and Head of the College of Humanities and Project Principal Investigator and Dr Thabo Msibi, Project co-principal investigator at the project report breakfast on LGBTI issues in the curriculum in Durban.

 

35th Durban International Film Festival - Moves to Tsogo Sun

South Africa's largest and longest-running film festival, the Durban International Film Festival, 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) presents its 35th edition from 17 to 27 July 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, which is currently open for delegate registration.

Thematically, this edition of DIFF will reflect on South Africa’s twenty 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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Flatfoot Dance Company presents Isiphethu at the Stable Theatre

FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY is proud to continue its three year partnership with Durban’s Stable Theatre to present a very special season of new African contemporary dance works which will have special appeal for both a younger dance audiences and the more seasoned dance aficionado.

 

“ISIPHETHU” is an isiZulu word which means “The Well” and this season of three new dance work dives into considering the power of the image and symbol of “The Well” to nurture and support the heart and spirit of the individual and the community. Timeously created with the ideas of a 20 year democracy resonating in us, “ISIPHETHU” is a personal journey into understanding the collective spirit of South Africa. Featuring 3 new choreographic works by senior company members:  Sifiso Majola, Jabu Siphika and Sifiso ‘Kitsona’ Khumalo under the direction of FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY Artistic Director, Lliane Loots.

 

The season features the choreography of Sifiso Majola, Jabu Siphika and Sifiso ‘Kitsona’ Khumalo, three of FLATFOOT’s most senior and awarded dancers as they turn their talents to creating dance that will delight, amaze and entertain you! Each of them have worked with the idea of “The Well” and what this means to them so feast of contemporary dance will offer you a chance to see how 3 different choreographer work around one theme or idea. This season will feature all 6 of the much loved resident FLATFOOT dancers performing the works.

 

“ISIPHETHU”  begins with Sifiso Majola’s “GUGULAMI/MY PRIDE” and delves into the idea of what it means to look into “The Well” and see your reflection and, through this mirror image, how we learn to see our real selves; selves that have ancestors who have guided us and nurtured us. Jabu Siphika’s very personal solo dance work follows. Entitled “experience is a good teacher”, it draws on the idea that our daily trips to “The Well” are sometimes filled with trials and tribulations but at the end as we draw from “the Well” (our inner strengths), we are nurtured and refreshed as we step closer to becoming who we are meant to be. The season ends with the African contemporary master work by Sifiso Khumalo entitled “UGUBHU” which roughly translates to reference the deep sound that comes from the African drum. This work journey’s to “the Well” to find the echo of what our lives should be like – the joy and the triumphs that echo in the sounds of nature.

 

FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY, now in its 11th year, is KZN’s premier African contemporary dance company and with numerous awards for their dance work and recent international tours under their belts, this is your opportunity to come and watch them at Durban’s Stable Theatre and watch the magic of 3 new Durban choreographic voices unfold. 

 

“ISIPHETHU” has special morning performances that encourage schools to take advantage of this season of dance theatre. For pre-bookings for any of the shows call 082 – 875 6065 or e-mail Craighead@ukzn.ac.za Show times; 22 May (Thursday) at 11am, 23 May (Friday) at 11am and 6.30pm, and 25 May (Sunday) at 3pm.

 

Performance Dates and Times:

22 May (Thurs): 11am

23 May (Fri): 11am and 6.30pm

25 May (Sunday): 3pm

 

 

TICKETS:
R50.00 (adults)

R25.00 (Students, scholars and pensioners)

 

PRE-BOOKING: Clare on 082 – 875 6065 or craigehead@ukzn.ac.za

 

For more information about the Flatfoot Dance Company you can contact Lliane Loots on (031) 260-1142 or e-mail her on lootsl@ukzn.ac.za.

 

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AFDA Durban appoints Laszlo Bene As Head of Television School

AFDA (The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance) has appointed versatile producer Laszlo Bene as the Head of the Television School at the Durban Campus.

 

Laszlo Bene, a producer and director has worked on a number of national and international productions. Having received his education and work experience in the trenches of the Hollywood film community, Laszlo has produced over a dozen motion pictures. In 2006, Bene swapped Hollywood for Johannesburg where he entered the realms of television. He has worked on a number of productions, including the popular children’s series, Takalani Sesame and created/produced a number of projects, such as the Afrikaans family game show, "Dis Rugby!” which was based on one of South Africa’s favourite past-times, rugby, the show was kykNET's biggest hit in 2007. While working in the industry, Laszlo has been also involved in academics.

 

Since 2010 Laszlo has been working at AFDA as a guest lecturer, teaching production related subjects at the Johannesburg and Cape Town campuses. Recently Laszlo has moved from producing to directing when he started working on Nigeria's top television show, Gulder Ultimate Search. Taking the show to new nights and even higher ratings, Laszlo has directed season 9 and 10 of this epic series. "I am excited to head up the television school in AFDA Durban. I believe this newest AFDA campus has the potential to not only produce future television professionals in the KZN area but through this has a chance to grow the local industry as well. I am looking forward to following the AFDA tradition of nurturing highly creative and talented individuals who upon graduation will become the future of South Africa's and KZN's television industry” says Bene.

 

Dean of AFDA Durban Campus, Franco Human said “We are excited to have Laszlo head up the Television School here at the Durban Campus, a person of his calibre and experience is very much appreciated and he surely will add to the high level education that we give to our students”.

 

For more information about AFDA you can contact Milena Gevers on (031) 569-2252 or e-mail her on milenag@afda.co.za.

 

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“Dialogues Africa” JOMBA! 2014 Dance and Choreography Residency

The University of KwaZulu-Natal, College of Humanities and the Centre for Creative Arts announces the invitation to apply to participate in …

“DIALOGUES AFRICA”
The JOMBA! 2014 Dance and Choreography Residency
Facilitated by Boyzie Cekwana (and various guests)

Invitation to apply for participation

The Centre for Creative Arts issues a call to Durban’s emerging choreographers to take part in an exciting three  week residency as part of the 16th Jomba! Contemporary Dance Experience.  This is part of the festival’s special ‘Mzansi’ focus, highlighting the strides made in South Africa’s contemporary dance arena in the 20 year’s of democracy and celebrating, particularly the sustained growth of Jomba! as a formidable platform for dance in the country.

“JOMBA! 2014 is a very special edition for the organising team in that we have decided to make a commitment to feature the very best of South African contemporary dance”.  Says Lliane Loots, Artistic Director of the festival  “The 2 week festival will offer a platform to local and national award winning South African artists in a deeply political move to support and nurture our home grown choreographers and dancers. This is also a huge gift to local audiences who would otherwise never get an opportunity to see some of these companies and artists; many of whom now lack any kind of funding to tour their work”.

Staying true to one of the founding principles of JOMBA!, this 16th edition of the festival presents its “DIALOGUES AFRICA” dance residency for eight choreographers from Durban. This residency is central to this years “Mzansi” JOMBA! focus and will contribute to the growth and support of choreographers working in the City. 

The residency is facilitated by Durban based, and internationally acclaimed teacher and choreographer, Boyzie Cekwana. Cekwana, whose international reputation as a dance maker who breaks boundaries and who challenges audiences, is delighted to be back in his home city of Durban to feed in and support the growth of the art form of contemporary dance which he has been very passionate about supporting on this continent. His recent and longstanding dance collaborations in Mozambique and the Congo have him bringing a unique perspective to his art and will richly feed into the “DIALOGUES AFRICA” JOMBA! 2014 residency. 

The “DIALOGUES AFRICA” JOMBA! 2014 residency is aimed at offering a nurturing and supporting engagement with artists working in dance and physical theatre who wish to deepen and grow their artistic practice through a series of “dialogues”. These “dialogues” will offer opportunities for creative exchange that will stimulate and offer support for the growth of the residency participants own choreographic voice and style.  

The residency will take the format of three week-long  sessions, understanding that the successful applicants will use time in between the contact weeks to continue to roll out their process and work on tasks set. JOMBA! also understands the need to support the growth of artists in South Africa (and Durban in particular) and so the final outcome of this residency will be hosted on the final night of the festival (Sunday 7 September 2014) where all the facilitators and residency participants will discuss about the process of the residency and will also show the first draft of their creations; the emphasis remains on process! The JOMBA! 2014 “DIALOGUES AFRICA” will also be documented and a short film of the process will be screened.

The 3 contact weeks are: 
WEEK ONE: 17 – 22 June (Tuesday to Sunday) 
WEEK TWO: 29 July – 3 August (Tuesday to Sunday)
WEEK THREE: 2 – 7 September (Tuesday to Sunday)
Note: the residency participants will be resident for the whole of the JOMBA! Festival (27 August to 7 September 2014) and will also participate in all workshops and master classes. 

The JOMBA! 2014 “DIALOGUES AFRICA” residency is offered FREE OF CHARGE to successful applicants 

Applications for the residency are now open! Please read the following information very carefully to assist you application (and to see if you meet the criteria for application!):

Applicants must be living and working in Durban , over 20 years old, must have choreographed a minimum of two contemporary dance works that have been shown on a public platform and must be free (9am to 4pm) on ALL three weeks listed above.


HOW TO APPLY: 
Applicants must send an e-mail application to Clare Craighead on Craighead@ukzn.ac.za

This electronic application is to contain the following documentation: A short CV (no more than 2 pages) - with a cell phone number and e-mail address; a small black and white head photograph (an ID photo is fine);; List of works already choreographed (to include title, place/platform performed etc.), a 500 word (only no more) motivation of why the applicant should be considered for this residency; the names and contact details (e-mail address is essential) of two people who will stand as referees– these should be people working in the performing arts industry, mentors, teachers or choreographers/dancers that the applicant has worked with. 

The deadline for email applications is Friday, May 2 by 4pm, with final outcome announced on 16 May, 2014. All applicants (whether successful or not) will receive an e-mail notifying them of the outcome.

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For media enquiries only, please contact:
Sharlene Versfeld
Versfeld and Associates
Mobile: +27 (0) 83 326 3235
Tel: +27 (0) 31 811 5628
Email: sharlene@versfeld.co.za
Website: www.versfeld.co.za

 

 

 

7th Talents Durban extends deadline for application by one week!

Talents Durban will be extending the closing date of applications for 2014 by a week, making the new closing date 8 April 2014.

 

The 35th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, with support from Berlinale Talents, would like to announce the extension of applications for 7th Talents Durban taking place 18-22 July. Applicants can apply online at www.durbanfilmfest.co.za before the closing date of 10 April 2014.

 

What we’re looking for:

{C}·         Filmmakers from Africa.

{C}·         Filmmakers with at least one film that has been screened at a recognised film festival or has been broadcast.

{C}·         Final year/postgraduate students of film.

{C}·         Film critics from Africa.

More information/ participation conditions are available on the online application tool.

 

This year’s Talents Durban’ theme, Continent of Contrast/de Contrastes, is an ode to the godfather of African cinema, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s, first film Contras'city (City of Contrast). Celebrating the 45th anniversary of the film, the 7th Talents Durban will bring film makers from across the continent that will draw inspiration from Africa’s long tradition of story-telling. Breaking away from the stereotypical and homogenous narrative Africa, this year’s edition of Talents Durban aims to highlight the fact that the continent is home to a diversity of cultures, colours and stories. The 7th Talents Durban will not only highlight the stories of Africa, but will help to advance a culture of Africans telling their own stories.

 

Now in its 7th edition, Talent’s Durban looks to continue its proud history of acting as a launch pad for filmmakers from Africa. Understanding the unique needs and challenges facing film makers on the continent, Talent’s Durban will provide filmmakers with the tools to enable their careers to thrive in the international film industry.

 

The programme provides the selected participants with a unique opportunity to meet with international industry professionals, experts and mentors in various aspects of the filmmaking business through participation in a 5-day programme of master classes, workshops and industry networking events. Running in parallel to the 35th Durban International Festival programme, this year’s Talent Campus Durban will offer three hands-on training programmes: Doc Station which will focus on documentary-making, Talent Press which is dedicated to film criticism, and Script Station which will support story development.

 

Doc Station will offer three selected Talents the opportunity to refine and polish documentary projects for pitching at the 5th Durban FilmMart’s DOC Circle. Meanwhile, Talent Press will mentor four African journalists in the art of film criticism with access to all the screenings of the 35th Durban International Film Festival, creating reviews that will be published on numerous platforms. Script Station will offer the opportunity to writers to develop their stories while pitching their ideas to a panel of industry experts. Talents will also have access to the networking events available during the film festival.

 

Applications for the 7th Talents Durban are completed through an online application process. Applicants must meet the criteria found on website. The new application deadline is midnight (CAT) on 8 April 2014. Applications and materials which arrive after 8 April will not be considered. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Successful applicants will be informed via email and the website by 21 April 2014.

 

Talent’s Durban is presented in partnership with Berlinale Talents, with support from the German Embassy of South Africa, the Goethe-Institute of South Africa, and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Through the international programme, with a networks that extends to Talents International events in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Sarajevo and Tokyo, as well as Durban, participants are initiated into a global community of filmmakers and connected via a wide social network platform operated through the Berlin Film Festival.

 

Application forms and full regulations are available at www.durbanfilmfest.co.za

 

US Jazz Legend Kirk Whalum to launch Awesome iLembe Arts Festival – Thursday, March 27

US Jazz Legend Kirk Whalum, makes a special appearance in KZN on Thursday, March 27 at the Sibusisiwe CommunityCentre in Mandeni to launch the first Awesome iLembe Arts Festival that place across the iLembe region on the North Coast later this year. An innovative and far-sighted initiative by the Department of Arts and Culture in partnership with Awesome Africa Festival Productions, this multi-cultural festival will take the music to the people – and directly into the communities at venues in Mandeni, Ndwedwe, Maphumulo and KwaDukuza.

 

This “concert of a lifetime” by Whalum, offers fans an opportunity to enjoy his much celebrated series “The Gospel According to Jazz” in Africa for the very first time. The tenor saxophonist has collaborated with industry greats such as Al Jarreau, Quincy Jones and Barbara Streisand and it is his passionate sax solo that is heard on Whitney Houston’s mega-hit, “I Will Always Love You”. Kirk considers himself as a “man of the people”, and is the recipient of numerous awards and acknowledgements for his musical excellence, and won his first Grammy award for Best Gospel Song “It’s What I Do”, featuring Lalah Hathaway. He recently recorded the next chapter in his series (Chapter IV) in New York to be released worldwide in September. He will preview some of those new songs as well as perform his anthems from the past.

 

The concert starts at 17:00 for 17:30 with a cappella gospel choir “Consuming Fire” from Mandeni followed by Whalum. 

 

Tickets are R150 and can be purchased in advance from Computicket (0861 915 8000). Only 500 tickets are available for purchase, and there will be no door sales. For more info call Gabi Nkabinde on 084-3578860. The festival website iswww.awesomefestivals.com. 

 

 

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17th Time of the Writer International Festival of Writers 17-22 March 2014

The Centre for Creative Arts (UKZN) is proud to announce the programme for the 17th Time of The Writer: International Festival of Writers - a weeklong showcase set to provoke, inform and inspire interesting debates and panel discussions. The festival, which brings together some of the world’s finest novelist, authors and storytellers to Durban, features participants from India, Kenya, Nigeria, Botswana, Togo, and Guinea takes place from 17-22 March at the UKZN Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre. Twenty writers will be gathering for a week of literary dialogue, exchange of ideas and stimulating discussion under the theme Freeing Our Imagination in solidarity with Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina’s clarion call for Africans to use their creativity to imagine and create a continent free of the existential burdens of colonialism.

 

Opening night (March 17) will feature all participating writers as they make brief presentations at the UKZN Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, with the first night of the festival dedicated to the late great South African thinker, academic and prolific writer, Professor Mbulelo Mzamane, a past participant of Time of the Writer. Prof Mzamane passed away on 15 February, having made his mark through his writing and scholarship with titles including The Children of Soweto, The Children of the Diaspora and other stories of Exile and Where there is no vision the people will perish: Reflections on the African Renaissance among others. Nelson Mandela described him as “visionary leader, [and] one of South Africa’s greatest intellectuals.”

 

The rest of the week’s evening presentations will be panel discussions with writers talking about their writing and the issues dealt with in their work.

 

New Voices from India

The first panel discussion of the festival on Tuesday, 18 March, entitled New Voices from India will focus on writing from the sub-continent with Indian authors Satyagit Sarna and Prajwal Parajuly. Satyagit Sarna is an author and lawyer based in New Delhi. His debut novel Angels Share, described as a love story, a political commentary, and coming-of-age novel, was published in 2012 by Haper Collins. He will be joined by Prajwal Parajuly, whose books The Gurkha's Daughter: Stories and Land Where I Flee have been lauded in international press. This panel discussion will be facilitated by author, Shubnum Khan.

 

Mzansi Women Voices

The second panel of the evening, entitled Mzansi Women Voices features South African writers Angela Makhlowa and Praba Moodley. Returning to Time of the Writer after her debut in 2007 Angela Makhlowa is an author and public relations consultant. She became the first black female crime author with her debut novel Red Ink. She has since published a drama novel, The 30th Candle and will be releasing her third novel later this year. Praba Moodley published her first novel The Heart Knows No Colours in 2003, which was followed up by two more novels, A Scent So Sweet (2006) and Follow Your Heart, the sequel to her debut novel. She writes for magazines and has been featured in publications such as Elle and Oprah Magazine. The panel discussion will be facilitated by author, Shafinaaz Hassim.

 

Writing the Policy Debate

Wednesday’s night (March 19) programme kicks off with a panel discussion titled Writing the Policy Debate, featuring South African writers and political analysts Professors Adam Habib and Paulus Zulu. As one of the country’s most recognizable political analysts and Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand, Professor Adam Habib has long been considered one of the most astute experts in the areas of transformation, democracy and development. He holds qualifications in Political Science from the University of Natal and Wits. He earned his master’s and doctoral qualifications from the Graduate School of the City University of New York. His latest work is the book South Africa’s Suspended Revolution.  He will be joined by Professor Paulus Zulu, author and Director of Human Sciences Research Council.  A noted writer, academic and community leader, Professor Zulu holds a PhD from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and has published extensively in the fields of politics and sociology both nationally and internationally. His latest book is entitled A Nation In Crisis. This discussion will be facilitated by Ben Fogel. 


Writing in Francophone Africa: trends and issues.

The second panel discussion of the night is entitled Writing in Francophone Africa: trends and issues. This panel discussion will look trends in Francophone literature with a discussion by authors Sami Tchak(Togo) and Tierno Monénembo(Guinea).  Togolese writer Sami Tchak won the Grand Prix of Black African Literature for the entire range of his work. He has published Femme infidèle, Lomé (1988), Place des Fêtes, (2001), Hermina (2003), La fête des masques, (2004), Le paradis des chiots, (2006), Filles de Mexico (2008). Tierno Monénembo was born in Guinea but has lived in exile in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal before settling in France and Cuba. He has published nine novels and a stage play since 1983. Tierno Monénembo is the winner of France's 2008 prix Renaudot, which is awarded annually to the author of an outstanding original novel. He won the prize for his book, "The King of Kahel." The panel discussion will be facilitated by Bernard DeMeyer of UKZN French department and is presented in partnership with the French Institute of South Africa.

 

Writing the Historical Moment

Thursday night’s activities open with the panel discussion Writing the Historical Moment looks at key historical moments shaping the current South African political landscape. This panel will take the form of an in-depth interview that will feature activist, researcher and political economist Professor Patrick Bond. Bond is an academic with extensive research whose work draws from NGO work in urban communities and with global justice movements in several countries. He is currently the Director of the Centre for Civil Society at UKZN and is involved in research on economic justice, geopolitics, climate, energy and water. This panel discussion will be facilitated by Xolani Benedict Dube. 

 

Chronicling the Contemporary African Story

Time of The Writer has a strong history of spotlighting young talented writers dealing with contemporary topics. The festival aims to create an even greater focus on stories from the younger generation and this is highlighted in the second panel of the night. Chronicling The Contemporary African Story brings together two South Africa authors, Kgebetli Moele and Niq Mhlongo. Kgebetli Moele’s debut novel, Room 207, was published in 2006 by Kwela books and was short-listed for the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best First Book (Africa) in 2007. It was the joint-winner of the Herman Charles Bosman Prize for English fiction as well as joint-winner of the University of Johannesburg Prize for Creative Writing in the debut category. His second novel, Book of the Dead received the South African Literary Award in 2010. He released his third novel Untitled-A Novel in 2013. Niq Mhlongo is a Soweto born journalist and author. Mhlongo has presented his work at key African cultural events, including the Caine Prize Workshop, and was a 2008 International Writing Program fellow at the University of Iowa.  He released his debut novel Dog Eat Dog in 2004, which has been translated into Spanish. He has since released two more novels, After Tears (2007) and the highly praised Way Back Home in 2013. The panel discussion will be facilitated by Duduzile Mabaso. 

 

Story-telling Programme

Understanding the rich history that storytelling carries on the continent, The Time of The Writer festival is excited to present a story-telling programme, in collaboration with the Gcinamasiko Arts & Heritage Trust, taking place on Friday, March 21. This will see two storytellers, Nomsa Mdlalose and Mshai Mwangola in a panel discussion that will look at the art of storytelling. Mdlalose is a South African storyteller with years of experience and is the Managing Director of Kwesukela Storytelling Academy with a Master’s Degree in Storytelling. Through her work at the Academy, she promotes the ancestral oral tradition as a heritage of sophistication, wisdom and philosophy. Nairobi-native Mshai Mwangola is talented performance scholar, storyteller, and oraturist. She has performed, conducted performance workshops, researched and worked with and for diverse performance ensembles and individuals in four continents with a career spanning over 25 years in acting, directing and story-telling. She is the chairperson of the Governing Council of the Kenya Cultural Centre. The panel will be facilitated by Dr. Gcina Mhlophe.

 

From The Mouth of Babes

The second panel of the night will focus on youth literature, From The Mouth of Babes, featuring youth literature writers, Lauri Kubuitsile (Botswana) and Khulekani Magubane (South Africa). Lauri Kubuitsile is a writer living in Botswana who has published three children’s books, two detective novellas and three collections of short stories for children co-written with two other Botswana writers. She has published three romance novels with Sapphire Press- Kwaito Love, Can He Be The One?, and Mr Not Quite Good Enough. Kubuitsile was the 2007 winner of the BTA/ Anglo Platinum Short Story Contest and the recipient of the Botswana Ministry of Youth and Culture’s Orange Botswerere Award for Creative Writing in the same year. In 2009 she won the Baobab Literary Prize (USA) in the junior category and in 2010 in the senior category. She was on the shortlist for the 2011 Caine Prize. Khulekani Magubane is a South African journalist and author. At the age of 23 has published more than 18 books in the past 8 years. Although he is a children’s author his work deals with issues such as class, race and religion. Saneliswe Ntuli will facilitate the panel discussion.

 

In addition, Time of The Writer and the Gcinamasiko Arts & Heritage Trust will host a special matinée for children to be held at the UKZN Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on Saturday, 22 March at 14h00 – 16h30. The matinée will feature Mdlalose and Mwangola where they will be joined by Gogo MaBhengu and Lwazi Thwala.

 

New African Women Writers Rising

The final day of the festival features a discussion entitled New African Women Writers Rising, will focus on the stories and work being produced by young female writers from Africa. This panel discussion will feature prolific authors, Hawa Jande Golakai(Liberia) and Chibundu Onuzo (Nigeria).  Born in Liberia, Hawa Jande Golaka moved around extensively with her family due to political and economic unrest. She lived in Togo, Ghana and Zimbabwe before coming to Cape Town as a student in 2003. She trained and worked as a medical researcher in immunology. Her first novel The Lazarus Effect is a gripping fictional drama set in Cape Town.  She will be joined by Nigerian author Chibundu Onuzo, a young author whose debut novel The Spider’s King Daughter has received critical acclaim. She has been shortlisted for this year’s Commonwealth Book Prize and the 2012 Dylan Thomas Prize as well as longlisted for the Desmond Elliot prize in the same year. This panel discussion will be facilitated by writer Sandile Ngidi. 

Finding the South African Funny Bone features South African writers, Sarah Britten and Zukiswa Wanner. Britten is a former journalist, artist and author from Johannesburg. She has been published extensively and wrote her Master’s research report on South African humour (with a focus on Madam and Eve) and has a doctorate in Applied English Language Studies. She has published three novels focussing on the colourful and unique art of South African insults, The Art of the South African Insult, McBride of Frankenmanto: The Return of the South African Insult, More South African Insults. Zukiswa Wanner is a journalist, author and blogger. Wanner’s works include The Madams: A Wildly Provocative Novel (2007), Behind Every Successful Man (2008) Men of the South (2010). Her latest work is Maid in SA: 30 Ways to Leave Your Madam (2013). She is a founding member of the ReadSA initiative, a campaign encouraging South Africans to read South African works. The panel discussion will be facilitated by writer and radio personality Ndumiso Ngcobo.

Seminars and WorkshopsIn addition to the nightly panel discussions at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, the festival’s Community Outreach programme features a broad range of day activities including seminars and workshops that aim to promote a culture of reading, writing and creative expression. The festival also conducts visits to schools, and presents a prison writing programme. Book launches take place at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre’s Wellington Tavern deck prior to the evening shows, from 18h45.

Tickets are R25 for the evening sessions, R10 for students, and can be purchased through Computicket or at the door one hour before the event. Workshops and seminars are free.

For more details about this years’ Time of the Writer, visit www.cca.ukzn.ac.za or call (031) 2602506.

 

Organised by the Centre for Creative Arts(University KwaZulu-Natal), the 17th Time of the Writer is supported by the City of Durban, the French Institute of South Africa, and the KZN Department of Arts and Culture. The Centre for Creative Arts is housed in the College of Humanities at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and is a special project of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cheryl Potgieter.

 

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7th Talents Durban at the Durban International Film Festival 18-22 July 2014

The 35th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, with support from Berlinale Talents, is proud to announce the opening of applications for 7th Talents Durban taking place 18-22 July. Applicants can apply online atwww.durbanfilmfest.co.za before the closing date of 31 March 2014.

 

This year’s Talents Durban’ theme Continent of Contrast/ de Contrastes is an ode to the godfather of African cinema, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s, first film Contras'city (City of Contrast). Celebrating the 45th anniversary of the film, the 7th Talents Durban looks to bring film makers from across the continent draw inspiration from Africa’s long tradition of story-telling. Breaking away from the stereotypical and homogenous narrative Africa, this year’s edition of Talents Durban aims to highlight the truth that this continent is home to a myriad of cultures, colours, stories. The 7th Talents Durban looks to not only highlight the stories of Africa, but create a culture of Africans telling their own stories.

 

Now in its 7th edition, Talent’s Durban looks to continue its proud history of acting as a launching pad for filmmakers from Africa. Understanding the unique needs and challenges facing film makers on the continent, Talent’s Durban looks to provide film makers with the tools to enable their careers to thrive in the international film industry.

 

 The programme provides the selected participants with a unique opportunity to meet with international industry professionals, experts and mentors in various aspects of the filmmaking business through participation in a 5-day programme of master classes, workshops and industry networking events. Running in parallel to the 35th Durban International Festival programme, this year’s Talent Campus Durban will offer three hands-on training programmes: Doc Station which will focus on documentary-making, Talent Press which is dedicated to film criticism and Script Station which will supports story development. Doc Station will offer three selected Talents the opportunity to refine and polish documentary projects for pitching at the 5th Durban FilmMart’s DOC Circle. Meanwhile, Talent Press will mentor four African journalists in the art of film criticism with access to all the screenings of the 35th Durban International Film Festival, creating reviews that will be published on numerous platforms. Script Station will offer the opportunity to writers to develop their stories while pitching their ideas to a panel of industry experts. Talents will also have access to the networking events available during the film festival.

 

Applications for the 7th Talents Durban are completed through an online application process. Applicants must meet the criteria found on website. The application deadline is 31 March 2014. Applications and materials which arrive after 31 March will not be considered. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Successful applicants will be informed via email and the website by 21 April 2014.

 

Application forms and full regulations available at www.durbanfilmfest.co.za

 

Talent’s Durban is presented in partnership with Berlinale Talents, with support from the German Embassy of South Africa, the Goethe-Institute of South Africa, and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Through the international programme, with a networks that extends to Talents International events in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Sarajevo and Tokyo, as well as Durban, participants are initiated into a global community of filmmakers and connected via a wide social network platform operated through the Berlinale.

 

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Time of the Writer International Writers’ Festival Schools Short Story Competition

The 17th Time of the Writer International Writers’ Festival hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal invites high school learners to submit their short stories for the annual Schools Short Story Competition by Thursday, 28 February 2014.

 

Held in conjunction with the festival, The Time of the Writer Schools Short Story Competition is open to all high school learners and aims to encourage creative expression in young people. This competition is the springboard for future storytellers of South Africa. With its long-standing commitment towards nurturing a culture of reading and writing, especially amongst the youth, this competition has received wide and growing appeal in previous editions of Time of the Writer. There is no particular topic for the short stories and they can be written in English, isiZulu or Afrikaans. A maximum of 5 pages (preferably typed) are to be written. Illegible entries will not be considered.

 

The Time of the Writer festival takes place from 17- 22 March 2014. As one of the country’s premier literature festivals, Time of the Writer brings together some of the world’s best authors, publishers, and editors; it also offers a platform to KwaZulu-Natal talent. The festival provides Durban with an educational yet entertaining programme of workshops, reading sessions and panel discussions. This year’s edition of the festival will also include a storytelling focus in partnership with Gcinamasiko Arts & Heritage Trust.

 

In addition to the nightly showcases, a broad range of free day activities including seminars and workshops are formulated to promote a culture of reading, writing and creative expression. This includes the educator’s forum with teachers, on the implementation of literature in the classroom, the community writing forum with members of the public interested in literature as well as visits to schools by the festival participants. 

 

For more information on the festival or the competition, please contact the Centre for Creative Arts on 031 260 2506/1816 or email cca@ukzn.ac.za.

 

Entries can be submitted via any one of the following methods:

Email: cca@ukzn.ac.za

Fax: 031 260 3074

Hand delivery: Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, Mazisi Kunene Ave, Durban, 4041, South Africa.

 

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Go Durban! IS ON TRACK TO MOVE THE PEOPLE OF ETHEKWINI

Go Durban! is the name of the integrated rapid public transport network (IRPTN) that aims to provide a flexible, safe, cost effective, seamless transport experience for the people of eThekwini.

 

This was revealed at the brand launch held in the City today which was attended by the eThekwini Mayor Councillor James Nxumalo, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety & Liaison Mr Willies Mchunu, Deputy Mayor Cllr Nomvuzo Shabalala, City Manager S'bu Sithole, Acting Deputy-Director-General: Public Transport Mrs Khibi Mbuse, EXCO members, City officials, business leaders and stakeholders along with Head of eThekwini Transport Authority Mr Thami Manyathi.

 

Go Durban! promises to promote transport that is universally accessible to all of Durban’s citizens. World-class cities know that infrastructure investment is critical to the sustainability of a region, and the standard of living for its citizens. Go Durban! is identified as one of the key pillars integral to the stimulation of economic growth in the region. Initially citizens will see the development of high quality public transport linkages between Bridge City, Durban Central, Pinetown, Umlazi and Umhlanga. The aim is to provide seamless transfers across transport modes, by creating ease of access at stations and precincts, and by using electronic ticketing and providing passenger safety and security. The design of the IRPTN stations and station precincts will create a focal point for communities, as well as for new, and more sustainable economic development.

 

The initial programme includes the design stage for the stations, station precincts and park and ride facilities and includes the planning and design in each station precinct such as improved lighting, signage, landscaping, street furniture and sidewalk and road design. The design also makes provision for facilities for universal accessibility.

 

Go Durban! will see nine transport corridors linked by various modes of transport (bus, rail and taxi) across eThekwini by 2027. The provision of transport is intrinsic to the creation of a vibrant, liveable and sustainable city in line with the City’s vision which is that by 2030, eThekwini Municipality will be Africa’s most caring and liveable city. The real purpose of transport planning is the provision of access to work, social facilities such as education, hospitals, as well as including goods and services. Go Durban! is aimed at providing affordable and accessible public transport to eThekwini citizens and to not only connect different areas around the city but also to provide transport services to areas which have previously not been serviced to fully incorporate a sense of community in the City.

 

Go Durban! aims to deliver:

 

• Upgraded fleet, facilities, stops and stations

 

• Extended hours of operation (16-24hrs)

 

• Peak frequencies (5-10min) – Off peak frequencies (10-30min)

 

• Full Universal Access (special needs and wheelchair access)

 

• Safe and secure operations monitored by a Control Centre

 

• Electronic fare integration when making transfers

 

• Integrated feeder services including walking / cycling and taxi networks

 

• Integration with metered taxi services and long distance intercity services

 

• Car competitive options and alternatives – to enable strict peak period car use management.

 

Phase 1, which is prioritised around four critical corridors including rail, is expected to be completed by 2018. It will comprise three Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes and one rail corridor. The three BRT routes are: C1 Bridge City to Durban CBD, C3 Bridge City to Pinetown, C9 Bridge City to Umhlanga Corridor and the rail corridor: C2: Bridge City and KwaMashu via Berea Road to Umlazi and Isipingo. The Phase 1 network will accommodate approximately 25% of the Municipality’s total trunk public transport demand on road-based IRPTN services with a further 40% being accommodated by the trunk rail network as part of Passenger Rail Association of South Africa (PRASA) implementation plans. This approach ensures recognisable benefit to the maximum number of users in the shortest period of time for the given level of investment required. Of the 190km of road based trunk corridors, 60km are planned for the Phase 1 implementation of the network by 2018.

 

Through Go Durban! the City hopes to ensure that 85% of all residents will have access to safe, affordable and quality scheduled public transport. It hopes to provide opportunities for densification, mixed-use and transit-oriented development to reduce need for travel, and promote the emergence of a world-class city and to inspire a wave of architectural renewal, which will result in urban rejuvenation and revitalization of run-down areas. Through the large scale nature of the project and the timelines it will also create jobs and assist in the alleviation of poverty in the province.

 

Go Durban! is exceptional in its vision, in that it will have a fully integrated system. Although the entire project will take many years to complete, it is an environmentally, economic and societal-driven sustainable system that will be used for years into the future, becoming one the lasting legacies created for the future in this country.

 

The Go Durban! website, Facebook and Twitter internet interfaces go live tomorrow (November 2):www.GoDurban.co.za, www.facebook/GoDurban and @Go_Durban.

 

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AFDA Johannesburg Head of Live Performance Greg Homann is the Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year 2014 in Drama

AFDA Johannesburg Lecturer & Head of Live Performance Greg Homann has been named by the National Arts Festival as the 2014 Standard Bank Young Artist Award Winner for Theatre.

Greg Homann joined AFDA Johnnesburg in January this year as head of the Live Performance School on that campus. He has quickly made his mark as a valuable member of the AFDA team, working to grow and strengthen stage acting, screen acting, and musical performance with his counterparts in Cape Town and Durban.

His professional theatre productions have been nominated for 34 awards and have won 9 Naledi Awards including for Best Cutting Edge Production (The Pirates of Penzance and Delirium), a Standard Bank Ovation Award (One-Woman Farce), and a Silver Standard Bank Ovation Award (Brothers in Blood).

This year alone he has presented three of his award-winning productions across the country. Mike van Graan’s Brothers in Blood, produced by Artscape, has enjoyed seasons in Cape Town, The Playhouse in Durban and at the National Arts Festival.  At the Witness Hilton Arts Festival last month he restaged his five-man version of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance as well as One-Woman Farce which he directed and co-wrote with actress, Louise Saint-Claire. Both were highlights of the Festival, with One-Woman Farce playing to Sold Out houses.

AFDA is proud to have facilitated Homann’s research trip to Brussels in September to advance his editorial work on an international book publication focusing on South African theatre, performance, and drama. As an academic and researcher, his primary area of research is in contemporary South African theatre with an emphasis on post-apartheid plays. He is the editor of a collection of plays entitled At This Stage: Plays from post-apartheid South Africa (Wits University Press, 2009) which includes two of his essays on contemporary South African theatre. He is also working on an international book publication that surveys South African plays and playwriting from 1994 to the present.

Homann’s views on the Arts in South Africa are well matched to AFDA’s values. He says, “I have always believed that theatre should challenge and entertain, and that these need not ever be separated. I wish to make people think while being emotionally engaged, whether that is through tears or laughter, or ideally both.” He adds, “I think it is the need to learn and connect that keeps me motivated. In a rehearsal room we become part of a family for a short time, and the text or project always results in an opportunity to learn something about ourselves or our world. I love that. I am also driven by a desire to prove that my choice to create a career in the arts is a viable one and that preconceived ideas of being an arts practitioner (poor, struggling, a dreamer, ungrounded, etc.) are simply not true.” says Homann.

AFDA founding executive member, Deon Opperman, was the winner of the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Drama in 1992.

Under Homann’s management, the AFDA Live Performance School in Johannesburg is currently completing a well-equipped 75-seater theatre that will become operational within the next few weeks.

About The Standard Bank Young Artist Awards:

The Young Artist Awards were started in 1981 by the National Arts Festival to acknowledge emerging, relatively young South African artists who have displayed an outstanding talent in their artistic endeavours. These prestigious awards are presented annually to deserving artists in different disciplines, affording them national exposure and acclaim. Standard Bank took over the sponsorship of the awards in 1984 and has presented Young Artist Awards in all the major arts disciplines over their 30-year sponsorship, as well as posthumous and special recognition awards. The winners feature on the main programme of the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown and receive financial support for their Festival participation, as well as a cash prize.

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17th Poetry Africa - International Poetry Festival Workshops

 

The 17th Poetry Africa – International Poetry Festival presented in partnership with the City of Durban and the KZN Department of Arts and Culture announced the festival line up, which promises to be an exhilarating showcase of diverse voices and sounds. Organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (UKZN) to take place from 14-19 October, this festival is a critical platform for self-expression that gives a platform for cultural exchange in the city of Durban.

The Poetry Africa festival, now in its 17th edition, takes place from 14 to 19 October 2013. The event brings together some of the world’s finest poets and musicians to Durban, with artists from India, Benin, Nigeria, Ireland, Italy, Canada and The United States of America.

The Pre-Festival Creative Writing workshops taking place from 7-11 October, at the Centre for Creative Writing (University of KwaZulu-Natal) offers 15 aspiring writers an extensive week-long programme which offers to develop their creative writing tools to hone their craft. The department which is headed by poet and Poetry Africa alumni Poppy Seed, who is a lecturer in English Literature and Media, with 25 years of experience, as well as a songwriter / composer, playwright and is an internationally acclaimed performance poet.

Our extensive workshop programme also includes a pre-festival tour of Durban by the festival finale musical act, Canadian hip-hop and spoken word poet Ian Kamau.  The interactive week-long workshops will take place in various venues across the city, and is a must for all poetry lovers. Kamau is a writer, visual artist, hip hop and spoken word artist from Toronto whose discography lists five collections, including the popular album One Day Soon (2011).

Kamau’s Rhythm, Rhyme & Reasons workshops will take place on the following dates: 

Tuesday 8 October:  Ekhaya Multi-Arts Centre, 14:00-15:00.

Wednesday 9 October: BAT Centre, 17:00-18:00.

Thursday 10 October: Lindelani Arts Centre, 13:00-14:00.

 Friday 11 October: Alliance Francaise, 14:00-15:00.

To take part in the workshops presented by Ian Kamau, contact poetryafricaworkshops@gmail.com.

Along with a diverse line-up of performers, the festival has an extensive workshop programme taking place before and during the festival. Aspiring poets and poetry lovers have the opportunity to engage with Poetry Africa participants, past and present to help hone their craft with creative writing workshops that they will be hosting. The Poetry Writing Workshop at the BAT Centre Saturday 19 October, headed by Raphael D’Abdon (Italy) and Kobus Moolman (South Africa), offers poetry lovers an opportunity to discuss reading, writing and the performance aspects of poetry. D’Abdon is an Italian scholar, writer, editor and translator and a post-doctoral fellow in the English Studies Department at UNISA. As an editor D’Abdon recently published Marikana - A Moment in Time as well as an anthology of poetry about the massacre as well as his own collection Sunnyside Nightwalk. Kobus Moolman is a lecturer of creative writing and languages at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and author. Moolman has a diverse portfolio of published work and his latest collection Left Over is currently enjoying rave reviews is the press.

This year the festival will also host a workshop in partnership with Poetry Potion on Saturday 29 October at the BAT Centre, to discuss and analyse the work of their third quarterly publication Poetry is not a Luxury. Inspired by Audre Lorde’s work of the same title, this anthology of poems written by respected poets Tereska Muishond, Ayabulela Tutuse, Morula wa Kutukgolo, Mandy Mitchell, Monique Barnard, and Saurell Boyers; contemporary poets using their words to tackle and engage topics of every-day life, while discovering who they are through the art of poetry. Our panel discussion will feature 17th Poetry Africa participants Natalia Molebatsi, Malika Ndlovu, and Mandi “Poefficient” Vundla, creating a dialogue about the work and influence of female poets in the country.

For more details about this year’s Poetry Africa, visit www.cca.ukzn.ac.za or call (031) 2602506

Organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (University KwaZulu-Natal), the 17th Poetry Africa is funded by the City of Durban, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture, and The French Institute. The Centre for Creative Arts is housed in the College of Humanities at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The CCA is a special project of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cheryl Potgieter, in the College of Humanities at UKZN.

Caption: Canadian Poet and Hip-Hop Artist Iain Kamau will be in Durban hosting workshops as part of the Poetry Africa International Poetry Festival prior to the opening of the Festival. 

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